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

Piatt Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction and additions inside Piatt township.

  • Permits are issued by the township's third-party building code administrator; building permits are issued through Central PA Council of Governments per the township page.
  • A sewer permit or letter of certificate must be presented before a building permit is issued.

  “the township contracts with a third party building code administrator who is responsible for all permits issued for new construction and additions to existing structures.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New construction and alterations inside Piatt township, enforced through the township's contracted building code administrator.

  • Enforced under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) as stated by the township.

  “the permits, which are issued by the third party building code administrator, is responsible for all inspection of buildings in accordance with the uniform construction code (ucc).”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings constructed or altered inside Piatt township.

  • Inspections are performed by the township's third-party building code administrator under the UCC.

  “the permits, which are issued by the third party building code administrator, is responsible for all inspection of buildings in accordance with the uniform construction code (ucc).”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Piatt township's limits (Lycoming County, PA), under the township's own zoning book enacted 2021-10-27.

  • Township zoning book (Articles 1-14) is posted by the township; the zoning page lists the book as enacted October 27, 2021 and effective November 27, 2021, with an ordinance 2024-01 amending it.
  • CONFLICT: the township services page says Piatt joined the Lycoming County municipality partnership in 2007 and is covered under the Lycoming County zoning ordinance. The specific zoning-book page is treated as controlling; the conflict is flagged for follow-up.

  “zoning book: enacted: october 27, 2021 effective: november 27, 2021”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts for land inside Piatt township.

  • Article 2 designates zoning districts and article 3 sets district regulations; a township zoning map is posted as a download.

  “article 2 designation of zoning district 2.1-2.4 article 3 district regulations 3.1-3.16”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage systems and sewer permits for land inside Piatt township.

  • Permits are issued by the township's sewage enforcement officer; the township page names three officers (Jami Nolan, Terry Meyer, Robert Bertin).

  “sewer permits must be obtained from our sewage enforcement officer, jami nolan, terry meyer, or robert bertin.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic tank systems and sewer permits for land inside Piatt township.

  • The sewer permit or letter of certificate must be presented to the building inspector before a building permit can be obtained.

  “permits & approvals are required, but not limited to, the following: sub-divisions signs septic tank systems”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways onto township roads in Piatt township; state roads need PennDOT approval separately.

  • The services page lists road encroachment and driveway permits for township roads and state roads among permits required; the zoning officer handles driveway permits.

  “road encroachment and driveway permits for township roads and state roads”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning, building and sewer permit steps in Piatt township.

  • Zoning permits are downloaded from the township forms tab and issued by the zoning officer; building permits go through the third-party administrator via CKCOG; sewer permit must precede the building permit.
  • Process is only partly described on the services page.

  “for a zoning permit go to our forms tab to download.”

Rules another office applies inside Piatt Township

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

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land development and subdivision inside Piatt township (Lycoming County administers; applies inside the township, not a township ordinance).

  • Plans must be filed with Lycoming County Planning & Development; the township page states the county is responsible for planning, land development and subdivision within the township.

  “any person who wishes to develop or subdivide land within the township must file plans with lycoming county planning & development.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits in Piatt township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Piatt township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the single-family residential district of Piatt township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the single-family residential district of Piatt township
• Setbacks — Setbacks in the single-family residential district of Piatt 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.