Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Little Britain Township, Pennsylvania

Little Britain Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building and demolition projects inside Little Britain township limits, including single homes, trailers, decks, pools, silos and gazebos

  • The zoning permit application is required for the listed project types; construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • A separate building permit is required for projects under the state IRC (residential) or state IBC (commercial).

  “building permit required for any project that falls under the state irc (international residential code).”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings and uses inside Little Britain township limits that need an occupancy permit

  • Failure to obtain an occupancy permit carries a $200.00 fee per the township fee schedule.
  • The township minutes report occupancy permits issued by the zoning officer in the same reporting period as zoning permits.

  failure to obtain occupancy permit penalty: 200 USD

  “remind applicant an occupancy inspection/permit is required”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Little Britain township limits: the township administers its own zoning ordinance through its zoning officer and zoning hearing board

  • The township's own zoning page and minutes reference a zoning ordinance with numbered sections (for example sections 440 and 507) and a zoning hearing board. The full ordinance text, its title, and its district schedule were NOT located on an official page opened in this research, so no district limits are claimed here.
  • Zoning permits are issued by the township zoning officer (Christine J. Jackson per the zoning page).

  “zoning permit application required for any building or demolition project within the township including: single homes, trailers, decks, swimming pools, silo's, gazebo's etc.”

• Well permitRequired

  Private water wells inside Little Britain township limits

  • The township fee schedule lists a well permit fee; the permit is required for well drilling or installation.
  • Wells must keep the 100-foot isolation distance from septic systems on neighboring properties; a reduced isolation distance requires zoning hearing board approval per the township minutes.

  well permit fee: 150 USD

  “well permit $150.00 appeal to zoning hearing board $850.00”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New or altered driveway connections inside Little Britain township limits

  • The township fee schedule lists a driveway permit fee; access standards, sight distance, and PennDOT driveway rules for state roads were not found on the pages opened.

  driveway permit fee: 25 USD

  “driveway $25.00 silo & manure pit permit $25.00”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning and building permit fees inside Little Britain township limits

  • The zoning page prints the residential rate as '$50.00.10 per sq. ft' (the decimal reads as $50 minimum plus $0.10 per square foot; confirm against the township office).
  • Fees are plus building inspector fees, UCC administrative fee and UCC training fee where applicable; the UCC administrative fee is 10% of building inspector fees.
  • Other published fees include the well permit ($150.00), driveway ($25.00), zoning hearing appeal ($850.00), and failure-to-obtain-occupancy-permit penalty ($200.00).

  residential structure minimum fee: 50 USD (plus building inspector fees, UCC admin fee and UCC training fee if applicable) · residential structure fee rate: 0.1 USD per sq. ft (as printed on the page as '$50.00.10 per sq. ft'; confirm)

  “residential structure (including new dwellings, additions & attached garages) minimum $50.00.10 per sq. ft”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building permit process inside Little Britain township limits

  • Forms are published (zoning permit application, building permit, zoning site inspection form, stormwater exemption, zoning hearing and conditional use applications); review timelines and submittal checklists are not stated on the page.
  • Only contractors registered with the state can obtain permits in the township.

  “only contractors who are registered with the state can obtain permits in the township”

Rules another office applies inside Little Britain Township

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New residential construction inside Little Britain township limits, under the state International Residential Code as applied by the township

  • The township page applies the state IRC to residential projects and the state IBC to commercial projects ('commercial building permit required for any project that falls under the state ibc (international building code)').

  “building permit required for any project that falls under the state irc (international residential code).”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homeowner-built dwellings inside Little Britain township limits
• Zoning districts — Zoning district map and district list for Little Britain township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Little Britain township limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for the main single-family residential district in Little Britain township
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks for the main single-family residential district in Little Britain 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.