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

Rice Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA: the township's own Rice Township Zoning Ordinance (text dated 2007 in the copy posted on ricetwp.com) governs land use there.

  • The ordinance copy on ricetwp.com carries a blank adoption date ('this _____ 10th day of ___________, 2007'); the current adopted version and any amendments were not verified.
  • The township zoning map linked on the Zoning Resources page is a 2007 map file (2007MAP.pdf); not opened.
  • Zoning officer and building code officer on the township page: Henry Mleczynski; zoning office hours and contact are posted on the township page.

  “zoning officer and building code officer: henry mleczynski”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Rice township, Luzerne County, PA as listed in the Rice Township Zoning Ordinance, article 5

  • The table of contents lists C-1 conservation, A-1 agricultural, R-1 single family residential, R-2 multifamily residential, R-M mobile home park, B-1 neighborhood business, B-2 general business and I-1 industrial districts; the district map is a separate 2007 file (2007MAP.pdf) not opened.

  “502 – a-1 agricultural district 503 – r-1 single family residential”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family lot in the R-1 single family residential district (section 503.5) inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA

  • The minimum depends on whether the lot is served by on-lot sewage and/or on-lot water, or by public sewers and public water.
  • The text says more restrictive state regulations and article 9 supplementary regulations may also apply.

  minimum lot area, on-lot sewage and/or on-lot water: 60000 square feet (when serviced by on lot sewage and/or on-lot water) · minimum lot area, public sewers and public water: 20000 square feet (when serviced by public sewers and public water)

  “a. minimum lot area: each principal building or use shall be located upon a lot having a minimum lot area of not less than: 60,000 square feet when serviced by on lot sewage and/or on-lot water. 20,000 square feet when serviced by public sewers and public water.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lot in the A-1 agricultural district (section 502.5) inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA

    “a. minimum lot area: each principal building or use shall be located upon a lot having a minimum lot area of not less than 80,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal building in the A-1 agricultural district (section 502.5) inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA: front, rear and side yards

  • Figures are minimums from the listed lot lines; state regulations and article 9 supplementary regulations may also apply.

  front yard minimum: >= 50 feet (measured from the front lot line) · rear yard minimum: >= 50 feet (measured from the rear lot line) · side yard minimum, each side: >= 25 feet

  “e. side yard: the minimum side yards shall be not less than twenty-five (25) feet on each side.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal building in the R-1 single family residential district (section 503.5) inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA: front yard

    “c. front yard: the minimum front yard shall be not less than thirty-five (35) feet in depth as measured from the front lot line.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Buildings and structures on a lot in the A-1 agricultural district (section 502.5) inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA

  • Only A-1 coverage was captured; the R-1 coverage figure was not visible in the captured text.

  maximum lot coverage by buildings or structures: <= 20 percent of lot area

  “f. lot coverage: not more than twenty (20%) percent of the lot area shall be covered with buildings or structures.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage systems on land inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA: the township's designated sewage enforcement officer handles them.

  • The township names its sewage enforcement officer (William Brior) with an alternate (Robert Fugate) on its official page; the state Sewage Facilities Act framework supplies the underlying authority and was not opened here.
  • Permit and inspection rules for on-lot systems were not located.

  “sewage enforcement officer: william brior seo alternate: robert fugate”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision and land development inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA

  • The township lists major subdivision and minor subdivision/land use application forms, and a 2006 subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO) plus Ordinance 2023-1 on its Zoning Resources page. The SALDO text was not opened.

  “major subdivision application minor subdivison/land use application”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building permit applications inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA

  • The township page lists office hours and a contact route for the zoning officer, and says a complaint form is available; the full permit steps are not published on the page.
  • Forms are available at the township office or on the zoning resources tab.

  “zoning and building permit application forms are available at the office or on the zoning resources tab.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA
• Inspections — Inspections of new construction inside Rice township, Luzerne County, PA
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside Rice 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.