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

Borough of Tunkhannock’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Tunkhannock Borough, Wyoming County, PA

  • Administered by the borough zoning officer, zoning hearing board and borough council (conditional uses)
  • The copy opened is the 2017 adopted ordinance; later amendments were not checked

  “borough of tunkhannock wyoming county, pennsylvania zoning ordinance adopted september 7, 2017”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Tunkhannock Borough

  • Airport overlay district also created (section 401.1)

  districts: R-1 Residential; C-1 Commercial-Downtown; C-2 Commercial-Highway; I-1 Industrial; S-1 Special

  “for the purposes of this ordinance, the borough of tunkhannock is divided into the following districts: r-1 residential c-1 commercial - downtown c-2 commercial - highway i-1 industrial s-1 special”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Residential district, Tunkhannock Borough

  • Per-district dimensions; other districts differ

  minimum lot area: >= 8800 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 80 ft · minimum lot depth: >= 110 ft

  “minimum lot area 8,800 square feet minimum lot width 80 feet minimum lot depth 110 feet minimum yards - front yard 25 feet measured from front line”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — S-1 Special district (the district listing campgrounds, farm wineries, kennels and similar uses), Tunkhannock Borough

    “minimum lot area 40,000 square feet minimum lot width 200 feet minimum lot depth 200 feet minimum yards - front yard 40 feet measured from front line”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Residential district, principal buildings

  • Unattached accessory buildings: front 55 ft, sides 9 ft, rear 9 ft

  front yard: >= 25 ft · each side yard: >= 9 ft · rear yard: >= 30 ft

  “side yards 9 feet measured from each side line - rear yard 30 feet measured from rear line minimum yards for unattached accessory buildings - front yard 55 feet measured from front line - side yards 9 feet measured from each side line - rear yard 9 feet measured from rear line”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — S-1 Special district, principal buildings

    “minimum yards - front yard 40 feet measured from front line - side yards 15 feet measured from each side line - rear yard 30 feet measured from rear line minimum yards for unattached accessory buildings - front yard 75feet measured from front line - side yards 10 feet measured from each side line - rear yard 10 feet measured from rear line”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 Residential district

  maximum building coverage: <= 25 percent of lot · maximum total impervious coverage: <= 40 percent of lot

  “maximum building coverage 25% of the lot area maximum total impervious coverage 40% of the lot area maximum building height 30 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — S-1 Special district

    “maximum building coverage 20% of the lot area maximum total impervious coverage 30% of the lot area maximum building height 36 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Residential district

  • Unattached accessory buildings maximum 15 ft

  maximum building height: <= 30 ft

  “maximum building height 30 feet maximum unattached accessory building height 15 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — S-1 Special district

    “maximum building height 36 feet maximum unattached accessory building height 15 feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  RV occupancy inside Tunkhannock Borough

  • Campgrounds and RV parks are a special exception use in the S-1 district only (as listed in the S-1 use list); zoning hearing board approval required
  • Campsites are for temporary occupancy and not long-term residency
  • Rules for RV use on an individual residential lot outside a park were not located

  “4. special exception uses (see article 6.) - agriculture related entertainment - archery ranges, outdoor commercial - campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping inside Tunkhannock Borough

  • Only through campgrounds/RV parks, a special exception use in S-1
  • Camping outside such parks not addressed in opened text

  “4. special exception uses (see article 6.) - agriculture related entertainment - archery ranges, outdoor commercial - campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured homes in the R-1 Residential district, Tunkhannock Borough

  • Mobile homes must meet all single-family dwelling standards
  • Mobile home parks are separately regulated (not detailed here)

  “single-family detached dwellings including mobile homes meeting all single-family dwelling standards”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit process inside Tunkhannock Borough

  • Special exception uses need zoning hearing board approval first; conditional uses need borough council approval
  • Building/UCC permit process not covered

  “the property owner is then prepared to contact the zoning officer for an application for a zoning permit. when the complete application is submitted and the zoning officer confirms the proposed activity complies with the zoning ordinance, a permit will be issued.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Tunkhannock Borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Tunkhannock Borough
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Tunkhannock Borough
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Tunkhannock Borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Tunkhannock 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.