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

Borough of Christiana’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Christiana borough, Lancaster County

  • The 2023 amendment (short-term rentals, chickens) was only a proposal in the county memo; adoption not confirmed.

  “the purpose of the (mdr) medium density residential district is to accommodate single-family development with both public water and sewer.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts in Christiana borough (LDR, MDR, HDR, CBD and others in Chapter 27)

  • Zoning map also posted on the borough site.

  “part 7 (hdr) high density residential district §27-701. §27-702. §27-703.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwelling in the Medium Density Residential (MDR) district, Christiana borough (§27-606)

  • Unless otherwise specified herein
  • Other districts (LDR, HDR, CBD) have different figures; not captured here

  minimum lot area, single-family: >= 10000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 60 ft

  “dwelling type lot area per dwelling unit (square feet) lot width (feet) impervious coverage (percentage) single-family dwelling 10,000 60 60 duplex 3,500 30 40”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Permitted uses in the MDR district, Christiana borough (§27-607)

  • Front-yard exception where buildings exist in the same block, per §27-1105
  • Side and rear figures exclude multi-unit and attached dwellings

  front yard: >= 25 ft (block-average exception) · side yard: >= 8 ft · rear yard: >= 25 ft

  “(1) front yard-25 feet. exception: where buildings exist in the same block on either side of the street, the setback line of the building to be constructed shall be provided in accordance with part 11, §27-1105, herein. (2) side yard-8 feet (excluding multi-unit dwellings and/or attached dwellings). (3) rear yard-25 feet (excluding multi-unit dwellings and/or attached dwellings).”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwelling in the MDR district, Christiana borough (§27-606)

  • Unless otherwise specified herein

  maximum impervious coverage, single-family: <= 60 percent

  “dwelling type lot area per dwelling unit (square feet) lot width (feet) impervious coverage (percentage) single-family dwelling 10,000 60 60 duplex 3,500 30 40”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings in the MDR district, Christiana borough (§27-605)

  • Except as modified by §27-1104
  • Accessory buildings limited to 25 feet

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (§27-1104) · maximum accessory building height: <= 25 ft

  “the height of a building shall not exceed 35 feet, except as modified by §27”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Christiana borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Christiana borough
• Building code adopted — Christiana borough
• Inspections — Christiana borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Christiana 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.