Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Lower Chanceford Township, Pennsylvania

Lower Chanceford Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Lower Chanceford township, York County, Pennsylvania (not the county's unincorporated area, and not Chanceford Township)

  • The township zoning ordinance's adoption history lists amendments through May 3, 2022 (the last amendment date in the list).
  • The township home page says its zoning review committee is holding working sessions on proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance on September 16, September 30, October 7, November 11 and November 18, 2026; the adopted text must be re-checked before relying on the 2022 text.

  “the township of lower chanceford is divided into zones enumerated below and shown on the map entitled "zoning map of lower chanceford township" which map is part of this ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Lower Chanceford township, York County, Pennsylvania

  • Zones named in section 100.3: R residential, C commercial, I industrial, A agricultural, CV conservation.
  • The zoning map is said to be part of the ordinance; the map itself was not opened, so parcel-level zone boundaries are not confirmed here.

  “r residential c commercial i industrial a agricultural cv conservation”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural (A) district of Lower Chanceford township: 'all other uses' (including a single-family dwelling) minimum lot area; two-family dwelling and farm/forest uses have separate minimums

  • Table in section 202.3 gives four uses in column order: farm 50 acres (200 ft width); forest and wildlife preserve 10 acres (200 ft); two family dwelling 70,000 sq ft (250 ft); all other uses 43,560 sq ft (200 ft). The column-to-use mapping was read from the text layout and should be checked against the PDF table.
  • Single-family dwellings are listed as a principal use subject to section 298 (not read here); section 298 conditions were not verified.

  minimum lot area, all other uses (including single-family dwelling): >= 43560 sq ft (minimum lot width 200 ft) · minimum lot area, two family dwelling: >= 70000 sq ft (minimum lot width 250 ft) · minimum lot area, farm: >= 50 acres (minimum lot width 200 ft)

  “use 1. 2. 3. 4. farm forest and wildlife preserve two family dwelling all other uses minimum lot area minimum lot width 50 acres 10 acres 70,000 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. 200 ft. 200 ft. 250 ft. 200 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family and other dwellings and principal nonresidential structures in the Residential (R) district of Lower Chanceford township

    “minimum lot size 8,000 sq. ft. 15,000 sq. ft. 43,560 sq. ft. minimum lot width 70 ft. 80 ft. 200 ft.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential (R) district of Lower Chanceford township (section 201.5)

  • Nonagricultural uses in R: front 30 ft; side 15 ft; rear 10 ft.
  • Principal building rear setback is 30 ft; accessory building side 10 ft and rear 10 ft.

  front yard, principal or accessory building: >= 30 ft · side yard, principal building: >= 15 ft · side yard, accessory building: >= 10 ft · rear yard, principal building: >= 30 ft · rear yard, accessory building: >= 10 ft

  “minimum rear yard a. for a principal building - thirty (30) feet b. for an accessory building - ten (10) feet c. for a nonagricultural use - ten (10) feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural (A) district of Lower Chanceford township (section 202.5)

    “minimum front yard a. for a nonagricultural use - thirty (30) feet b. for a principal or accessory building - thirty (30) feet minimum side yard a. for a principal building - fifteen (15) feet b. for an accessory building - ten (10) feet c. for a nonagricultural use - fifteen (15) feet minimum rear yard a. for a principal building - thirty (30) feet b. for an accessory building - ten (10) feet c. for a nonagricultural use - ten (10) feet”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots that contain or may be approved for a dwelling in Lower Chanceford township (general provision section 218, applied in the R and A districts by sections 201.4 and 202.4)

  • Coverage depends on public water and public sewer use, as the ordinance defines the terms.
  • Section 218(b) sets different percentages for commercial and industrial lots without a dwelling; those were not analyzed here.

  maximum building coverage, no public water or sewer: <= 15 percent (lot contains or may be approved for a dwelling) · maximum building coverage, public water only: <= 20 percent (lot contains or may be approved for a dwelling) · maximum building coverage, public water and public sewer: <= 30 percent (lot contains or may be approved for a dwelling)

  “a. lots which either contain a dwelling or which consistent with the provisions of this ordinance may be approved as the location for the construction or placement of a dwelling. 1. if public water and public sewer are not used: fifteen percent (15%) 2. if public water only is used: twenty percent (20%) 3. if both public water and public sewer are used: thirty percent (30%)”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Main building in the Residential (R) district of Lower Chanceford township (section 201.6)

  • Section 201.6 says the height limit may be extended by its further provisions (text cut off in the opened output; extension conditions not read).
  • Accessory building heights in R were not verified.

  maximum height, main building: <= 35 ft (also limited to two and one-half stories)

  “the height limit for a main building shall be two and one-half(2 ½) stories, but not over thirty-five (35) feet, except that the height limit may be extended to three and one-half (3 ½)stories but not over forty-five (45) feet if each side yard is increased in width one-half (½) foot for each additional foot of height. the height limit for accessory buildings shall be two (2) stories, but not over twenty-five (25) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural (A) district of Lower Chanceford township (section 202.6)

    “the building height limit shall be fifty (50) feet except in the case of agricultural buildings, in which case there shall be no height limitation.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Use of travel trailers, campers and recreational vehicles for dwelling purposes on any lot in Lower Chanceford township (section 353, general provisions)

  • Sleeping by visitors of the lot owners is allowed for periods that cumulatively do not exceed 14 days in any 120-day period.
  • Otherwise, RVs may not be used or occupied for dwelling purposes under this section.

  visitor sleeping allowance: <= 14 days (cumulative within any 120-day period)

  “no travel trailers, campers or other recreational vehicles may be used or occupied for dwelling purposes except for sleeping by visitors of the owners of the lot for periods which cumulatively do not exceed fourteen (14) days in anyone hundred twenty (120) day period.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for construction in Lower Chanceford township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption in Lower Chanceford township
• Building code adopted — Building construction in Lower Chanceford township
• Inspections — Construction inspections in Lower Chanceford township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings in Lower Chanceford 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.