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

Delaware Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Delaware Township, Northumberland County, PA, governed by the township's own Zoning Ordinance 2020

  • Presence is established from the township's own ordinances index, which lists a 'Zoning Ordinance 2020' download. The zoning PDF itself (delawaretownship.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Zoning-Ordinance_2020-1.pdf) exceeds the 10 MB limit of the research tool and was not read, so district, use and dimensional rules are not verified here.
  • Zoning-only topics are therefore answered unknown below rather than inferred.

  “ordinances zoning ordinance 2020 download ordinance driveway ordinance 2021 download ordinance”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Delaware Township, Northumberland County

  • Governed by the township's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, adopted November 7, 2022.
  • Dimensional standards and review steps are in the ordinance text and were not extracted here.

  “delaware township subdivision and land development ordinance adopted november 7, 2022, effective date january 1, 2023”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways that construct or reconstruct an access onto a public street or road within Delaware Township's right-of-way (driveways intersecting public streets)

  • Permit from the township required before work in the public right-of-way.
  • Work within a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania road right-of-way must also meet Commonwealth standards; copies of Commonwealth permits must be delivered to the township.
  • No driveway, parking area or turnaround within 5 feet of a side or rear lot line or 15 feet of a front lot line, except where it crosses the setback area to reach a public street.
  • Driveway centerline at the cart way entrance must be at least 50 feet from the intersection of cart way lines of public streets.
  • Clear sight triangles required; no object over 2 feet high except approved mailboxes and newspaper receptacles.

  driveway setback from side or rear lot line: >= 5 feet (except where driveway crosses setback to connect to public street) · driveway setback from front lot line: >= 15 feet (except where driveway crosses setback to connect to public street) · driveway centerline distance from street intersection: >= 50 feet

  “from and after the effective date of this ordinance it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or entity to construct or reconstruct any driveway or alter any grade, line or width of any shoulder, berm or drainage area within the right-of-way of any public street or road within delaware township, herein after referred to as the township, without first obtaining a permit from the township for the same.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Permits issued under the township driveway ordinance (Ordinance 2021-07)

  • Fee amounts are not stated in the ordinance; they are set by township resolution from time to time.

  “the township shall by resolution, establish, from time to time, such fees as shall be necessary and appropriate for the issuance of the permits required hereby and the enforcement of this ordinance.”

• Permit processPartial

  Driveway permits for work in public street rights-of-way in Delaware Township only

  • The ordinance requires a township permit; the application steps and forms were not located on the township site and remain unverified.
  • Fees are set by township resolution (see permit_fees claim).

  “prior to any work being performed within the right-of-way of any public street in the township, the owner of the real estate or the owner’s agent shall first apply for and obtain a permit pursuant to this ordinance.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Delaware Township, Northumberland County
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homeowners in Delaware Township, Northumberland County
• Building code adopted — Building code administration inside Delaware Township, Northumberland County
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Delaware Township, Northumberland County
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Delaware Township, Northumberland County

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.