Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Upper Salford Township, Pennsylvania

Upper Salford Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction, additions, alterations and listed accessory work inside Upper Salford township

  • Construction may not begin until a building permit has been issued.
  • Accessory buildings under 600 square feet use a zoning permit form instead of a residential building permit; structures over 600 square feet need a residential building permit.
  • Agricultural buildings may use an agricultural UCC exemption form instead.

  “permits are required for, but not limited to, all new construction, additions and/or structural alterations, decks, patios, sheds, above ground and in-ground pools, solar panel arrays, generators, outdoor furnaces, temporary and permanent signs, road occupancy and driveways.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New construction and alterations inside Upper Salford township

  • The township adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code by board action; the page lists related International Codes adopted at the same time.

  adoption date: 2004-07-08 date

  “on july 8, 2004, the upper salford township board of supervisors adopted the pennsylvania uniform construction code as the building code for the township of upper salford.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted residential construction inside Upper Salford township

  • Inspections must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance.
  • Six stage inspections are listed in the packet: footings, prepour, foundation backfill, rough framing, wallboard or lath, and final.
  • Electrical inspections are performed by Technicon Enterprises Inc. II as the third-party agency.

  “inspections by the code enforcement officer must be approved before you proceed to the next stage of construction.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New residential construction in Upper Salford township

  • The township says use and occupancy permits are only required for residences that are new construction.
  • Septic approval and a potable water test (if well) must be submitted before a use and occupancy certificate is issued.

  “note: no dwelling or structure may be occupied in any manner until the issuance of a final use and occupancy permit.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Required — Non-residential properties inside Upper Salford township when the use, operator or tenant changes

    “a use and occupancy permit is required for all non-residential properties when the use, operator, and/or tenant is changed.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Upper Salford township, Montgomery County, PA. The township administers its own zoning ordinance through a zoning officer and zoning hearing board.

  • Uses listed as conditional uses in the township zoning ordinance require a conditional use hearing before the board of supervisors.
  • Special exceptions and variances go to the zoning hearing board.

  “a conditional use hearing is required when a desired use is listed as a conditional use in the township zoning ordinance.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural buildings inside Upper Salford township

  • The township offers an agricultural building UCC permit exemption form.
  • The exemption covers only structures used for farm storage or housing livestock, poultry, and milk houses; it does not cover places of occupancy by the general public.
  • A plot plan is required.

  “this is for a structure utilized to store farm implements, hay, feed, grain or other agricultural or horticultural products or to house poultry, livestock, or other farm animals and milk house.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Upper Salford township

  • Applications go to the planning commission, which meets the third Tuesday monthly.
  • Submissions require 14 paper plan sets plus electronic copies, due 14 business days before the meeting.

  “for all subdivision and/or land development questions, please refer to the township subdivision and land development ordinance for direction and requirements.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New homes inside Upper Salford township

  • Applies to new home applications; the packet does not state a separate driveway permit rule for additions.
  • Township road occupancy work is governed by Chapter 21, Part 1 of the township code.

  “if this application is for a new home, a driveway permit is required.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building and zoning permit fees inside Upper Salford township

  • Permit fees are calculated during review and collected at pickup; payment is by cash or check only.
  • Application fees are non-refundable once plan review begins.
  • Zoning hearing and conditional use applications carry a fixed fee.

  zoning hearing or conditional use application fee: 850 USD (Applies to zoning hearing and conditional use applications, not building permits)

  “an application for a conditional use hearing must be filed with the township secretary, along with the appropriate fee ($850.00).”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Permit applications for projects inside Upper Salford township

  • All permit applications must be received by the township secretary or assistant secretary.
  • Applications sent directly to the outside plan reviewer are delayed.

  residential permit review period: 15 business days · commercial permit review period: 30 business days

  “according to the pennsylvania code, a code official has (15) business days to review and grant or deny a residential permit application and (30) business days to review and grant or deny a commercial permit application.”

Rules another office applies inside Upper Salford Township

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems for land inside Upper Salford township; the Montgomery County Health Department administers the permits

  • Scope recorded as countywide because the schema does not allow a county authority with township-specific geography; the township page names the county health department for this service.

  “well and septic permits are handled by the montgomery county health department.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New homes inside Upper Salford township that use an on-lot septic system

  • A copy of the septic system permit must accompany the building permit application for a new home with an on-lot septic system.
  • A septic approval and potable water test are required before a use and occupancy certificate.

  “if this application is for a new home requiring an on-lot septic system, a copy of the septic system permit must be submitted.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  New homes on septic inside Upper Salford township, before a use and occupancy certificate

  • This is a septic approval submitted before occupancy, not a confirmed field-inspection stage; the county's own inspection procedure was not opened.

  “septic approval and potable water test (if well) is required to be submitted before a use & occupancy certificate will be issued.”

• Well permitRequired

  New homes inside Upper Salford township that use a private water supply

  • Requires a copy of the issued individual water supply installation permit before a building permit is issued.
  • Applies to new homes; additions with bedrooms use an MCHD septic adequacy check.

  “if this application is for a new home, a copy of the issued permit for individual water supply installation from the montgomery county health department is required prior to a building permit being issued.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Upper Salford township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Upper Salford township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for the main single-family residential district inside Upper Salford township
• Setbacks — Front, rear and side setbacks for residential districts inside Upper Salford township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage inside Upper Salford 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.