Zoning, building permits and septic rules in New Hanover Township, Pennsylvania

New Hanover Township’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Building projects inside New Hanover Township identified by the Township fee schedule, including projects changing the primary-structure footprint, accessory structures over 200 square feet, or new impervious surface including decks.

  • The schedule states that identified projects receive both a building and zoning permit.
  • conditions may differ where Appendix A establishes a zoning fee or for nonresidential changes of use or occupancy.

  accessory-structure threshold: > 200 square feet (Projects including utilities are separately listed in the residential fee table.)

  “All building permit projects that change the footprint of the primary structure, include an accessory structure > 200 square feet, or add any new impervious surface, including decks, will be issued a building and a zoning permit.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside New Hanover Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

  • The published township code identifies Chapter 27 as its zoning chapter and includes a Table of Use Regulations.

  “Chapter 27 Zoning ATTACHMENTS Attachment 1 - Table of Use Regulations”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside New Hanover Township.

  • Development is subject to the township's published Chapter 22; individual procedural and design conditions were not extracted.

  “Chapter 22 Subdivision and Land Development”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building and zoning permit applications inside New Hanover Township.

  • Fees are calculated using the applicable project fee plus administrative fees.
  • Building applications require a non-refundable application fee at submission that is deducted from the permit cost upon issuance.
  • A zoning permit not also requiring a building permit must be paid in full at submission.

  residential building-permit application fee: 100 USD (Non-refundable; deducted from total permit cost upon issuance.) · residential zoning-permit application fee: 75 USD (For zoning permits identified by the schedule.) · residential certificate-of-occupancy fee: 60 USD

  “Non-refundable Application Fee A. Building Permits B. Zoning Permits $100 $75 [...] Certificate of Occupancy $60”

• Permit processPartial

  Building and zoning permit applications inside New Hanover Township.

  • The official fee schedule describes payment and application-submission steps but does not provide the full application-review process in the opened material.
  • Nonresidential projects involving a change in use or occupancy must receive a zoning permit before occupancy regardless of whether a building permit is required.

  “All building permit applications must submit a non-refundable application fee at time of submission which will be deducted from the total cost of the permit upon issuance. All zoning permits which do not also require a building permit must be paid for in full at time of submission.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside New Hanover Township.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside New Hanover Township.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside New Hanover Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for construction or occupancy inside New Hanover Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside New Hanover 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in New Hanover Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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