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

Buck Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Buck Township limits, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Buck Township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance.

  • Ordinance No. 6-2026 amends and replaces the township zoning ordinance dated December 2025. The file is dated June 2026 on its cover and named 2026-07-24; these are not stated effective dates.
  • Effective date is not stated in the extracted text, so effective_at is null.
  • The zoning officer administers permits (named on the township site).

  “zoning ordinance of the township of buck luzerne county, pennsylvania ordinance no. 6 -2026 an ordinance amending and replacing the zoning ordinance of the township of buck dated december 2025.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  All land inside Buck Township limits

  • Section 2.200 refers to an official zoning map dated August 2019; the township zoning map PDF (dated 9.2026) was listed on the zoning page but was not opened.
  • The flood plain (fp) district is an overlay on the seven base districts (section 2.100).

  “the township of buck is hereby divided into 8 zoning districts, differentiated according to permitted uses and building regulations, as follows:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Conversion of a single-family residence to a two-family residence, R-2 district only, inside Buck Township

  • Conversion is permitted only in an R-2 district.
  • The minimum lot area per dwelling must match the zone district.
  • Two additional off-street parking spaces are required.
  • No exterior alteration may make the building appear other than a single-family structure.

  minimum living space of converted structure: >= 1500 square feet (no dwelling unit may contain less than 600 square feet of living space)

  “such structure shall contain not less than 1,500 square feet of living space and no dwelling unit therein shall contain less than 600 square feet of living space.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Multi-family dwellings, dwelling groups, two-family dwellings, townhouses and garden apartments in a residential zone inside Buck Township

  • Minimum lot frontage is 300 feet.
  • Section 5.410 separately requires public or approved community water and sewer for two-family, townhouse and multi-family sites, excepting a two-family dwelling on an individual zone lot.

  minimum lot size for multi-family development in a residential zone: >= 3 acres (minimum lot frontage 300 feet)

  “for any development of multi-family dwelling structures, including dwelling groups, 2-family, town houses, and garden apartments in a residential zone, the minimum lot size shall be 3 acres and the minimum lot frontage shall be 300 feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Front, rear and side yards by zone district inside Buck Township (Table 3, development standards)

  • Table 3 covers C-1, C-2, C-2 special, R-1, R-1A, R-2, B and I districts; the extracted table text is flattened and the numbers could not be reliably matched to each district, so no yard distances are stated here.
  • Table 3 notes (h) and (i) govern corner-lot front yards and yard details.
  • Section 4.300 yard regulations also applies.

  “minimum yards (h) front 50 ft 50 ft 50 ft 25 ft. 30 ft. 15 ft rear 50 ft 50 ft 50 ft 25 ft. 30 ft 50 ft side - each (i) 30 ft 30 ft 25 ft 10 ft. 20 ft 20 ft”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum impervious coverage by zone district inside Buck Township (Table 3)

  • The extracted row lists six values and its district mapping could not be confirmed, so no percentage is attributed to a single district here.
  • Section 4.400 maximum coverage applies per the table of contents; its text was not opened.

  “max. impervious 10% 10% 40% 40% 40% 50% coverage”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum building height by zone district inside Buck Township (Table 3 and section 4.200)

  • Flattened Table 3 row shows 2.5 stories and 35 feet in six columns; district mapping was not verified, so the 35-foot figure is not assigned to a district here.
  • Section 4.200 height regulations applies per the table of contents; its text was not opened.

  maximum building height (flattened Table 3 row, district mapping unverified): <= 35 feet (row shows 2.5 stories in the same pattern; not assigned to a district)

  “maximum building height number of stories (j) 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 feet 35 35 35 35 35 35”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured (mobile) home parks inside Buck Township

  • Parks are allowed only in the zones listed in Table I.
  • Parks must follow article VII of the Buck Township subdivision and land development ordinance.
  • The ordinance definition excludes recreational vehicles and any unit under 40 feet long or 10 feet wide from the manufactured home definition.
  • Single manufactured homes on individual lots in R zones were not addressed in the passages read.

  “manufactured (mobile) home parks shall be permitted only in zones specified in table no. i hereof, and only in accordance with article vii of the buck township subdivision and land development ordinance.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Temporary assisted-care dwelling unit for a relative, treated as an accessory use inside Buck Township. General accessory dwelling units were not found in the passages read.

  • Requires all applicable zoning permits and a renewable accessory use permit renewed annually.
  • The zoning officer must confirm each year that the occupant's relative status and physical condition have not changed.
  • The unit must be eliminated within ninety (90) days of a change in occupancy status (the text is truncated in the extraction).

  “shall be considered an accessory use and all applicable zoning permits shall be required. in addition, a renewable accessory use permit shall be required which shall be renewed annually provided all requirements of the zoning ordinance are met.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Dwellings on lots without central sanitary sewer or central water inside Buck Township

  • Such lots must meet the larger lot area and lot width set in article 3 (the ordinance says the lot area and width shall be as specified in article 3 where no central sewer or water serves the lot).
  • Any dwelling on such a lot must meet the yard and coverage requirements of the R-1 district.
  • Sewage permit and SEO approval requirements were not read; see septic_permit.

  “the minimum lot area and lot width for each dwelling unit shall be as specified in article 3 hereof where such lot is not served by a central sanitary sewer system or a central water system”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Multi-family, townhouse and two-family development sites inside Buck Township; the zoning ordinance does not state a general connection duty for a single new home in the passages read

  • Excepted from this regulation is the development of a two-family dwelling on an individual zone lot.
  • Table 3 note: dimensions are for sewered lots; without central sewers the dimensions shall be same as R-1.
  • No general distance-to-main rule for single-family homes was found in the passages read.

  “all two-family, townhouse and other multi-family development sites shall be provided with an existing or approved public and/or community type water supply and sanitary sewer system, approved by appropriate local and state health authorities having jurisdiction.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Buck Township

  • The township zoning page lists a Subdivision/Land Development Ordinance (SALDO), revised September 2023; the SALDO itself was not opened.
  • Manufactured home parks must follow article VII of the SALDO (section 5.440).

  “subdivision/land development ordinance saldo application”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development on land within zone A special flood hazard areas inside Buck Township

  • The flood plain is an overlay on the base zoning districts.
  • Development must comply with the Buck Township floodplain ordinance, which was not opened.
  • Map boundaries are set by FEMA and the NRCS maps; the zoning hearing board decides boundary disputes (section 2.620).

  “no development shall be permitted which is not completely in accord with the provisions of the buck township floodplain ordinance.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and occupancy permit process inside Buck Township

  • Office hours are by appointment only, and scheduled meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month (homepage).
  • Sections 9.200 zoning permits, 9.300 occupancy permits and 9.600 fees are listed in the table of contents; their text was not opened, so the steps are not described here.

  “9.100 zoning officer 9-1 9.200 zoning permits 9-2 9.300 occupancy permits 9-3”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New dwelling construction inside Buck Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Buck Township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Buck Township
• Inspections — Building inspections for dwellings inside Buck Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new dwellings inside Buck 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.