Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania

Borough of Delaware Water Gap’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Delaware Water Gap borough, Monroe County, PA

  • Administered by the borough zoning officer; appeals go to the zoning hearing board.

  “zoning ordinance and saldo saldo adopted june 6 1994 zoning ordinance zoning ordinance 2023 zoning map 2017”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Minimum lot area by district inside Delaware Water Gap borough (Article IV schedule of development standards)

  • The PDF text extraction flattens the table; values are listed in column order S-1, R-1, R-2 single-family, R-2 two-family, VC-1, VC-2, I. The column mapping is inferred from that order and should be checked against the PDF.
  • Applies except as a condition for a special exception or conditional use, or as required by other ordinance sections.

  minimum lot area, columns S-1 / R-1 / R-2 single-family / R-2 two-family / VC-1 / VC-2 / I: 60,000 / 14,500 / 9,500 / 16,000 / 22,500 / 4,500 / 60,000 square feet

  “minimum required lot sizes area (square feet) width (feet) depth (feet) s-1 r-1 r-2 single- twofamily family vc-1 vc-2 i 60,000 14,500 9,500 16,000 22,500 4,500 60,000”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Minimum setbacks by district inside Delaware Water Gap borough

  • Values listed in column order S-1, R-1, R-2 single-family, R-2 two-family, VC-1, VC-2, I (inferred from the flattened table).
  • See §28a for accessory structures and §143 for nonconforming lots.

  front setback (S-1/R-1/R-2 single/R-2 two-family/VC-1/VC-2/I): 50 / 25 / 20 / 20 / 30 / 10 / 50 feet · rear setback (same column order): 50 / 45 / 35 / 25 / 30 / 20 / 20 feet · each side setback (same column order): 40 / 20 / 10 / 10 / 20 / 6 / 6 feet

  “front 50 25 20 20 30 10 50 rear 50 45 35 25 30 20 20 each side 40 20 10 10 20 6 6”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle occupancy on private land inside Delaware Water Gap borough

  • RV parks/campgrounds are permitted only in the S-1 district and not for long-term residency.
  • Outside campgrounds, an RV may serve as temporary shelter on a single-family lot only after fire or natural disaster during rehabilitation or rebuilding of the residence; permit maximum 12 months, extendable by the zoning officer in 60-day periods; water, sanitary facilities per PA DEP and electrical per PA UCC required; RV must be removed before an occupancy permit is issued for the new residence.

  temporary shelter permit length: <= 12 months (zoning officer may extend by periods not exceeding 60 days)

  “maximum length of permit shall be 12 months, but the zoning officer may extend the permit for a period or periods not to exceed 60 days in the event of circumstances beyond the control of the owner.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping inside Delaware Water Gap borough

  • Campground or RV park is permitted (p) only in the S-1 district and not permitted in R-1, R-2, VC-1, VC-2 or I (one column unreadable in flattened table; see followup).

  “campground or recreational vehicle park - p np np np np np”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Delaware Water Gap borough

  • SALDO adopted June 6, 1994 per the borough zoning page; a subdivision and land development application form is posted on the forms page.

  “zoning ordinance and saldo saldo adopted june 6 1994 zoning ordinance zoning ordinance 2023 zoning map 2017”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Delaware Water Gap borough

  • Schedule of uses shows not permitted (np) in S-1, R-1, R-2 and I; special exception (se) in VC-1 and VC-2.
  • Must also comply with the borough short-term rental ordinance 338-2022.
  • Not allowed on lots nonconforming in minimum area; sewage disposal must meet borough and PA DEP requirements and occupancy is limited by system capacity; must comply with PA Uniform Construction Code; no meals served.

  “short-term rentals 122 np np np se se np”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Borough permit fees inside Delaware Water Gap borough

  • The forms page lists a downloadable 'dwg fee schedule 2022'; the schedule itself was not opened, so amounts and any newer schedule are unverified.

  “dwg electrical permit application dwg fee schedule 2022 dwg garage & yard sale permit application dwg house check 2022”

• Permit processPartial

  Borough permit applications inside Delaware Water Gap borough

  • Application forms are posted (building permit, electrical, zoning permit, driveway permit, water hook-up); step-by-step process not opened.

  “dwg residential water hook-up application dwg zoning permit application dwg driveway permit application”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Delaware Water Gap or Monroe County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits in Delaware Water Gap borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption in Delaware Water Gap borough
• Building code adopted — Building code in Delaware Water Gap borough
• Inspections — Building inspections in Delaware Water Gap borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy in Delaware Water Gap 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.