Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

Borough of Mercersburg’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside Mercersburg borough: borough land use permit plus building permit from PMCA

  • Additional borough permits (e.g. sidewalk or curb work) may be needed.
  • Zoning ordinance 107 requires a permit before erection, construction or change of use.

  “building permit from pa municipal code alliance in compliance with the pennsylvania building code”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code enforcement inside Mercersburg borough

  • Enforcement is delegated to a third-party agency (PA Municipal Code Alliance).

  “the borough of mercersburg has designated pa municipal code alliance (pmca) as the pennsylvania building code permitting and enforcement entity within the borough.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Mercersburg borough, Franklin County, PA

  • Ordinance enacted June 13, 1994 under the PA Municipalities Planning Code; readers must procure later amendments, which were not reviewed.
  • Administered by a zoning officer; special exceptions and variances go to the zoning hearing board.

  “any proposed land use or construction activity within the mercersburg borough limits must meet the requirements of the borough's zoning ordinance.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwelling units inside Mercersburg borough

  • 450 sq ft allowed for units limited to persons over 60 or the physically handicapped, or for efficiency/1-bedroom apartments.

  minimum habitable floor area per dwelling unit: >= 600 sq ft (450 sq ft in listed cases)

  “each dwelling unit shall include a minimum of 600 square feet of habitable, indoor, heated floor area, except such minimum floor area may be 450 square feet in either of the following cases:”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in all Mercersburg borough zoning districts except TC1

  • TC1 district: 4 stories or 50 feet.
  • Exempt: silos, towers, steeples, chimneys and similar appurtenances.
  • Residential accessory structures on lots under 1 acre: 1.5 stories or 25 feet.

  maximum building height: 2.5 stories or 35 feet, whichever is more restrictive (TC1 district 4 stories or 50 feet)

  “all districts shall have a maximum height for buildings of 2.5 stories or 35 feet, whichever is more restrictive, except as follows:”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Conversion of an existing dwelling to add a second (accessory) dwelling unit inside Mercersburg borough

  • One unit must be owner- or relative-occupied for 24 months after conversion.
  • Maximum 2 dwelling units on the lot unless stated otherwise.
  • Which districts permit this was not confirmed.

  minimum floor area of pre-existing dwelling: >= 1600 sq ft

  “the dwelling as it pre-exists shall have a minimum floor area of 1,600 square feet. the principal dwelling unit shall retain a minimum floor area of 800 square feet”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Mercersburg borough

  “mercersburg borough staff handle the permitting and enforcement of the borough's subdivision and land use ordinance.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Mercersburg or Franklin County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Mercersburg borough
• Inspections — Inspections inside Mercersburg borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Mercersburg borough
• Minimum lot size — Main residential district lot size inside Mercersburg borough
• Setbacks — Main residential district setbacks inside Mercersburg borough

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.