Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Green Hills, Pennsylvania

Borough of Green Hills’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Green Hills borough, Washington County, under the joint South Franklin Township and Green Hills Borough multi-municipal zoning ordinance

  • Joint ordinance with South Franklin Township; stated effective date June 1, 2013; PDF titled 'updated July 2022' on the township site.
  • Hosted on South Franklin Township's website; Green Hills' own site was not located.

  “the provisions of this ordinance shall apply to all zoning districts, lots, structures, land developments and subdivisions within the municipal boundaries of south franklin township and green hills borough, washington county, pennsylvania.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts under the joint ordinance covering Green Hills borough and South Franklin Township

  • Districts include A-1, R-1, R-2, MU, C-1, I/C, IO, SD plus airport and floodplain overlays; which districts are mapped inside Green Hills borough was not verified.

  “a-1: agricultural district. r-1: rural residential district. r-2: medium density residential district. mu: mixed use district. c-1: local commercial district. i/c: flex-industrial/commercial district. io: industrial overlay district. sd: special development district. airport overlay district. floodplain overlay district.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 rural residential district under the joint ordinance (applicability to parcels in Green Hills borough not verified)

  • Other districts differ (e.g., A-1 detached dwelling 1 acre; R-2 2 acres without public sewage, 1/2 acre with).

  minimum lot area, detached single family dwelling, R-1: >= 1 acre

  “minimum lot area general agriculture 10 acres dwelling, detached single family 1 acre”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 rural residential district under the joint ordinance (applicability to parcels in Green Hills borough not verified)

  • Other districts have different yards.

  front yard: >= 50 feet · side yard: >= 15 feet · rear yard: >= 40 feet

  “minimum front yard principal and accessory structures 50 feet minimum side yard principal and accessory structures 15 feet minimum rear yard principal and accessory structures 40 feet”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 rural residential district under the joint ordinance (applicability to parcels in Green Hills borough not verified)

  • Other districts differ (e.g., MU 60%, SD 75%).

  maximum lot coverage, R-1: <= 30 percent

  “maximum building height principal structures 35 feet (3 1/2 stories) maximum lot coverage 30%”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 rural residential district under the joint ordinance (applicability to parcels in Green Hills borough not verified)

  • Other districts differ; exceptions to height limits are in § 185.33.

  maximum principal structure height, R-1: <= 35 feet (3 1/2 stories)

  “maximum building height principal structures 35 feet (3 1/2 stories) maximum lot coverage 30%”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Green Hills borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Green Hills borough
• Building code adopted — Green Hills borough
• Inspections — Green Hills borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Green Hills 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.