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

Walker Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Walker township, Schuylkill County, PA, under the Eastern Schuylkill Planning Region (ESRP) joint zoning ordinance that the township shares with Rush township, Schuylkill township and Tamaqua borough. Not the Walker township in Juniata or Centre County.

  • Evidence is the joint ESRP ordinance as cross-referenced in the ESRP subdivision ordinance (SALDO). The joint zoning ordinance text itself was not located or opened, so district rules, uses and dimensional limits are not established here.
  • Per Times News coverage (not an official source, not relied on for this claim), the joint zoning ordinance was under amendment after a state Attorney General letter; the current adopted text should be checked with the township before relying on it.

  “municipalities in schuylkill county which comprise the tamaqua area school district (tasd) and which have worked cooperatively to create the esrp joint comprehensive plan, esrp joint zoning ordinance, and esrp joint (saldo). these four (4) municipalities are: rush township schuylkill township tamaqua borough walker township”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Septic permit approval for land inside Walker township, Schuylkill County, under the ESRP SALDO

  • Approval is by PA DEP and/or the municipal sewage enforcement officer, as the SALDO states. The text does not say which applies in which case.
  • Named SEO and any county health-department role for Walker township were not established.

  “all such permits for private sewage disposal systems shall be subject to the approval of the pennsylvania department of environmental protection and/or the municipal sewage enforcement officer.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Design, construction, installation, alteration, replacement, repair or extension of community or individual on-lot sewage systems for subdivision and land development in Walker township, Schuylkill County, under the ESRP SALDO

  • Stated in the subdivision and land development ordinance sewage facilities provisions; does not establish a separate permit for a single home outside a subdivision or land development plan.
  • Permits are subject to PA DEP and/or the municipal sewage enforcement officer approval (see septic_authority claim).
  • Permit does not become effective until installation is completed to the satisfaction of the sewage enforcement officer.

  “permits are required for the design, construction, installation, alteration, replacement, repair and/or extension of any community sewage disposal system or individual on-lot sewage disposal system.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Installation of community or individual sewage disposal systems in subdivision and land development in Walker township, Schuylkill County

  • The inspection standard is completion of installation to the satisfaction of the sewage enforcement officer; the SALDO does not state an inspection schedule or fee.

  “the permit for a community sewage disposal system or an individual sewage disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the sewage enforcement officer.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Walker township, Schuylkill County, PA, under the ESRP joint subdivision and land development ordinance (2019 edition)

  • Adopted for the four ESRP municipalities including Walker township; the ESRP definitions state the municipalities are all located within Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
  • Plans are reviewed by the municipal planning commission, the Schuylkill County planning commission and approved or disapproved by the township governing body (SALDO Article IV, Section 401).

  “eastern schuylkill regional planning municipalities of rush township schuylkill township tamaqua borough walker township subdivision and land development ordinance (2019 edition) effective july 1, 2019”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Walker township, Schuylkill County
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home inside Walker township, Schuylkill County
• Building code adopted — Building code administration for land inside Walker township, Schuylkill County
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Walker township, Schuylkill County
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Walker township, Schuylkill County

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.