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

Hanover Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction, additions, alterations, and demolition inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • The permit is issued by the township zoning officer on application. Construction may proceed after the permit issues.
  • Chapter 27 zoning rules may also apply to the same work (see the zoning claims).

  “application shall be made to the township zoning officer by or on behalf of the owners of the real estate upon which the construction, addition, alteration or demolition is to be done, for a permit authorizing said work.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA: Hanover Township administers its own Chapter 27 Zoning ordinance.

  • Source is the adopted code as shown on American Legal Publishing (2025 S-15 current). A December 2025 draft zoning ordinance also exists on the township's site; its adoption status could not be confirmed and it was not relied on.
  • Use is conditional on the district rules in Part 3 and Part 4 of Chapter 27.

  “for the purposes of this chapter, hanover township is hereby divided into eight classes of districts which shall be designated as follows”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts for land inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • The district classes are listed in the code. The zoning map itself is incorporated by reference and was not read.
  • Classes listed in § 27-301: PR planned residential, MR medium density residential, PC planned commercial, PIO planned industrial-office, PUD planned unit development, AI airport-industrial, LU limited use, FH flood hazard.

  “residential districts: pr planned residential mr medium density residential non-residential districts”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwelling in the MR (medium density residential) district inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • Minimum lot area is based on central water and central sewer availability. If those are not available, the PA DEP standards apply to lot size (§ 27-401(2)).
  • Two-family, attached, and apartment rows of the MR table are separate and were not applied here.
  • Column alignment is read from an OCR-scanned table. Verify against the printed table before relying on the figures.

  minimum total lot or land area: >= 10000 sq ft (central water and sewer available (§ 27-401(2))) · minimum lot width: >= 70 ft

  “b. residential 1. single family detached. p 10,000 70 25 10 30 20 50”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwelling in the MR district inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • Yard values are read from an OCR-scanned table. The column order is front, then side, then rear as the header lists it. Verify against the printed table.
  • Accessory building setbacks are a separate general rule (see the accessory setback claim).

  minimum front yard: >= 25 ft · minimum side yard: >= 10 ft · minimum rear yard: >= 30 ft

  “b. residential 1. single family detached. p 10,000 70 25 10 30 20 50”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Completely detached accessory buildings on any lot inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

    “completely detached accessory buildings may occupy required side and rear yards but shall not be located closer than 5 feet to any side or rear property line.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwelling in the MR district inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • Building coverage and lot coverage are read from the OCR-scanned MR table. Verify against the printed table.

  maximum building coverage: <= 20 % · maximum lot coverage: <= 50 %

  “b. residential 1. single family detached. p 10,000 70 25 10 30 20 50”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the PUD, PR, MR, LU and FH districts inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • Higher limits apply in PC and PIO districts (50 ft) and in PRD (Part 8) developments.
  • Council may approve principal buildings up to 65 ft in PC and PIO districts as a conditional use.
  • Accessory buildings and structures may not exceed 20 ft in height.

  maximum principal building height: <= 35 ft (or three stories, whichever the code's text applies in PUD, PR, MR, LU, FH districts) · maximum accessory building height: <= 20 ft

  “no principal building or structure shall exceed 35 feet or three stories in height in the pud, pr, mr, lu and fh districts and shall not exceed 50 feet in height in the pio, pc and al districts”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage disposal inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • The township sewage officer inspects systems. State and county water-supply and waste-disposal laws also apply.
  • Permit and design standards for on-lot systems were not verified.

  “no use shall be permitted except in compliance with the laws of the state, county and township, regarding water supply and waste disposal. the township sewage officer shall inspect every system.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  On-lot sewage systems inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • Inspection is by the township sewage officer. The inspection timing and frequency were not verified.

  “the township sewage officer shall inspect every system.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision and land development inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • Chapter 22 Subdivision and Land Development exists. Its text was not read, so procedure and standards are unverified.

  “chapter 22 subdivision and land development chapter 23 swimming pools”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permit fees inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • Fee amounts are set by township council resolution, not in the code text.
  • Applicants also pay plan examination and field inspection costs through an escrow account, per § 4-103.
  • A separate Fee Resolution is listed in the code's front matter; its amounts were not read.

  “a schedule of fees for building permits shall be as established by resolution of the township council.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

  • The code gives the filing point (township zoning officer) and fee timing. Review steps, plan requirements, and timelines are not in the text read.
  • Fees are paid at filing, per § 4-102.

  “fees for said permits shall be paid to the township at the time of filing of said application in accordance with the following schedule, at which time the permit will be issued.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA
• Living in an RV — Living in an RV on private land inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Hanover Township, Lehigh County, PA

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.