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

Franklin Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Franklin township, Luzerne County, PA: the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (titled in the township's own notices as the 'franklin township 1995 zoning ordinance as amended'). Not county zoning.

  • Township's own notice identifies the ordinance as the 1995 Franklin Township zoning ordinance, as amended; the ordinance text itself was not opened.
  • Zoning hearing board (township-level) hears variances under this ordinance.

  “review request by leroy and julia scott for a variance as per section 1207 of the franklin township 1995 zoning ordinance as amended.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision and land development inside Franklin township, Luzerne County, PA under the township's own subdivision and land development ordinance.

  • Ordinance text not opened; approval steps, lot standards and fees are unverified.
  • Subdivision ordinance is listed as a township ordinance on its index page.

  “flood plain ordinance subdivision and land development ordinance”

Rules another office applies inside Franklin Township

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

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage systems in Franklin township, Luzerne County, PA. The state Act 537 program sets the rules; the local agency that issues onlot permits for this township was not identified.

  • Local agency for Franklin township (township sewage enforcement officer or Luzerne County Health Department) was not confirmed on an official page.
  • DEP Title 25, Chapter 73 standards apply to onlot systems, as stated on the DEP page (cited in the program page).

  “the onlot sewage facility portion of the program is largely administered on the local government level by individual municipalities or groups of municipalities working together (including county health departments), which are known as local agencies and joint local agencies, respectively.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside Franklin township, Luzerne County, PA
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside Franklin township, Luzerne County, PA
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Franklin township, Luzerne County, PA
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Franklin township, Luzerne County, PA
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Franklin township, Luzerne 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.