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

Washington Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alterations, additions or changes to property inside Washington Township, Northampton County, PA

  • Exception stated on the page: a fence, shed, or accessory building under 1000 sq feet.
  • Building permits are processed through a designated company: the page says you must use Lehigh Valley Inspection Service (3306 Highland Rd., Orefield, PA 18069; 610-395-3827).

  accessory building exemption threshold: < 1000 sq ft (fences, sheds and accessory buildings under this size are excepted)

  “building permits are required for construction, alterations, addition or changes made to any property, with the exceptions of a fence, shed, or accessory building under 1000 sq feet.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Washington Township, Northampton County, PA (Bangor address, 1021 Washington Blvd.)

  • The township's ordinances page lists a Zoning Ordinance Rev. 2014 download but states the online copies are not the official version; the official text is held by the township office.
  • Township zoning hearing board and planning commission are active (planning.html), and a 2026 zoning amendment review (Article 8, solar and data center ordinances) was under way per the 2026-02-17 planning commission minutes.

  “subdivision and land development ordinance saldo download zoning ordinance rev. 2014”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Washington Township zoning districts, Northampton County, PA

  • At least one district is confirmed: the Industrial zoning district (I). The full district schedule was not opened.

  “the proposed land development is in the industrial zoning district (i).”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions and land developments inside Washington Township, Northampton County, PA

  • Planning applications (subdivisions, land development, lot line adjustments) must be submitted at least 21 days before the planning commission meeting, normally held the third Tuesday of each month.
  • Subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO) is the township's own ordinance and is reviewed by the planning commission with waiver requests (e.g., SALDO article 3 and article 10 waivers in the 2026-02-17 minutes).

  “applications for planning (subdivisions, land development, lot line adjustments, etc.) must be submitted at least 21 days prior to the date of the planning commission meetings, which are normally held the third tuesday of each month.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New, changed or repaved driveways inside Washington Township, Northampton County, PA

  • Permit required for construction of a new driveway, change to an existing driveway, or paving of an existing driveway. Permit criteria not read.

  “driveway permits are required for construction on a new driveway, to change an existing driveway or to pave an existing driveway.”

• Permit processPartial

  Township permit and planning application process, Washington Township, Northampton County, PA

  • Planning-side deadlines are published; zoning hearing requests must be submitted at least 30 days before the zoning hearing board meeting (normally first Monday of each month).
  • Building permit intake is routed to an outside company; the page does not publish the building permit review steps, fees, or inspection sequence.

  “requests for zoning hearings must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the date of the zoning hearing board meetings, which are normally held the first monday of each month.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Washington Township
• Building code adopted — Which construction code applies inside Washington Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Washington Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Washington Township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Washington 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.