Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Borough of New Bethlehem’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Structures or land for which a zoning-certificate application has been filed inside New Bethlehem borough limits.

  • The zoning officer may inspect from time to time during and at completion of work covered by a zoning certificate.

  “The Zoning Officer may examine or cause to be examined all structures and/or land for which an application has been filed for zoning certificate”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings constructed, erected, altered, or changing use inside New Bethlehem borough limits.

  • The Building Code Administration Officer must issue the occupancy permit certifying compliance with applicable ordinances.

  “No building hereafter constructed, erected or altered shall be occupied [...] until an occupancy permit has been issued by the Building Code Administration Officer”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside New Bethlehem borough limits.

  • Chapter 500 is administered and enforced by the Borough zoning officer.

  “Borough Council shall appoint the Zoning Officer who shall administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured, modular, mobile-home, and house-trailer dwellings inside New Bethlehem borough residential districts.

  • Modular or similar factory-assembled dwellings and replacements of existing mobile homes or house trailers must comply with all district requirements, screen wheels, be on their own individual lot, and have at least 800 square feet of living area.
  • Individual mobile homes or house trailers not currently located on a lot are prohibited.

  minimum living area: >= 800 square feet (Applies to the dwelling units addressed in § 500-31.)

  “Modular homes, or similar factory-assembled dwellings [...] are permitted in the residential district [...] such a dwelling unit must consist of at least 800 square feet”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision lots and construction in subdivisions inside New Bethlehem borough limits.

  • The subdivision plan must be approved and properly recorded; required Borough Council improvements must have been constructed or guaranteed.

  “unless and until a plan of such subdivision shall have been approved and properly recorded”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Borough zoning-certificate applications.

  • The filing fee is set by Borough Council resolution; the zoning officer and Borough establish zoning-certificate fees.

  “together with a filing fee in accordance with a schedule fixed by resolution of Borough Council.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning-certificate process for land inside New Bethlehem borough limits.

  • A plot plan and other information requested by the zoning officer are required; certificate expires after six months if the use is not implemented.

  zoning certificate expiration: 6 months (If the use is not implemented.)

  “The zoning certificate shall expire six months from the date of its issuance if the use is not implemented.”

Rules another office applies inside Borough of New Bethlehem

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Modular or similar factory-assembled dwellings and specified replacement manufactured dwellings in borough residential districts.

  • This is a dwelling-type-specific requirement, not a general minimum for all conventional single-family dwellings.

  minimum living area: >= 800 square feet (§ 500-31 dwelling units.)

  “For purposes of this section, such a dwelling unit must consist of at least 800 square feet of living area.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside New Bethlehem borough limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption and enforcement for land inside New Bethlehem borough limits.
• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside New Bethlehem borough limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary recreational camping on private land inside New Bethlehem borough limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside New Bethlehem borough limits.

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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of New Bethlehem means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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