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

Washington Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New residential structures and related work inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA (permits listed by the township zoning office).

  • The township zoning office lists permits required (in part) for new residential and commercial structures, driveways, remodeling, and residential additions.
  • A zoning permit is required before any building or property is used, changed in use, or occupied, until a zoning permit is secured from the zoning officer (§1404).
  • Zoning permit is required regardless of building-permit requirements, including placement of a mobile home on a property (§1404.1 a).
  • The zoning responsibilities sheet says the full list and ordinance may be obtained from the zoning office at $0.25 per page.

  “no use shall be established or changed, no structure shall be erected, constructed, reconstructed, or altered, and no building or property used or occupied, changed in use, or changed in occupancy or tenant, until a zoning permit has been secured from the zoning officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA. The township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Zoning Ordinance, effective January 1, 2020).

  • Zoning ordinance effective January 1, 2020 as stated on the enacted-edition title page.
  • Zoning matters are handled by the township zoning officer, not the supervisors' office (per the township zoning page).

  “the zoning officer for washington township is josh bukovac with k2 engineering. washington township does not handle zoning related matters in the supervisors office – please contact the zoning officer at 724-439-3440.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA, as set out in the township zoning ordinance and official zoning map.

  • Enacted ordinance lists R-1 Rural Agricultural (Article 4), R-2 Residential (Article 5), B-1 Mixed-Use Business (Article 6), and I-1 Light Industrial (Article 7) districts.
  • An official zoning map PDF is linked from the township zoning page (2026 zoning map); its boundaries were not opened.

  “article 3 district regulations page 35 article 4 r-1 rural agricultural district page 39”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family detached dwellings in the R-2 Residential District inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • Lot area depends on water and sewer service: 7,200 sq ft with off-lot water and sewer; 20,000 sq ft with on-lot water and sewer.
  • The R-2 dimensional table was read from text extraction and should be checked against the printed table.
  • Two-family and multifamily on-lot lots require 1.5 acres plus 5,000 sq ft per unit over two.

  minimum lot area, off-lot water and sewer: 7200 sq ft (off-lot water and sewer) · minimum lot area, on-lot water and sewer: 20000 sq ft (on-lot water and sewer)

  “min. lot area (off-lot water and sewer) 7,200 sq ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 Rural Agricultural District inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

    “1. single-family detached dwelling – one (1) acre.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the R-1 Rural Agricultural District inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • Front yard minimum 35 feet; side yard minimum 10 feet (§403.3 c and d).
  • Rear yard not stated in the sections read.
  • Uses must also meet the other appropriate requirements of Article 4.

  minimum front yard setback: 35 feet · minimum side yard setback: 10 feet

  “c. front yard. the minimum front yard setback shall be 35 feet. d. side yard. the minimum side yard setback shall be 10 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Rural Agricultural District inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • Maximum building coverage 20% and maximum impervious coverage 30% (§403.5).
  • Large solar energy systems have a separate impervious limit of 20% of the lot area (§840) and are not governed by this claim.

  maximum building coverage: 20 percent of lot · maximum impervious coverage: 30 percent of lot

  “a. maximum building coverage – 20%. b. maximum impervious coverage – 30%.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the R-1 Rural Agricultural District inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • Exception for agricultural buildings (§403.4).
  • Heights in other districts are not confirmed in this record.

  maximum building height: 45 feet (agricultural buildings)

  “a. the maximum height for all buildings shall be 45 feet, with exception for agricultural buildings.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Recreational vehicles that are parked or stored on a lot inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA. Living in a parked or stored RV as a dwelling is prohibited under this rule.

  • Parking or storage in the rear or front yard is allowed only if the RV has a current license or registration and a valid inspection sticker, and does not encroach on a public right-of-way (§916.1).
  • Temporary living in an RV outside the parked or stored situation is not addressed by this section.

  “at no time shall such parked or stored vehicle be occupied or used as a dwelling.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Manufactured homes used as single-family dwellings inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • Permanent installation must sit on permanent footers (concrete runners) at least 18 inches deep, same width as the home, top surface 16 to 24 inches wide (§907.1 a).
  • Installation must follow the dealer's manual, and the building permit application must include year, make, model, and proof of federal standards compliance (§907.1 b-c).
  • A zoning permit is required for placement of a mobile home on a property (§1404.1 a).

  “for the purpose of this title, a manufactured home shall be considered the same as any site-built, single-family detached dwelling.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Sewage (on-lot septic) permitting and enforcement for land inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • The township contact page lists a sewage enforcement officer.
  • Sewage enforcement under Pennsylvania law is administered locally by the township officer; state requirements were not separately opened.
  • Township sewage forms (sewage malfunction complaint form, dye test ordinance and application) are listed on the documents page; their operative terms were not read.

  “sewage enforcement officer stan glumac 724-344-0560”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • Subdivision and land development are governed by the township SALDO ordinance; a subdivision checklist is provided by the planning commission.
  • Mobile home parks must comply with the SALDO requirements for mobile home parks (§828.1).

  “subdivision checklist (planning commission) subdivision and land development ordinance (saldo)”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New or altered driveway access for residential property inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

  • Driveway appears in the township's permits-required list, and an application for driveway permit is on the zoning page.
  • Driveway entering a state road is handled by PennDOT (not opened).

  “driveways new residential/commercial structures (single & multi family dwelling units) remodeling (siding, roofing, decks, porches, porch enclosures, fences)”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Township permit fees inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA (building permit fees document linked on the zoning page).

  • Fee schedules are linked as documents (building permit fees, street opening permit fees, street cut permit fees resolution); amounts were not opened.

  “application for street opening building permit fees complaint form manual of procedures”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for residential construction inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.
• Inspections — Building inspections for residential construction inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates for new homes inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum size of a new single-family dwelling inside Washington township, Fayette County, PA.

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.