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

Palmyra Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Palmyra township, Pike County, Pennsylvania

  • The 2025 ordinance restates the township zoning ordinance of August 20, 2013, as amended: 'the palmyra township zoning ordinance of august 20, 2013, as amended, is hereby amended, and restated in its entirety'.
  • Administered by the township zoning officer; appeals go to the township zoning hearing board.

  “the palmyra township zoning ordinance of august 20, 2013, as amended, is hereby amended, and restated in its entirety as hereinafter set forth.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Palmyra township, Pike County, Pennsylvania

  • Districts listed in §4.101: R (residential), MR (mixed residential), S (special purpose), MP (mobile home park), LC (local commercial), CC (community commercial), HC (highway commercial), LW (Lake Wallenpaupack); a floodplain overlay district is also created under §4.103.
  • District use schedules are in §4.400 and overlay district sections; bulk and density standards are in the schedule of development standards in §4.400.

  “r - residential mr - mixed residential s - special purpose mp - mobile home park lc - local commercial cc - community commercial hc - highway commercial lw - lake wallenpaupack”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling served by individual on-lot water supply and sewage disposal, under the §4.400 schedule of development standards for the township's main R (residential) district. The extracted table does not print district names beside each column, so the R mapping is taken from the schedule's first residential row and should be confirmed.

  • Two-family dwellings on individual on-lot water and sewage: 4.00 acres (same row).
  • Schedule footnote 1: special performance standards may modify the schedule; §4.400 note: larger lot sizes, increased setbacks and other more restrictive standards may be required in accord with other ordinance sections.
  • Minimum lot width and depth are set by the subdivision and land development ordinance (see subdivision claim).

  minimum lot area, single-family dwelling, individual on-lot water and sewage: 2 acres (two-family dwelling requires 4.00 acres)

  “water supply and sewage disposal - individual on-lot facilities 2.00 acres 4.00 acres 2.00 acres 4.00 acres”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the main R (residential) district, per the §4.400 schedule of development standards

  • Front setback 35 ft; rear setback 35 ft; side setback 15 ft each.
  • Setback from Lake Wallenpaupack project line per §7.403d4; setback from streams and other waterbodies per §7.403d.
  • Porches are treated as attached accessory structures and must meet principal-structure setbacks (definition of porch, Article III).
  • Nonconforming lots: see §9.1101a.

  minimum front setback: 35 feet · minimum rear setback: 35 feet · minimum side setback (each): 15 feet

  “minimum front setback - 35 feet minimum rear setback - 35 feet minimum side setback (each) - 15 feet minimum setback from lake wallenpaupack project line see §7.403d4”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the main R (residential) district, per the §4.400 schedule of development standards

  • Schedule footnote 1: special performance standards may modify the schedule.
  • Nonresidential uses in the R district carry a separate lot coverage figure in the nonresidential table (not extracted in full).

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “maximum building height 30 feet maximum lot coverage 30 percent”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the main R (residential) district, per the §4.400 schedule of development standards

  • Nonresidential uses in the R district carry a separate height figure in the nonresidential table (not extracted in full).

  maximum building height: <= 30 feet

  “maximum building height 30 feet maximum lot coverage 30 percent”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Temporary occupancy of a recreational vehicle on the lot of a single-family or two-family residence that is unfit for habitation or is under construction, in Palmyra township

  • Permitted only while rehabilitating the original residence or constructing a new residence.
  • Required water and sanitary facilities must be provided.
  • Permit runs at most 12 months; the zoning officer may extend in periods not exceeding 60 days for circumstances beyond the owner's control, with an extension request at least 15 days before expiry.
  • The RV must be removed when any occupancy permit is issued for the new or rehabilitated residence; owner must consent to township removal at owner's expense.
  • Long-term RV occupancy outside this rule was not found in the ordinance text opened.

  maximum permit length: <= 12 months (zoning officer may extend in periods not exceeding 60 days)

  “maximum length of permit shall be 12 months”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks in Palmyra township

  • Campgrounds and RV parks are defined for temporary occupancy and may not be used for long-term occupancy or residency.
  • Campground or RV park is a conditional use (planning commission / board of supervisors) in certain districts, capped at 6 sites per acre of adjusted tract acreage; the districts were not fully mapped.
  • Campgrounds and RV parks are barred in the floodplain (§12.600).

  maximum campsite density: <= 6 sites per acre (per adjusted tract acreage under §6.104d)

  “campground or recreational vehicle park not to exceed 6 sites per acre of adjusted tract acreage as calculated per §6.104d”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes in Palmyra township

  • Temporary use of a manufactured home on a residence lot during rehabilitation or new construction, under the same 12-month permit rule as RVs (§5.306).
  • Manufactured home parks are allowed only where the district schedule permits them (MP district and others) and under §6.700; manufactured homes are barred in the floodplain (§12.600).
  • Permanent single-lot manufactured home placement was not separately analyzed in the text opened.

  “manufactured home parks where permitted see §6.700”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Palmyra township

  • The zoning ordinance refers lot width and depth to a separate subdivision and land development ordinance, which was not opened.
  • Township forms page lists land development, major subdivision and minor subdivision application forms.

  “minimum lot width and depth see subdivision and land development ordinance”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Land inside the floodplain overlay district of Palmyra township (100-year flood areas per the FIS)

  • Certain uses are barred in the floodplain: manufactured homes, campgrounds, recreational vehicle parks and/or storage of recreational vehicles, hospitals, personal car homes, correctional facilities (§12.600).
  • Existing structures: substantial improvement/damage determination by the zoning officer under FEMA guidance (§12.701).
  • Other floodplain development is conditional on zoning review and approval under Article XII; the full permit steps were not opened.

  “the floodplain overlay district is hereby created to be coterminous with the areas which are subject to the 100 year flood”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rental units in Palmyra township

  • Short-term rentals must comply with the zoning ordinance and with the township's separate short-term rental ordinance (§8.4200), which was not located or opened.
  • The zoning ordinance lists 'short-term rental unit' as a principal permitted use in several districts (R, MR, S, LC, CC and others); dwelling definition excludes short-term rental units.
  • Township forms page lists a short-term rental application form (dated 02-03-2022).

  “short-term rentals shall comply with all applicable requirements of this ordinance and the short-term rental ordinance of palmyra township, as amended.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and land use permit process in Palmyra township

  • The forms page lists zoning application, zoning information sheet, conditional use application and land development forms; no step-by-step procedure, fee schedule or timeline was on the page opened.

  “zoning application zoning information sheet 05-09-2023 conditional use application”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction in Palmyra township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption in Palmyra township, Pike County, PA
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction in Palmyra township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in Palmyra township
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy in Palmyra 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.