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

Rules another office applies inside Cherry Township

Cherry Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  Construction or building work in Cherry Township subject to the Pennsylvania UCC.

  • Emergency repairs or equipment replacements may be made without a permit if an application is submitted to the building code official within three business days.

  “The UCC requires property owners to obtain a construction or building permit before starting any work.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings in Cherry Township subject to the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.

  • The UCC applies to buildings and structures occurring on or after April 9, 2004 and existing structures that are not legally occupied.

  “The Uniform Construction Code applies to the construction, alteration, repair, movement, equipment, removal, demolition, location, maintenance, occupancy or change of occupancy of every building or structure which occurs on or after April 9, 2004, and all existing structures that are not legally occupied.”

• InspectionsLimited

  UCC-covered work in Cherry Township.

  • Inspections are necessary in several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings; electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems; pools or hot tubs; and specified manufactured or industrialized housing work.

  “Inspections are also necessary in several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and the installation of swimming pools or hot tubs.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Residential buildings in Cherry Township governed by the Pennsylvania UCC.

  “A residential building may not be used or occupied without a certificate of occupancy issued by a building code official.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Individual or community on-lot sewage systems and buildings served by them inside Cherry Township.

  • Exceptions are provided in 25 Pa. Code § 72.22(c)—(e).
  • A permit is required for specified alterations or connections to existing on-lot systems.
  • A qualifying owner-family residential system on a contiguous tract of 10 acres or more may be permit-exempt if the owner was owner of record on January 10, 1987, unless a local agency or municipality requires a permit by ordinance.

  “No person may install, award a contract for construction or construct an individual or community onlot sewage system, or install, construct, occupy or use a building to be served by that system without first obtaining a permit from the local agency, except as provided in subsections (c)—(e).”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Composting, incinerating, recycling, or other water-conservation toilets in Cherry Township.

  • The permit exception applies only where the existing on-lot system will not be altered.

  “A permit is not required for the installation of a recycling toilet, incinerating toilet, composting toilet or other type of water conservation device where the existing onlot system will not be altered.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural-purpose leased subdivisions inside Cherry Township where the County subdivision ordinance applies.

  • The exemption applies only to subdivision by lease of land for agricultural purposes into parcels over 10 acres, without a new street or access easement or a residential dwelling.

  minimum parcel area: > 10 acres (Agricultural-purpose subdivision by lease; no new street or easement of access and no residential dwelling.)

  “Provided, however, that the subdivision by lease of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or any residential dwelling, shall be exempted.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Cherry Township, unless Cherry Township has adopted its own subdivision and land development ordinance.

  • The County ordinance applies only in municipalities with no subdivision and land development ordinance in effect.
  • Agricultural-purpose subdivision by lease into parcels over 10 acres, with no new street or access easement and no residential dwelling, is exempt.

  “The provisions of this Ordinance shall be limited to those municipalities within Sullivan County with no Subdivision or Land Development Ordinance in effect.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  County subdivision and land-development applications affecting Cherry Township where County subdivision jurisdiction applies.

  • Applicants are directed to download the appropriate forms, complete them, and submit them to the County address.

  “Here are the applications and checklists you need. In order to apply, please download the appropriate forms, fill them out and submit them to the address above.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction in Cherry Township.
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts applicable in Cherry Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in Cherry Township.
• Minimum lot size — Residential lots in Cherry Township.
• Setbacks — Residential structures in Cherry 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.