Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Windber, Pennsylvania

Borough of Windber’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New, changed, converted or altered buildings inside Windber borough

  • Issued by the zoning officer certifying conformity with the zoning chapter.
  • Temporary certificate up to six months during alterations or partial occupancy (§306).

  “it shall be unlawful to use or occupy or permit the use or occupancy of any building or premises, or both, or part thereof hereafter created, erected, changed, converted, or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use or structure until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued therefore by the zoning officer”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Windber borough (Somerset County)

  • Adopted under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code; administered by the zoning officer; zoning hearing board handles variances and special exceptions.

  “this chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "zoning ordinance of the borough of windber."”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal building setbacks, R-1 single family residential district, Windber borough (other districts have different values in the same table)

  • Detached accessory building may be placed within the rear quarter of a lot within 2 feet of the lot line or 11 feet from the centerline of an adjoining right-of-way or alley, whichever is greater.
  • Corner lots use the front-yard setback on all street sides (§912).
  • 20 ft side setback (40 ft both sides) where adjoining a residential district applies to non-residential districts.

  R-1 front setback: 30 feet · R-1 side setback: 10 feet · R-1 both sides: 20 feet · R-1 rear setback: 50 feet

  “district r-1 r-2 r-3 cb gc i c front 30 20 40 6 15 40 40 side 10 5 20 0 4 101 101 both sides 20 10 40 0 8 202 202 rear 50 40 60 10 10 10 60”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single family residential district, Windber borough (other districts differ)

  • Column order in the source table is R-1, R-2, R-3, CB; GC, I and C values follow the table break.

  R-1 principal building coverage: <= 26 percent of lot area · R-1 accessory building coverage: <= 9 percent of lot area

  “the maximum allowable lot coverage expressed as a percentage of lot area shall be as listed below: district r-1 r-2 r-3 cb 1 2 principal building 26 39 33 90 accessory building 9 12 33 5”

• Building heightSpecified

  All Windber districts except conservation (includes R-1)

  • Conservation district has its own heights: one-family detached 35 ft, agricultural structures 60 ft, accessory building 20 ft.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (conservation district differs)

  “the maximum allowable building height is thirtyfive (35) feet from the finished ground elevation, for all districts, except conservation.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes inside Windber borough

  • Only the R-3 high density residential district permits mobile homes; the ordinance says 'mobile homes', and its coverage of newer HUD-code manufactured homes was not checked.

  “mobile homes are prohibited in all but the r-3 district.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permits inside Windber borough

  • Zoning permits go through the borough zoning officer; building permit applications are handled by PA Municipal Code Alliance (Somerset office, 814-444-6112).

  “windber borough has contracted pa municipal codes alliance for our permitting and inspection needs.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Windber borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Windber borough
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Windber borough
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Windber borough
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Windber 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.