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

Borough of Quarryville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Work requiring a Uniform Construction Code permit inside Quarryville Borough.

  • Applicant and contractor jointly must determine that the permit has issued before work begins.
  • A copy of the permit must be posted visibly upon commencement of work.
  • A UCC application is incomplete without necessary zoning, subdivision/land-development, and stormwater approvals and all fees.

  “The applicant and contractor are jointly responsible to determine that the permit under the Uniform Construction Code has been issued prior to commencement of work and shall jointly insure that a copy of the permit be posted in a visible location upon commencement of work.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction regulated inside Quarryville Borough.

  • The incorporated UCC is amended from time to time.

  “The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of Quarryville Borough.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Quarryville Borough.

  • District boundaries are governed by the Borough zoning map and Chapter 420 provisions.

  “Article II R-1 Residential District [...] Article III R-2 Residential District [...] Article IV R-3 Residential District [...] Article V R-4 Residential District [...] Article VI Mixed-Use (MU) District [...] Article VII Commercial District (C-1) [...] Article VIII Highway Commercial District (C-2) [...] Article IX Commercial/Industrial District (C/I) [...] Article X Park and Recreation District (PR)”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Permitted farming operations in Quarryville Borough, as an exemption from the cited natural-resource-protection section.

  • Sound soil conservation practices must be observed.
  • This is not an exemption from all Borough zoning or other regulations.

  “Exemptions. The following activities shall be exempt from this section: [...] Permitted farming operations, so long as sound soil conservation practices are observed.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Quarryville Borough.

  • The chapter includes applicability, administration, review-and-approval, and final-plan-recording provisions.

  “§ 355-301 Applicability. [...] § 355-401 Reviews and approvals. [...] § 355-410 Recording of final plan.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  UCC administration and enforcement fees assessed by Quarryville Borough.

  • Fees are established by the governing body by resolution from time to time.

  “Fees assessable by Quarryville Borough for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this ordinance and the code shall be established by the governing body by resolution from time to time.”

• Permit processPartial

  Uniform Construction Code permit applications inside Quarryville Borough.

  • Necessary zoning, subdivision/land-development, and stormwater approvals must be supplied.
  • All fees must be paid before an application is complete.

  “No application for a permit under the Uniform Construction Code shall be considered complete unless the applicant provides copies of any necessary permits or approvals under Chapter 420, Zoning, Chapter 355, Subdivision and Land Development, and Chapter 343, Stormwater Management, and pays all fees.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Quarryville Borough.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for land and structures inside Quarryville Borough.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in Quarryville Borough residential districts.
• Minimum lot size — Single-family residential lots in Quarryville Borough residential districts.
• Lot coverage — Residential lots inside Quarryville 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Quarryville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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