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

Howe Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Howe Township, Perry County, PA, administered by the township under its own Zoning Ordinance

  • The ordinances page lists a zoning ordinance and zoning map; the captured PDF is an upload dated 2026/07, and a township public notice says a proposed amended and restated zoning ordinance had a hearing on July 2, 2026. Whether the restated text is now in effect was not confirmed.

  “zoning ordinance [view ordinance] zoning map [view zoning map]”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Howe Township

  • The captured text names the CF (conservation/forest), A (agricultural), R-1 (residential) and C (commercial) districts. Only the CF, A and R-1 articles were read; the C district was not read.

  “article 6 - r-1 - residential district section 601: purpose the purpose of the r-1 district is to provide reasonable standards”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 residential district inside Howe Township (section 604)

  • Lot size drops to 20,000 sq ft where served by both public sewer and public water, and to 30,000 sq ft where served by either one.
  • Lot width at the street right-of-way line must be at least 100 feet (section 605).

  minimum lot area, no public water or sewer: >= 1 acre (unless served by public sewer and public water, or by either one) · minimum lot area, served by public sewer and water: >= 20000 sq ft (both public sewer and public water) · minimum lot area, served by either public water or public sewer: >= 30000 sq ft (only one public utility)

  “section 604: lot area regulations the minimum lot area shall be not less than one (1) acre; unless the lots are served by public sewer and public water in which case the minimum lot size shall not be less than 20,000 square feet; or unless the lots are served by either public water or public sewer in which case the minimum lot area shall not be less than 30,000 square feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — CF (conservation/forest) district inside Howe Township (section 404)

    “section 404. lot area regulations the minimum lot size shall be five (5) acres. density of residential units shall be five (5) acres per unit.”

  • Specified — A (agricultural) district inside Howe Township (section 504)

    “b. the minimum lot size for agricultural/conservation uses shall be fifteen (15) acres.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  CF (conservation/forest) district inside Howe Township (section 406)

  • Front and rear depth 50 ft; interior side 25 ft each; corner side yard abutting the street 50 ft.

  front yard depth: >= 50 ft · side yard width, interior lot: >= 25 ft (each side; corner lot side abutting street is 50 ft) · rear yard depth: >= 50 ft

  “a. front yard depth: fifty (50) feet. b. side yard width: twenty-five (25) feet each, on an interior lot.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A (agricultural) district inside Howe Township (section 506); only the corner-side and rear values were captured

    “on a corner lot, the side yard abutting the street shall be not less than fifty (50') feet in width. c. rear yard depth: fifty (50') feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  A (agricultural) district inside Howe Township (section 507)

  • Building coverage limit; the definition of coverage in section 202 is impervious coverage.

  maximum building coverage: <= 20 percent

  “section 507: coverage regulations building coverage shall be no more than twenty (20%) percent.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — CF (conservation/forest) district inside Howe Township (section 407)

    “section 407: coverage regulations the coverage shall be no more than twenty (20) percent.”

• Building heightSpecified

  A (agricultural) district inside Howe Township (section 503)

  • Accessory buildings used for agricultural uses are exempt from height restrictions.

  principal building height: <= 30 ft · accessory building height: <= 24 ft (agricultural-use accessory buildings exempt)

  “section 503: height regulations the height of a principal building shall not exceed thirty (30') feet. no accessory building shall exceed twenty-four (24') feet in height, except that accessory buildings used for agricultural uses shall be exempt from height restrictions.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential district inside Howe Township (section 603)

    “section 603: height regulations. the height of a principal building shall not exceed thirty (30') feet. the height of accessory buildings shall not exceed twenty (20') feet, except that accessory buildings for farm uses shall be exempt from height regulations.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage disposal systems inside Howe Township

  • The township enacted an On-Lot Sewage Disposal System Permit Ordinance of 2024; the county or state role for septic enforcement was not confirmed.

  “ordinance no. 02-2024: the howe township on-lot sewage disposal system permit ordinance of 2024. [view ordinance]”

• Permit feesPublished

  Township permit fees inside Howe Township

  • The fee schedule is listed on the township site with a 2025 date; the schedule itself was not opened, so amounts are not recorded.

  “howe township fee schedule 2025 juniata sewage committee fee schedule 2025 hrg plan review rate schedule 2024”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Howe Township
• Building code adopted — Building code in force inside Howe Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Howe Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Howe Township
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwelling size inside Howe 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.