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

Providence Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of buildings inside Providence Township, as defined in the zoning ordinance

  • The definition ties building permits to the Uniform Construction Code. It does not say which office issues them; confirm the enforcing agency.
  • A separate zoning permit is also referenced in the same definition.

  “building permit - permits issued under the uniform construction code. (permits issued under this zoning ordinance are “zoning permits”.)”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings, structures, signs and land in Providence Township that are subject to the zoning ordinance

  • This is a zoning certificate of use and occupancy issued by the zoning officer, based on an inspection.
  • Whether a separate building-code occupancy certificate is required was not verified.

  “certificate of use and occupancy - a statement, based on an inspection, signed by the issuing officer setting forth that a building, structure, sign, and/or land complies with this zoning ordinance”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Providence Township (Lancaster County, PA; New Providence mailing address). Not New Providence Borough and not the Lancaster County unincorporated area.

  • Use of land, buildings and structures must conform to the township ordinance, with nonconforming uses governed by Article 5 of the ordinance.
  • Zones listed in Section 107 are agricultural, R-4 manufactured home park, R-1 rural residential, commercial, R-2 residential, industrial, and R-3 suburban residential.

  “this zoning ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the “providence township zoning ordinance of 2014.””

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Providence Township

  • Zoning map is a PDF on the township site (2020 zoning map); district boundaries were not checked against it.

  “all areas within providence township are assigned to one of several zones, the locations of which are established by this zoning ordinance and depicted upon the zoning map”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  District-specific: commercial-type zone in the Section 205 zone (zone letter not restated in the excerpt) on lots without both public water and public sewer in Providence Township

  • Figure applies to lots without both public water and public sewer.
  • Applies to the Section 205 zone; the table row for lots served by both is listed separately.

  minimum lot area: >= 43560 sq ft (lots without both public water and public sewer)

  “lots without both public water and public sewer 43,560 sq. ft. 200 feet 65% lots with both public water and public sewer 20,000 sq. ft. 125 feet 75%”

  3 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — District-specific: commercial-type zone in the Section 205 zone on lots with both public water and public sewer in Providence Township

    “lots without both public water and public sewer 43,560 sq. ft. 200 feet 65% lots with both public water and public sewer 20,000 sq. ft. 125 feet 75%”

  • Specified — District-specific: uses in the Section 206 zone (non-residential; zone letter and name not restated in the excerpt) in Providence Township

    “unless otherwise specified, each use within this zone shall have a minimum lot size of forty-three thousand, five hundred sixty (43,560) square feet.”

  • Specified — Accessory building on an undeveloped parcel in Providence Township (Section 471)

    “471.1 the minimum lot area of the undeveloped parcel shall be one (1) acre.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  District-specific: buildings and structures in the Section 205 commercial-type zone in Providence Township

  • Front setback from the street right-of-way; side and rear setbacks are in the same section and were not all read.

  front yard setback: >= 25 ft (permitted signs excepted)

  “205.6.1 front yard setback. all buildings, structures (except permitted signs) and outdoor loading areas shall be set back at least twenty-five feet (25') from the street right-of-way.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  District-specific: commercial-type Section 205 zone in Providence Township

  • 65% where lots lack both public water and public sewer; 75% where both are provided.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 65 % (lots without both public water and public sewer) · maximum lot coverage: <= 75 % (lots with both public water and public sewer)

  “lots without both public water and public sewer 43,560 sq. ft. 200 feet 65% lots with both public water and public sewer 20,000 sq. ft. 125 feet 75%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — District-specific: uses in the Section 206 zone (non-residential; zone identity inferred) in Providence Township

    “206.6 maximum lot coverage. seventy percent (70%).”

• Building heightSpecified

  Garages (accessory structures) in Providence Township

  • Garage-specific limit only; general building height limits by district were not read.

  maximum garage height: <= 25 ft

  “the maximum height of a garage shall be twenty-five feet (25’).”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Use of recreational vehicles as living quarters inside Providence Township

  • Under the ordinance, a recreational vehicle is not a dwelling, so it cannot serve as a permanent residence under the dwelling rules.
  • Campground use is a separate defined use; the zones where campgrounds are allowed were not read.

  “recreational vehicles shall not be construed as dwellings.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes outside manufactured home parks in Providence Township

  • Allowed as a single-family detached dwelling only when securely anchored to a permanent foundation and with transport apparatus removed.
  • Manufactured homes inside a manufactured home park are governed by the R-4 zone, which was not read.

  “manufactured homes, when not located within a manufactured home park, shall be considered a type of single-family detached dwelling if, in addition to the requirements listed for all dwellings, the manufactured home is securely anchored to the permanent foundation”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Temporary echo housing on a lot already developed with one single-family dwelling in Providence Township

  • Occupancy limited to a person aged 50 or older, or a handicapped or disabled person, related by blood, marriage or adoption to the occupants of the principal dwelling, or their caregiver.
  • Farm-house expansion to a two-family dwelling (farms of at least 25 acres) is a separate, limited path.

  “echo housing - a temporary dwelling unit sited on a property that is already developed with one (1) single-family dwelling; such temporary unit being for the exclusive use and occupancy by:”

• Septic permitLimited

  Expansion of a single-family farm dwelling to a two-family dwelling inside Providence Township (farm of at least 25 acres)

  • Applies to farm house expansions only, with the owner or family occupancy rules in the ordinance.
  • A sewage permit from the township sewage enforcement officer is required before the expansion; a general permit rule for new homes was not verified.

  “the property owner shall furnish written evidence to the township that the sewage enforcement officer for the township has issued a sewage permit for the expansion to a two-family dwelling.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New dwellings inside Providence Township

  • Dwellings must be connected to approved, permanently designed sewer and water systems, per the dwelling definition.
  • Where no public sanitary sewer or water is provided, the R-3 zone sizes lots for an initial and an alternate on-site sewage disposal system.
  • The ordinance does not state a distance-to-main availability rule; not verified.

  “all dwellings must be affixed to a permanent foundation and be properly connected to approved and permanently-designed sewer, water, electrical, and other utility systems.”

• Subdividing landLimited

  District-specific: subdivision and nonagricultural development in the agricultural zone (A) of Providence Township

  • Subdivision and nonagricultural development are limited by a lot-count table in Section 200.5.2 (not fully read).

  “the subdivision of lots, or the development of nonagricultural uses and structures, shall be limited regardless of whether such development is accomplished by subdivision or land development as those terms are defined in the act.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Regulated (with conditions) — Subdivision and land development in Providence Township

    “subdivision and land development ordinance adopted july 6, 1992 last amended september 14, 2020”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built construction in Providence Township
• Building code adopted — Construction in Providence Township
• Inspections — Building inspections in Providence Township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in Providence Township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in Providence 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.