Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Connellsville Township, Pennsylvania

Rules another office applies inside Connellsville Township

Connellsville Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of the Fayette County Zoning Ordinance as applied in Connellsville Township, which is county-administered zoning (not a township ordinance).

  • Ordinance adopted November 1, 2006 per county page; county lists later amendments (2009 Table I use chart, 2021 agriculture definition, 2024 injection wells, 2025 utility-scale solar, 2026 subdivision amendment) that were not reviewed.
  • District names from the ordinance text: A-1 agriculture - rural (without public sewer), A-1 agriculture - rural (with public sewer), R-A low density residential, R-1 moderate density residential (without and with public sewer), R-2 high density residential (without and with public sewer).

  “zoning districts a-1 agricultural rural district r-a low density residential district r-1 moderate density residential district r-2 high density residential district c conservation b-1 business/commercial b-2 business/commercial m-1 light industrial m-2 heavy industrial”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residential dwelling units in Connellsville Township under the county-administered Fayette County Zoning Ordinance.

  • Applies under county zoning; the township has no zoning ordinance of its own per the county administration statement.
  • Applies to residential dwelling units generally; no district exception stated in §1000-209.

  minimum gross floor area of a residential dwelling unit: >= 720 square feet

  “§1000-209. minimum residential floor area requirements. a. the minimum gross floor area of a residential dwelling unit shall be seven hundred twenty (720) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 agriculture - rural district (with and without public sewer) under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, in Connellsville Township.

  • Numeric minimum lot area is set in Table 2 (conventional residential) and Table 3 (non-residential) of the ordinance; the numbers did not extract reliably and must be read from the PDF tables before use.
  • Lot area is measured in square feet (§1000-207 subsection a).

  “§1000-210. lot and yard requirements. a. the minimum site area, minimum lot area, minimum lot width, minimum depth of front and rear yards and minimum width of each side yard for lots in each district shall be provided as shown on tables 2 and 3.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-A low density residential district under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, in Connellsville Township.

    “§1000-210. lot and yard requirements. a. the minimum site area, minimum lot area, minimum lot width, minimum depth of front and rear yards and minimum width of each side yard for lots in each district shall be provided as shown on tables 2 and 3.”

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 moderate density residential district (main single-family district, with and without public sewer) under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, in Connellsville Township.

    “§1000-210. lot and yard requirements. a. the minimum site area, minimum lot area, minimum lot width, minimum depth of front and rear yards and minimum width of each side yard for lots in each district shall be provided as shown on tables 2 and 3.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 agriculture - rural district under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, in Connellsville Township.

  • Front, side and rear yard values are in Table 2 of the ordinance, not transcribed reliably here.
  • Note under Table 2: for residential uses legally existing prior to 1968, front, rear and side yards for existing lots of record shall not be less than the established yards prevailing in the immediate area, but in no case shall side yards be less than three (3) feet or rear yards less than five (5) feet.

  “c. all conventional residential developments shall comply with the minimum yard, setback and lot coverage requirements defined in table 2: conventional residential development dimensional requirements.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-A low density residential district under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, in Connellsville Township.

    “c. all conventional residential developments shall comply with the minimum yard, setback and lot coverage requirements defined in table 2: conventional residential development dimensional requirements.”

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 moderate density residential district (main single-family district) under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, in Connellsville Township.

    “c. all conventional residential developments shall comply with the minimum yard, setback and lot coverage requirements defined in table 2: conventional residential development dimensional requirements.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum lot (building) coverage by district under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, applied in Connellsville Township.

  • Residential maximum lot coverage is a column of Table 2; non-residential maximum building coverage is a column of Table 3. Values per district must be read from the PDF tables.
  • Conditional-use and special-exception applications must also meet the lot coverage of the district (§1000-700 and §1000-800).

  “c. all conventional residential developments shall comply with the minimum yard, setback and lot coverage requirements defined in table 2: conventional residential development dimensional requirements.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum building height by district under the county Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, in Connellsville Township.

  • Residential maximum height is a column of Table 2; non-residential maximum height is a column of Table 3. Per-district values must be read from the PDF.
  • Certain structures (church spires, belfries, water and fire towers, chimneys and similar, if not a hazard to an airport) are listed as exempt in the ordinance's height provisions; full list not transcribed.

  “c. the intensity of all non-residential developments shall comply with the density, yard, setback, height, and lot coverage requirements defined by table 3: non-residential development dimensional requirements.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Fees for county zoning applications covering land in Connellsville Township.

  • County fee schedule beginning January 1, 2024 (DocumentCenter/View/6899) is linked but its amounts were not opened; fee amounts not recorded here.
  • Fee schedule effective January 1, 2024 supersedes any earlier schedule.

  “fee schedule beginning january 1, 2024 non-conforming use petition (pdf) revised zoning permit application 2023”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit and zoning-related applications for land in Connellsville Township, filed with the Fayette County Planning and Zoning Office.

  • Applies to the county zoning permit process only; building permits under the Uniform Construction Code are a separate process and were not confirmed.
  • Documents must be complete with the appropriate fee or they are returned as incomplete.

  “documents all documents must be filled out completely and accompanied with the appropriate fee or it will be deemed incomplete and mailed back.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Connellsville Township or Fayette County directly.

• Building permit — Building permit for new home construction in Connellsville Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from licensing or permitting in Connellsville Township
• Building code adopted — Uniform Construction Code administration for Connellsville Township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction in Connellsville Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Connellsville Township

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.