Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of St. Clair, Pennsylvania

Borough of St. Clair’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside St. Clair borough

  • Enforcement may be by borough employee, third-party agency, intermunicipal agreement, contract with another municipality, or PA L&I for structures other than one- and two-family dwellings and utility/miscellaneous use structures

  code: Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, 34 Pa. Code chs. 401-405

  “the uniform construction code, contained in 34 pa. code, chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of the borough of st. clair.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside St. Clair borough, Schuylkill County

  • Ordinance dated February 2005; administered by a zoning officer and zoning hearing board

  “for the purpose of this zoning ordinance, the borough of saint clair is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A-1 conservation/low density residential district, any permitted use, inside St. Clair borough

  • Steep slope rules of section 505 may require larger lots
  • More restrictive use-specific rules in sections 402/403 override

  minimum lot area: >= 80000 sq ft

  “a-1 - conservation/low density residential any permitted use 80,000 200 front: front: 35/2.5 10 20 50 not permitted side (each): side (each): 25 25 rear: rear: 50 25”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 high density residential district, single family, inside St. Clair borough

    “single family 5,000 50 front: front: 35/2.5 50 50 25 not permitted side (each): side (each): 14 4 rear: rear: 20 10”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 district, any permitted use, inside St. Clair borough

  • Yard setbacks vary by district and use; table text is garbled so only the district row is cited
  • See section 307 and table 3.1

  see table 3.1 row: A-1 side 25 ft, rear 50 ft (principal) (column alignment in extracted text is ambiguous)

  “a-1 - conservation/low density residential any permitted use 80,000 200 front: front: 35/2.5 10 20 50 not permitted side (each): side (each): 25 25 rear: rear: 50 25”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-2 high density residential district, single family, inside St. Clair borough

  • Section 802 exempts certain structures from height limits

  maximum building height: 35 ft / 2.5 stories (accessory structures differ)

  “single family 5,000 50 front: front: 35/2.5 50 50 25 not permitted side (each): side (each): 14 4 rear: rear: 20 10”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured home parks in the R-1 medium density residential district of St. Clair borough

  • Subject to the borough subdivision and land development ordinance
  • Individually subdivided lots with manufactured homes are regulated like site-built subdivisions
  • Other districts' rules not read

  “mobile home park, subject to the requirements of the borough subdivision and land development ordinance.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  New lots or lot-line changes inside St. Clair borough

  • Also applies to new principal non-residential buildings

  “if one or more new lots will be created or existing lot lines will be altered or one or more new principal non-residential buildings are proposed, then the requirements and approval procedures of the borough's subdivision and land development ordinance will apply.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Tracts within the 100-year floodplain inside St. Clair borough

  • Floodplain is an overlay on all underlying districts
  • Applicant should also check wetlands under federal and state rules

  “c. floodplain. the floodplain area in article v of this zoning ordinance shall serve as an overlay area to all of the underlying districts.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permits inside St. Clair borough

  • Additional borough permitting such as building permit or subdivision approval may be required
  • Zoning officer decision appealable to zoning hearing board; 30-day challenge period recommended before starting construction

  “b. thirty (30) day challenge period. it is recommended that applicants wait 30 days to begin construction if there is a possibility of an appeal by another party to have the permit revoked.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of St. Clair or Schuylkill County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside St. Clair borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside St. Clair borough
• Inspections — Building inspections inside St. Clair borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside St. Clair borough
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside St. Clair borough

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.