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

Pittston Township’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Commercial renovations, fit-outs and construction plans in Pittston township

  • The page states the review applies to commercial work; no statement on residential building permits was found on this page.
  • Permits issue only after the review.

  “the township of pittston requires all commercial renovations, fit-outs or construction plans to be reviewed by the building code official and a third party agency, contracted by the township, before permits are issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Pittston township, Luzerne County, PA: zoning is adopted and administered by the township under its own Zoning Ordinance (2013 ordinance, adopted 2-19-2013).

  • The township posted a proposed replacement, Ordinance No. 10-01 of 2024 (Proposed Zoning Ordinance), with a public hearing on 10-21-2024. Its adoption was not verified; this claim rests on the 2013 ordinance text as hosted by the township.
  • Districts and dimensional tables below are taken from the 2013 ordinance.

  “pittston township 2013 zoning ordinance adopted 2-19-2013 zoning ordinance pittston township table of contents”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Pittston township under the 2013 Zoning Ordinance

  • The official zoning map is adopted by reference; the map image itself was not opened. Schedule I covers R-1, R-2 and C-1; Schedule IV covers nonresidential districts; overlay districts are listed in Section 401.1.

  “pittston township is hereby divided into eight (8) zoning districts, as shown on the official zoning map”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 1-family district inside Pittston township (main single-family residential district), 2013 ordinance

  • Lot size differs by sewage method: central sewer or on-lot sewage disposal.
  • Schedule I column headings for R-1 read 1-family; footnote (1) limits the R-2 column to 1-family and 2-family dwellings.

  minimum lot size with central sewer: >= 10000 sq ft · minimum lot size with on-lot sewage disposal: >= 40000 sq ft

  “min. lot size (s.f.) w. central sewer on-lot sewage 10,000 40,000 6,000 40,000 2 acres 2 acres”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 2-family district inside Pittston township, 2013 ordinance

    “min. lot size (s.f.) w. central sewer on-lot sewage 10,000 40,000 6,000 40,000 2 acres 2 acres”

  • Specified — C-1 conservation district inside Pittston township (the low-density, rural-type district in the 2013 ordinance)

    “min. lot size (s.f.) w. central sewer on-lot sewage 10,000 40,000 6,000 40,000 2 acres 2 acres”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 1-family district inside Pittston township, principal building yards

  • Side yard differs by sewage method.
  • Section 803 states that side yards for single-family dwellings follow the schedule for the district where located.

  minimum front yard: >= 25 ft · minimum rear yard: >= 40 ft · minimum side yard (each) with central sewer: >= 10 ft · minimum side yard (each) with on-lot sewage disposal: >= 15 ft

  “min.. front yard (ft) 25 25 50 min. rear yard (ft) 40 30 50 min. side yard (each) w. central sewer on-lot sewage 10 15 8 15 25 25”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 1-family district inside Pittston township

  • Separate caps apply to buildings and to impervious surface, and each differs by sewage method.

  maximum building coverage with central sewer: <= 30 % · maximum building coverage with on-lot sewage disposal: <= 20 % · maximum impervious coverage with central sewer: <= 60 % · maximum impervious coverage with on-lot sewage disposal: <= 30 %

  “max. lot coverage (%) -building w. central sewer on-lot sewage 30 20 40 (30) 20 20 20”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 1-family district inside Pittston township

  • Height is stated both in stories and in feet.

  maximum building height: <= 2.5 stories · maximum building height: <= 35 ft

  “max. building height stories feet 2.5 35 2.5 35 2.5 35”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New homes in Pittston township that can reach the township sewer system

  • The township Sewer Authority operates a public sewer system in the township; the page confirms a tap-in fee but does not state a connect-when-available mandate.
  • A 2018 township sewer permit, tapping and connection ordinance appeared in search results but was not opened, so any connection mandate is unverified.
  • Water connection was not researched.

  “there is a one-time tap in fee for new customers.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and development inside Pittston township

  • The zoning ordinance refers to a separate Pittston Township subdivision and land development ordinance, which was not opened.

  “as well as the pittston township subdivision and land development ordinance.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Parcels inside the flood plain conservation (fp) overlay district mapped by Pittston township

  • Applies only where the overlay applies; the overlay is shown on the official zoning map.
  • Floodplain standards (flood-proofing openings and related requirements appear in the ordinance's Article 12) were not fully analyzed.

  “there shall also be overlay districts, including a flood plain conservation (fp) overlay district and several airport (ap) overlay zoning districts”

• Permit processPartial

  Commercial construction plans in Pittston township

  • Only the commercial review step is described; the steps for residential permits, fees and forms were not found.

  “the township of pittston requires all commercial renovations, fit-outs or construction plans to be reviewed by the building code official and a third party agency, contracted by the township, before permits are issued.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes in Pittston township
• Building code adopted — Pittston township building code adoption
• Inspections — Building inspections in Pittston township
• Certificate of occupancy — Use and occupancy certificates in Pittston township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in Pittston township R-1 and R-2

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.