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

Cass Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Cass township's limits, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania: the township administers its own zoning ordinance adopted July 25, 2013.

  • The township zoning page says the ordinance was enacted in 2013 to implement the Cass Township comprehensive plan (dated October 1995).
  • The ordinance is hosted on the township's own website, which names Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
  • Zoning districts, dimensional rules and permit forms are in the ordinance and the township zoning page; the claims below cite them.

  “this ordinance was enacted in 2013 to implement the cass township comprehensive plan, and to promote the public health and safety and the general welfare of the residents and occupants of the township”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Cass township's limits: the township publishes its zoning districts in the ordinance and a zoning map.

  • Districts named in the ordinance table of contents include RC rural conservation, PC public conservation, R-1 village residential, R-2 medium density residential, VC village commercial, C commercial, GI general industrial and INS institutional.
  • The map is published as a PDF link on the zoning page; its contents were not opened.

  “zoning information: cass zoning map.pdf 1.31 mb”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family lots in the R-2 medium density residential district inside Cass township.

  • 10,000 sq ft applies with approved central sewer service and public water supply; 43,560 sq ft (1 acre) applies without them, per the table columns a) and b).
  • Lot width is 80 ft (a) or 125 ft (b) at the front setback line.
  • Table extraction is garbled; the a)/b) mapping is inferred from column order. Verify against the PDF table before relying on it.
  • The R-1 and RC districts have their own lot standards and are not covered by this claim.

  minimum lot area with approved central sewer and public water: >= 10000 sq ft (Applies only with approved central sewer service and public water supply) · minimum lot area without approved central sewer or public water: >= 43560 sq ft (Applies without approved central sewer service or public water supply)

  “a) 10,000 a) 80 a) front: 20 side: (each) 12 rear: 20 a) front: not permitted side: (each) 10 rear: 10 b) front: not permitted side: 20 rear: 10 35/ 2.5 30 35 b) 43,560 (1 acre) b) 125”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures in the R-2 medium density residential district inside Cass township.

  • Maximum height 35 ft / 2.5 stories as shown in the R-2 table; the table marks height with an asterisk that was not resolved in extraction.
  • Other districts have their own height limits and were not covered by this claim.

  maximum height: <= 35 ft (stories maximum 2.5)

  “maximum height* (ft./stories) maximum building coverage (%) maximum impervious coverage (%) a) 10,000 a) 80 a) front: 20 side: (each) 12 rear: 20 a) front: not permitted side: (each) 10 rear: 10 b) front: not permitted side: 20 rear: 10 35/ 2.5 30 35”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Single-family manufactured or mobile homes on lots in the R-2 medium density residential district inside Cass township.

  • Listed in the R-2 dimensional table as 'r-2 single-family (including manufactured/mobile homes)', with separate lot standards for lots with and without approved central sewer service and public water supply.
  • Applies only to the R-2 district; other districts were not checked for manufactured homes.
  • Table extraction is garbled; verify against the PDF table before relying on it.

  “r-2 single-family (including manufactured/mobile homes) a) with approved central sewer service and public water supply b) without approved central sewer service or public water supply”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permits for land inside Cass township.

  • Zoning permit application forms (commercial-industrial and residential) are published on the township zoning page; the zoning page does not state review steps, fees, or timelines.
  • Building, septic and plumbing permit steps were not established.

  “zoning information: cass zoning map.pdf 1.31 mb commercial - industrial zoning permit application.pdf 168 kb residential zoning permit application.pdf 156.96 kb”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Cass township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Cass township
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Cass township under the Uniform Construction Code
• Inspections — Inspections of new construction inside Cass township
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates for new homes inside Cass 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.