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

Borough of Bangor’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Swimming pools inside Bangor borough; general UCC permit scope not confirmed

  • Borough also offers a commercial/residential UCC construction permit form and a separate zoning permit form (fences, decks, patios, sheds, pools etc.)

  “swimming pools - both a ucc construction permit and zoning permit must be submitted”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Bangor borough, Northampton County, PA (borough office at 197 Pennsylvania Ave, Bangor PA 18013)

  • Ordinance adopted November 26, 2018, amended 6/14/2021 per the borough page

  “bangor borough zoning ordinance adopted november 26, 2018 (amended 6/14/2021)”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Bangor borough

  • Districts include A, B, C residential, NCR, TC, G gateway commercial, a floodplain conservation overlay and a traditional residential infill overlay; zoning map posted on borough site

  “section 500-3. c residential district § 500.18. applicability. § 500.19. permitted uses.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A residential district, Bangor borough

  • Lot width at build-to line not less than 75 feet
  • Design standards and design review (§§ 500.6, 500.7) also apply

  minimum lot area per dwelling: >= 10000 sq ft

  “a lot area of not less than 10,000 square feet per dwelling shall be provided. each lot shall have a width at the build-to line of not less than 75 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — C residential district, Bangor borough

    “a lot area of not less than 2,500 square feet per dwelling shall be provided, provided that the minimum lot area for a single-family detached dwelling shall be 3,500 square”

• SetbacksSpecified

  A residential district, Bangor borough

  • Side yards: two with aggregate width of 30 feet, neither less than 10 feet
  • Rear yard not captured here

  front yard: >= 25 ft

  “a front yard on each street on which the lot abuts, not less than 25 feet in depth.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — C residential district, Bangor borough

    “a front yard on each street on which the lot abuts, not less than 15 feet in depth.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  A residential district, Bangor borough

  • Building area limit; separate impervious coverage limit in § 500.11 not captured

  maximum building area: <= 30 percent of lot

  “not more than 30% of the area of each lot may be occupied by buildings.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — C residential district, Bangor borough

    “not more than 75% of the area of each lot may be covered by impervious coverage.”

• Building heightSpecified

  C residential district, Bangor borough

  • For every additional foot over 35 feet, minimum side yard increases by one foot
  • Minimum of two stories required

  maximum height: <= 45 ft

  “no building shall be less than two stories in height nor shall a building or structure exceed a maximum height of 45 feet, provided that, for every additional foot in height over 35 feet, the minimum required side yard setback is increased by one foot.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Parking/storage of recreational vehicles on residential-district lots in Bangor borough

  • Not more than one vehicle outside a garage
  • Not exceeding 26 feet in length excluding trailer, hitch or tow bar
  • Stored behind the front wall of the main building
  • Not nearer than five feet to any side or rear property line

  maximum RV length: <= 26 ft

  “it shall not be used for living or housekeeping purposes.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Uses in the NCR neighborhood commercial residential district, Bangor borough

  • Stated for the NCR district only; rule for A/B/C residential districts not found

  “public utilities. all uses shall be served by public water and sewer facilities.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Bangor borough

  • Borough publishes a subdivision and land development application; the SALDO text was not opened

  “zoning hearing board application conditional use application subdivision and land development application”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Land in the floodplain conservation district overlay, Bangor borough

  • Standards are in separate Ordinance 953, not read

  “the floodplain conservation district shall be delineated according to fema's flood insurance rate map (firm) for bangor borough and shall be deemed an overlay on any zoning district now or hereafter applicable to any lot. all standards and regulations of the floodplain conservation district are delineated in ordinance 953 adopted november 24, 2014.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Borough fees, Bangor borough

  • A fee schedule dated April 26, 2022 is linked; its contents were not opened, and a newer one may exist

  “forms and documents april 26, 2022 fee schedule 2026 adopted budget”

• Permit processPartial

  Permits in Bangor borough

  • Forms and plan submittal guides are posted; step-by-step procedure not read

  “commercial/residential ucc construction permit commercial permit plan submittal guide residential permit plan submittal guide”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption in Bangor borough
• Building code adopted — Building code in Bangor borough
• Inspections — Building inspections in Bangor borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy in Bangor borough
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Bangor 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.