Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Jamestown, Pennsylvania

Borough of Jamestown’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Jamestown borough, Mercer County, PA

  • Copy hosted by the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission; amendments after 2004 not checked.

  “jamestown borough zoning ordinance adopted june 8th, 2004 prepared by the jamestown borough planning commission & the mercer county regional planning commission”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Jamestown borough

  • Four districts: R-1, R-2, B-1, B-2.

  “401.1: rural residential (r-1) 19 401.2: village residential (r-2) 19 401.3: village business (b-1) 19 401.4: general business (b-2) 19”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in all districts inside Jamestown borough

  • Multi-family, above-business or senior units: 540 sq ft; accessory dwelling units: 400 sq ft.

  minimum floor area, single-family: >= 750 sq ft

  “dwelling units located in single-family residential dwellings shall have a minimum floor area of seven hundred fifty (750) square feet.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Recreational vehicles on residential parcels inside Jamestown borough

  • Sleeping only, by visitors and house guests.
  • Temporary parking or occupancy not to exceed 7 days.
  • Must be parked behind the nearest portion of the principal building to a street.
  • RV parks and tent camps are separately regulated (Section 800.6, not read).

  maximum occupancy period: <= 7 days

  “1. the temporary parking or occupancy period shall not exceed seven (7) days; 2. such vehicles and/or trailers shall have adequate off-street areas to be parked behind the nearest portion of the principal building to a street.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units on single-family parcels in all districts inside Jamestown borough

  • Only one per single-family parcel.
  • Must be a complete, separate housekeeping unit.
  • Must not greatly alter the size, character or design of the dwelling or accessory structure.
  • Minimum 400 sq ft (Section 800.1).
  • Additional conditions in Section 800.4 beyond item d were not read.

  “in all zoning districts, an accessory dwelling unit may be created in an existing single- family dwelling or an existing lawful accessory structure to a single- family dwelling, provided: a. only one (1) accessory dwelling may be created per single-family dwelling parcel.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land development and subdivision inside Jamestown borough

  • The cited passage sits in Section 1100 supplementary regulations; the full context of the sentence was not read.
  • Also references the Mercer County subdivision and land development ordinance.

  “1100.5: subdivision of parcel the subdivision of parcel(s) shall be permissible only in accordance with the standards of this zoning ordinance and the mercer county subdivision and land development ordinance, as amended.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Jamestown or Mercer County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Jamestown borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Jamestown borough
• Building code adopted — UCC adoption inside Jamestown borough
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Jamestown borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Jamestown borough

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.