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

Skippack Township’s own rules

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Skippack Township.

  • The published residential districts include RA, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, VR, NL, AAR, and ITND; Chapter 200 also lists nonresidential districts.

  “§ 200-12 RA Residential/Agricultural District. § 200-13 R1 Residential District. § 200-14 R2 Residential District. § 200-15 R3 Residential District. § 200-16 R4 Residential District. § 200-17 R5 Residential/Mobile Home Park District.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Properties inside Skippack Township with a building required to connect to public sewer.

  • The restriction applies when § 152-3 requires a building to connect to public sewer.
  • The ordinance specifically covers a privy, privy vault, cesspool, septic tank, or other device for disposal of sanitary sewage.

  “It shall be unlawful for any person owning or occupying a property on which there is a building required to be connected to a public sewer under the provisions of § 152-3 hereof to construct or use on such property any privy, privy vault, cesspool, septic tank or other device for the disposal of sanitary sewage, and any such prohibited devices shall be cleaned and filled in with clean bank-run gravel or dirt within 30 days following the date on which the aforesaid connection is required to be made.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  An occupied building erected on property accessible to a public sewer inside Skippack Township.

  • Accessible property excludes property whose principal occupied building is more than 150 feet from a public sewer.
  • For an already occupied building, connection is due within 60 days after publication of the sewer-completion notice.
  • The owner bears the cost of sanitary facilities and connection.

  accessibility distance: <= 150 feet (Property with the principal occupied building more than 150 feet from the public sewer is excluded from the definition of property accessible to a public sewer.)

  “Any person owning property accessible to a public sewer on which an occupied building is hereafter erected shall, at the time of erection and at his/her expense, install sanitary facilities in such building and connect the same to the public sewer.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Township construction-code permits and related administration inside Skippack Township.

  • Fees not specifically provided in Chapter 76 are established by Board of Supervisors resolution from time to time.

  “Fees assessable by the Township for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this chapter and the Uniform Construction Code, not specifically provided herein, shall be established by the Board of Supervisors by resolution from time to time.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential building construction inside Skippack Township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Skippack Township.
• Inspections — Residential building inspections inside Skippack Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential certificates of occupancy inside Skippack Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in the RA Residential/Agricultural District inside Skippack 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 Skippack 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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