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

Tuscarora Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Tuscarora township, Perry County, PA, administered under the township's own Chapter 27 Zoning Ordinance

  • Chapter 27 sets district rules (CV, A, V, C, LI); the township's own ordinance governs, not a county zoning rule.
  • Only the Chapter 27 PDF posted on the township site was read; it integrates the 2023 solar amendment.

  “tuscarora township chapter 27 zoning ordinance adopted september 23, 2023”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  All land inside Tuscarora township covered by Chapter 27 (districts CV, A, V, C, LI)

  • Zoning map boundaries are addressed in the ordinance text; the separate zoning map file was not opened.

  “zoning districts zoning map boundaries between the cv, a, v, c, and li districts interpretation of boundaries”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Agricultural district (Part 5, 'a agricultural district', Chapter 27) inside Tuscarora township: residential lots

  • Density of residential units is also limited to 1.5 acres per unit in the same section.
  • Part 5 district heading confirmed at §27-501 in the PDF; the lot-size section §27-504 sits in that Part.

  minimum lot size: >= 1.5 acres · density of residential units: >= 1.5 acres per unit

  “§27-504. lot regulations. the minimum lot size shall be 1½ acres. density of residential units shall be 1½ acres per unit.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village district (Part 6, 'v village district', Chapter 27) inside Tuscarora township: single-family detached dwellings on lots WITHOUT public sewer

    “table 27-6-1 area regulations for areas without pubic sewer systems dwelling type minimum development area (sq. ft.) minimum lot area for each permitted dwelling unit (sq. ft.) minimum individual lot width (feet) maximum building coverage minimum yard setback (feet) open space exclusive of vehicular access and parking space front yard one side total side rear yard single-family detached 65,340 (1.5 acre) 65,340 (1.5 acre) 150 30% 60% 30 20 40 30”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Village district (Part 6, Chapter 27) inside Tuscarora township: single-family detached dwellings on lots WITHOUT public sewer

  • Setbacks for the with-public-sewer case (Table 27-6-2) were not read.

  minimum front yard setback: >= 30 feet · minimum one side yard setback: >= 20 feet · minimum total side yard setback: >= 40 feet · minimum rear yard setback: >= 30 feet

  “table 27-6-1 area regulations for areas without pubic sewer systems dwelling type minimum development area (sq. ft.) minimum lot area for each permitted dwelling unit (sq. ft.) minimum individual lot width (feet) maximum building coverage minimum yard setback (feet) open space exclusive of vehicular access and parking space front yard one side total side rear yard single-family detached 65,340 (1.5 acre) 65,340 (1.5 acre) 150 30% 60% 30 20 40 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural district (Part 5, Chapter 27) inside Tuscarora township

    “§27-507. yard regulations. each lot shall have front, side and rear yards of not less than the depth and width indicated below: a. front yard depth, 30 feet. b. side yards (two) width, 20 feet each, on interior lot.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Village district (Part 6, Chapter 27) inside Tuscarora township: single-family detached dwellings on lots WITHOUT public sewer

  • Open space of 60% is required in the same table row (exclusive of vehicular access and parking). The with-public-sewer coverage in Table 27-6-2 was not read.

  maximum building coverage: <= 30 percent

  “table 27-6-1 area regulations for areas without pubic sewer systems dwelling type minimum development area (sq. ft.) minimum lot area for each permitted dwelling unit (sq. ft.) minimum individual lot width (feet) maximum building coverage minimum yard setback (feet) open space exclusive of vehicular access and parking space front yard one side total side rear yard single-family detached 65,340 (1.5 acre) 65,340 (1.5 acre) 150 30% 60% 30 20 40 30”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural district (Part 5, Chapter 27) inside Tuscarora township

  • Buildings devoted to farm use are exempt from the height restrictions.

  maximum height, principal building: <= 30 feet · maximum height, accessory building: <= 24 feet (buildings devoted to farm use are exempt)

  “the height of a principal building shall be not greater than 30 feet. no accessory building shall exceed 24 feet in height except that buildings devoted for farm use shall be exempt from height restrictions.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village district (Part 6, Chapter 27) inside Tuscarora township

    “§27-603. building height requirements. no building shall exceed two stories or 30 feet in height.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory single-family dwelling in the Chapter 27 district whose lot rules are at §27-804 (the Part 8 block; the table of contents labels Part 8 as the limited industrial district). Not verified for other districts.

  • Lot minimum depends on whether the dwelling uses on-lot septic and/or well or public sewer.
  • Lot width and other rules for this dwelling type are in §27-805 and were not read.
  • District attribution of §27-804 is inferred from the table of contents and page sequence; the Part 8 heading itself was not captured.

  minimum lot area, accessory single-family dwelling with on-lot septic and/or well: >= 1.5 acres · minimum lot area, accessory single-family dwelling with public sewer: >= 15000 sq ft

  “2. the minimum lot area for an accessory single-family dwelling using on-lot septic and/or well shall be not less than 1½ acres. 3. the minimum lot area for an accessory single-family dwelling with public sewer shall be not less than 15,000 square feet.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and land development inside Tuscarora township

  • The township lists a Chapter 22 Subdivision and Land Development ordinance on its documents page; its text was not opened.
  • Subdivisions dividing land into four or more lots also require an environmental assessment under Chapter 27 (Village district text).

  “chapter-22-subdivision-and-land-development”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning and demolition permits issued by Tuscarora township

  • The 2026 fee schedule PDF is listed on the township documents page but its amounts were not read; no dollar amounts are recorded here.

  “2026 tuscarora township fee schedule zoning permit application demolition application”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit process for Tuscarora township

  • The township publishes a 2026 zoning permit application form; the steps and review sequence were not read.

  “2026 tuscarora township fee schedule zoning permit application demolition application”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Tuscarora township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for work inside Tuscarora township
• Building code adopted — Building code status for Tuscarora township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Tuscarora township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Tuscarora 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.