Zoning, building permits and septic rules in East Drumore Township, Pennsylvania

East Drumore Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside East Drumore township limits

  • Construction may proceed only after the zoning/building permit is issued; the schedule penalizes starting work without one.
  • Building permit fees are set by township-appointed third-party inspection agencies; a state surcharge applies.
  • Fee schedule is labeled 'updated 1/2024'; not treated as an effective date.

  penalty for construction without permit: 2 x the zoning permit fee + $100.00 USD · state mandated surcharge: 4.5 USD (per building permit application)

  “commence construction w/o permit 2 x the zoning permit fee + $100.00”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside East Drumore township limits: the township's own zoning ordinance (Chapter 120) governs use and district rules.

  • The ordinance text opened is the 2021 PDF on the township site; Ordinance 1-2025 amended Chapter 120 (seen only in an unopened search result), so the current consolidated text must be confirmed.
  • Adoption date stated as '8-71980' in the source (no hyphen); not converted to an effective date.

  “chapter 120 [history: adopted by the board of supervisors of the township of east drumore 8-71980. amendments noted where applicable.]”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside East Drumore township limits: districts established by the township's Chapter 120.

  • District list in § 120-7 is A (agricultural), R-1 (residential low density), R-2 (residential high density), C, I, FP, SS. The zoning map is adopted by § 120-8 but was not opened.

  “the township is hereby divided into the classes of districts listed below:”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the R-2 residential district (high density) inside East Drumore township; lot size depends on whether community water and sewer are available

  • Lot size is the greater of this figure or the figure set by a sewage facilities planning module study under PA DEP rules (25 Pa. Code ch. 71).
  • Tiers: no community water or sewer; community water or community sewer only; both community water and community sewer.
  • Two-family dwellings have separate, larger tiers (40,000 / 25,000 / 15,000 sq ft) not extracted here.

  lot area, no community water or sewer: 30000 square feet (single-family dwelling) · lot area, community water or community sewer only: 20000 square feet (single-family dwelling) · lot area, both community water and community sewer: 10000 square feet (single-family dwelling)

  “[3] both community water and community sewer service: 10,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the R-2 residential district (high density) inside East Drumore township

  • Yard table in the extracted PDF interleaves single-family and two-family rows; the first three rows are read here as single-family (front, one side, total side, rear), and the layout should be confirmed against the source.
  • Lot-size tier determines which row applies.

  front yard, no community water or sewer: 35 feet (single-family dwelling) · one side yard, no community water or sewer: 20 feet (single-family dwelling) · total side yards, no community water or sewer: 50 feet (single-family dwelling) · rear yard, no community water or sewer: 30 feet (single-family dwelling) · front yard, both community water and sewer: 25 feet (single-family dwelling) · rear yard, both community water and sewer: 25 feet (single-family dwelling)

  “no community water or community sewer service 35 20 50 30 community water or community sewer service only 25 15 35 25 both community water and community sewer service 25 10 25 25”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  All uses, including single-family dwellings, in the R-2 residential district (high density) inside East Drumore township

  • Maximum coverage depends on whether community water and/or sewer serve the lot.

  maximum lot coverage, no community water or sewer: <= 25 percent · maximum lot coverage, community water or sewer only: <= 30 percent · maximum lot coverage, both community water and sewer: <= 35 percent

  “[1] no community water or community sewer service: 25%. [2] community water or community sewer service only: 30%. [3] both community water and community sewer service: 35%.”

• Building heightSpecified

  All uses in the R-2 residential district (high density) inside East Drumore township

  • Spires, chimneys, elevator penthouses and similar structures are exempt (see Article VI).

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (spires, chimneys, elevator penthouses exempt)

  “building height (maximum permitted): (a) all uses: 35 feet.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Use of a camping trailer, travel trailer or RV as living quarters on a residential lot inside East Drumore township

  • On an occupied residential lot the trailer may be stored but not used for any purpose.
  • Separate temporary permit during construction is covered under temporary_camping.

  maximum length of camping trailer or mobile home stored: <= 25 feet (camping trailer or mobile home; one travel trailer also allowed)

  “one camping trailer or mobile home not over 25 feet in length and one travel trailer may be stored, but not used for any purpose, on an occupied lot in any residential district”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Commercial camps or commercial resort establishments (campgrounds) inside East Drumore township

  • Commercial camp use is a listed use with its own section (§ 120-29) and area rules; the permitted and approval path was not confirmed.
  • Yards and coverage for this use are not restated here.

  minimum lot area for commercial camp: >= 10 acres

  “the minimum lot area shall be 10 acres, not less than 500 feet deep, with at least 500 feet fronting on a state or federal highway.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Temporary living in one mobile home or camping trailer on a lot where a building permit has been issued for construction or alteration

    “where a building permit has been issued for the construction or alteration of a building, a temporary permit for one mobile home or camping trailer may be issued for a period not to exceed six months.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Sewage permits for land inside East Drumore township limits

  • Township fee schedule sets sewage permit, design review and Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) fees, so the township runs the sewage permit process; whether the SEO is an employee or contractor is not stated.
  • Pennsylvania DEP planning module fee also appears in the schedule; state sewage rules still apply.

  “sewage permit application fee $50.00 sewage permit design review – conventional $300.00 / application”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside East Drumore township

  • The township's subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO) is named in the fee schedule; the ordinance text was not opened.
  • Subdivision fees are listed by plan type, with escrow amounts.

  minor subdivision application fee: 250 USD (escrow $2000.00) · preliminary plan (major) application fee: 500 USD (escrow $5000.00)

  “subdivision and land development ordinance (east drumore twp saldo): plan type application fee escrow fund sketch plan $50.00 $500.00”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term lodging inside East Drumore township, by zoning district

  • Lodging is limited to the owner-occupied dwelling unit definition and to a maximum number of transient occupants that varies by district (six in the agricultural and R-1 lists, four in the R-2 list).
  • Licensing under § 120-47.3 applies; that section was not opened.
  • The township amended the short-term lodging provision by Ordinance 1-2025 (seen in search results only); current limits may differ.

  maximum transient occupants, agricultural and R-1 lists: <= 6 occupants (2021 text) · maximum transient occupants, R-2 list: <= 4 occupants (2021 text)

  “(11) short-term lodging accommodations not to exceed four (4) transient occupants in accordance with § 120-47.3.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning, building, sewage, driveway, floodplain and subdivision fees charged by East Drumore township

  • Schedule is labeled 'updated 1/2024'; that is a revision label, not an effective date.
  • Zoning fee is per square foot by use class with minimums; building permit fees are set by third-party inspection agencies.

  residential zoning permit fee: per 0.2 USD per sq ft (minimum $30.00) · certificate of use and occupancy fee: 80 USD (zoning or building)

  “zoning permit fees: commercial $.45 sq. ft. (minimum $150.00) institutional $.30 sq. ft. (minimum $100.00) residential $.20 sq. ft. (minimum $30.00)”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit and building permit application process inside East Drumore township

  • Contact and office are published; step-by-step review timing and the building-permit workflow were not found in pages opened.
  • The zoning officer named in the fee schedule (Mark Deimler) should be confirmed; another source names a different officer.

  “east drumore township zoning inquiries & completed applications for permits should be directed to: east drumore township zoning officer mark deimler solanco engineering associates 717-786-0355”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits or inspections inside East Drumore township
• Building code adopted — Building code in force inside East Drumore township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a new single-family dwelling inside East Drumore township
• Tiny homes — Occupancy of a tiny home as a dwelling inside East Drumore township
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units on lots inside East Drumore 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.