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

Lehman Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA (zoning office 1183 Old Route 115, Dallas PA 18612) is governed by the township's own zoning ordinance. The Lehman Township in Pike County (Bushkill; lehmantownship.com) was discarded as the wrong jurisdiction.

  • Ordinance enacted December 27, 2007; most recent amendment February 17, 2014, per the PDF cover page.
  • Zoning permit required before development; zoning approval also required for on-lot sewage (see septic_permit claim).
  • Document is hosted on the township's Luzerne site lehmantwp.com; the township's zoning office page confirms the Dallas address.

  “lehman township luzerne county pennsylvania zoning ordinance as amended date of enactment december 27, 2007 most recent date of amendment: february 17, 2014”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  All land inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA. Districts: C-1 conservation, A-1 agricultural, R-1 single family residential, R-2 multifamily residential, B-1 community business, B-2 highway business, I-1 general industrial, S-1 special purpose.

  • Official zoning map is part of the ordinance (Article 4).

  “section 404 classes of zoning districts for the purpose of this ordinance, lehman is hereby divided into zoning districts as designated below:”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Yield-plan lots in a conservation design subdivision in the A-1 agricultural district inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA. Not the standard minimum lot size for an ordinary lot.

  • Minimum lot area is derived from the density factor and the water supply and sewage disposal type; exclusive of wetlands, slopes over 25 percent, and high-tension line land.
  • No more than 25 percent of the minimum lot area may be in the 100-year floodplain, and only if free of wetlands.

  minimum lot area (conservation design yield plan): 1 acre (A-1 district, conservation design subdivisions only (Article 6, section 606))

  “c-1 district 3 acres 300 feet 75 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side a-1 district 1 acre 100 feet 50 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Yield-plan lots in a conservation design subdivision in the C-1 conservation district inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA. Not the standard minimum lot size for an ordinary lot.

    “c-1 district 3 acres 300 feet 75 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side a-1 district 1 acre 100 feet 50 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Yield-plan lots in a conservation design subdivision in the A-1 agricultural district inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA. Not the standard setback for an ordinary lot.

  • Front yard 50 feet, rear yard 50 feet, side yard 25 feet per side, from the section 606 yield plan table.
  • Additional conservation-design setbacks were not fully read.

  front yard setback (conservation yield plan): 50 feet (A-1 conservation design only) · rear yard setback (conservation yield plan): 50 feet (A-1 conservation design only) · side yard setback (conservation yield plan): 25 feet per side (A-1 conservation design only)

  “c-1 district 3 acres 300 feet 75 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side a-1 district 1 acre 100 feet 50 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Yield-plan lots in a conservation design subdivision in the C-1 conservation district inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA. Not the standard setback for an ordinary lot.

    “c-1 district 3 acres 300 feet 75 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side a-1 district 1 acre 100 feet 50 feet 50 feet 25 feet per side”

  • Specified — Any development or improvement in any zoning district inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA, measured from a natural watercourse.

    “in all zoning districts, a minimum setback of one hundred (100) feet from any natural watercourse, (as defined in article 2) shall be required for any form of development and/or improvements”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers, park trailers and recreational vehicles placed on a site inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.

  • Under the ordinance's definition, an RV placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive days is treated as a manufactured home, so it is subject to the manufactured-home rules instead of RV rules.
  • No separate temporary RV camping limit was located; the 180-day definition is the only RV-specific rule read.

  consecutive days before treated as manufactured home: > 180 days

  “the term shall include park trailers, travel trailers, recreational and other similar vehicles placed upon a site for more than 180 consecutive days.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile or manufactured homes in the R-1 single family residential district inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.

  • Permitted as a single-family detached dwelling only when on a permanent foundation.
  • Section 320 (mobile homes on permanent foundations) and section 321 (replacement) add conditions that were not read in full.

  “single-family detached dwellings (including mobile homes on permanent foundations)”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-lot (individual) sewage disposal on any property inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.

  • Approval by the township's sewage enforcement officer is applied under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection standards.
  • Sewage service must be consistent with the township's Act 537 sewage facility plan.

  “any use or development of property which proposes to utilize on-lot sewage disposal shall secure approval from the township's sewage enforcement officer in accordance with the applicable governing standards of the pennsylvania department of environmental protection prior to the issuance of a zoning permit.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Any on-lot sewage disposal system proposed for property inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.

  • Approval must be obtained before a zoning permit is issued.
  • The separate sewage permit fee and application form were not located; the Pike County township's $450 fee does not apply.

  “any use or development of property which proposes to utilize on-lot sewage disposal shall secure approval from the township's sewage enforcement officer in accordance with the applicable governing standards of the pennsylvania department of environmental protection prior to the issuance of a zoning permit.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private on-lot sewage disposal for a dwelling inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.

  • On-lot disposal is allowed only with township sewage enforcement officer approval under DEP standards, before a zoning permit issues.
  • Sewage service must be consistent with the Act 537 plan.

  “the provision of sewage service to any proposed use and/or development of property shall be consistent with the township's act 537 sewage facility plan.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Any division of land or land development inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.

  • Subject to the Lehman Township subdivision and land development ordinance, which is separate from the zoning ordinance and was not opened.

  “shall also be subject to the governing regulations and provisions of the lehman township subdivision and land development ordinance.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit applications for land inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.

  • Application requires a sketch or plan showing lot dimensions and structure location; the zoning officer reviews and approves or denies.
  • Only the zoning application form was read; a building permit process and fee schedule were not located (fee field left blank on form).

  “*drawing or sketch required – attach a plan, show length & width of lot and size of structure with distance from structure to each property line.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a homeowner building their own home inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.
• Building code adopted — Whether Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA adopts or enforces the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Lehman Township, Luzerne County, PA.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Lehman 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.