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

Overfield Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Overfield township, Wyoming County, PA. The township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance.

  • The ordinance text is styled as enacted by the Overfield township board of supervisors under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code; it restates the June 16, 2014 ordinance in its entirety.
  • The PDF cover reads 'draft november 2023' and the township file is named 1-2024; the adoption/effective date was not confirmed, so effective_at is null.
  • Zoning-only topics in this record are answered from this ordinance; the county list is dated 2013 and is corroborating only.

  “be it hereby ordained and enacted by the board of supervisors of overfield township, wyoming county, pennsylvania, by authority of and pursuant to the provisions of act of 1968”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Overfield township, Wyoming County, PA. District names are AG (agricultural), RES (residential), COM (commercial) and IND (industrial), per the schedule of development standards.

  • The zoning map is adopted by reference into the ordinance; the map itself was not opened.
  • District boundaries follow the official zoning map of Overfield township.

  “the zoning map shows all of the zoning districts in the township. each district is listed in the schedule of uses in article 4.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Multi-family dwellings (garden apartments, townhouses, apartment buildings) in Overfield township where permitted. Single-family minimum size is not established by this claim.

  • Applies to multi-family dwelling standards in article 6 table 603.2.

  minimum individual dwelling size, multi-family: >= 800 square feet of gross floor area

  “800 square feet of gross floor area (see definition of gross floor area in §303) minimum individual dwelling size”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family and two-family residential dwellings in Overfield township's residential districts where permitted (article 4 part 2 lot dimensions for residential uses, all districts).

  • Setbacks are measured from the edge of the road right-of-way for front yards.
  • The three columns appear to be keyed to lot size (conforming or pre-existing nonconforming, in acres); the extracted column headers are garbled, so the column-to-lot-size mapping should be confirmed against the PDF.
  • Setbacks apply to structures unless otherwise specified by the ordinance; greater setbacks may apply to conditional uses and special exceptions.

  minimum front yard setback: 50 feet (first lot-size column; second 30 ft, third 20 ft (column mapping to confirm)) · minimum rear yard setback: 15 feet (first lot-size column; second 15 ft, third 6 ft (column mapping to confirm)) · minimum side yard setback, each: 10 feet (first lot-size column; second 10 ft, third 6 ft (column mapping to confirm))

  “minimum front yard setback (feet) (measured from edge of road right-of-way) 50 30 20 minimum rear yard setback (feet) 15 15 6 minimum side yard setback, each (feet) 10 10 6”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family and two-family residential dwellings in Overfield township's districts where permitted (article 4 part 4, all districts).

  • Maximum lot coverage varies with lot size (conforming or pre-existing nonconforming, in acres); the lot-size column breakpoints are read from the garbled table and should be confirmed.
  • Multi-family dwellings: see article 6 (not covered by this claim).

  maximum lot coverage, single-family and two-family: 15%, 20%, 25%, 35%, 50% percent (varies by lot size; breakpoints to confirm)

  “part 4 maximum lot coverage for residential uses in all districts dwelling type size of lot -- conforming or pre-existing nonconforming (acres) equal to or greater than single-family and two-family lot coverage less than 2 1 0.5 0.25 0.25 15% 20% 25% 35% 50%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential uses in all districts of Overfield township (article 4 part 3); single-family and two-family dwellings and unattached accessory structures.

  • Exceptions are referenced to section 501.4 of the ordinance (not read).
  • Garden apartments, townhouses and apartment buildings follow section 603.2a (not read).

  maximum building height, single-family and two-family: <= 35 feet (see section 501.4 for exceptions) · maximum height, unattached accessory structures: <= 25 feet

  “maximum building height for residential uses in all districts (see §501.4 for exceptions) dwelling type maximum height single-family and two-family 35 feet garden apartments, townhouses, and apartment buildings see §603.2a unattached accessory structures 25 feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupancy of a recreational vehicle on private land in Overfield township outside an approved RV park.

  • Permitted only as a temporary shelter under section 503.7,c,3 (fire or natural disaster), or under these conditions.
  • a. Not more than one occupied recreational vehicle per parcel.
  • b. Must be an accessory use to a single-family detached or two-family dwelling and occupied only by the family or guests of the dwelling's occupants.
  • c. Not used for periods of more than ten successive days and not more than forty days in any calendar year.
  • d. Must be connected to an approved sewage disposal system with adequate capacity, or use a portable toilet or the RV's toilet with an established pumping schedule with a waste company and pumping receipts submitted to the zoning officer.
  • Section 503.7 temporary-shelter permit (12-month maximum, zoning officer extension) was not separately verified.

  occupied RVs per parcel: <= 1 count · maximum consecutive days occupied: <= 10 days (successive days) · maximum days occupied per calendar year: <= 40 days

  “the occupancy of a recreation vehicle not located in an approved recreational vehicle park shall not be permitted except as a temporary shelter per §503.7,c,3 or in accord with the following:”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks in Overfield township (AG district special exception). Tent/RV camping on private lots is not separately addressed in the sections read.

  • Listed as a special exception (planning commission review, zoning hearing board action) in the agricultural district schedule of uses.
  • Campgrounds and RV parks are for temporary occupancy and not for long-term residency (definition).
  • Regulated by the subdivision and land development ordinance for lot standards (article 4 part 5 note), not verified.

  “special exceptions (planning commission/zoning hearing board) - airports - animal shelters - archery ranges, outdoor - campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Assisted care dwelling unit for a relative in Overfield township (the only accessory-dwelling type found in the ordinance text read).

  • Defined as a temporary occupancy unit attached to the principal dwelling or a separate mobile home, limited to a relative who needs care (age, developmental disability, illness, mental illness that does not threaten physical harm, or physical handicap).
  • Section 606 (assisted care dwelling unit for relative) requires an accessory use permit and has occupancy-care, subdivision, sewage, bulk and removal requirements per the table of contents; section 606 was not read.

  “unattached accessory units shall be limited to mobile homes only.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development in Overfield township; uses needing subdivision approval are processed under the township subdivision ordinance (SALDO).

  • A zoning permit is not issued until the use has preliminary approval under the subdivision ordinance; occupancy/use requires final subdivision approval.
  • The township separately publishes a SALDO PDF on its zoning page; its contents were not opened.

  “subdivision approval - applications for uses which also necessitate approvals under the township subdivision ordinance shall be processed in the manner provided for plat approval under that ordinance.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals in Overfield township, as a listed special-exception use; not permitted in multi-family dwellings.

  • Listed in the article 4 schedule of uses special-exception list (planning commission review, zoning hearing board action); the specific district in which it appears was not confirmed.
  • Not permitted in multi-family dwellings.
  • 'Transient use' is defined as occupancy by two or more families or groups for less than thirty consecutive days; treatment of transient use in the schedule was not verified.

  “short-term rentals (not permitted in multi-family dwellings)”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permits in Overfield township. Process is administered by the zoning officer.

  • Principal permitted and accessory uses are acted on by the zoning officer; conditional uses by the board of supervisors after planning commission review; special exceptions by the zoning hearing board.
  • Section 1102 holds the permit application requirements; it was not read, so the full procedure, forms and fees are not stated here.
  • A zoning permit is not issued until preliminary subdivision approval is granted.

  “a zoning permit shall not be issued until the proposed use has been granted a preliminary approval under the subdivision ordinance.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for construction in Overfield township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from building permits in Overfield township
• Building code adopted — Building construction code in Overfield township
• Inspections — Building inspections in Overfield township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy in Overfield 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.