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

Haverford Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction-code administration and enforcement inside Haverford Township.

  • The referenced Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and regulations are amended from time to time.

  “The Township of Haverford hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Haverford Township.

  • Township code includes Chapter 182, Zoning.

  “Chapter 182 Zoning (§ 182-101 – § 182-1306)”

• Well permitLimited

  Private potable or industrial groundwater wells in designated areas inside Haverford Township.

  • The prohibition applies to property within 300 feet of a licensed-provider public water supply, the listed North Eagle Road/West Hillcrest Avenue/Darby Road/West Chester Pike area, property down-gradient of a present or former automotive fueling station, and private supplies not meeting referenced standards.

  public-water proximity: <= 300 feet (Applies to the private-well prohibition.)

  “It shall be unlawful for any owner, occupier or lessee of any property within the areas designated by this article”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Buildings requiring sewage drainage on properties abutting a completed Township sewer inside Haverford Township.

  • The building must be within 200 feet of the completed sewer.
  • Connection is at the owner's expense and subject to annual sewer rental.
  • If the owner fails to comply, the Board of Commissioners will cause the connection at the owner's expense.

  distance to completed sewer: <= 200 feet (Property must abut the highway, road, street, or walk along which the sewer has been laid.)

  “§ 149-2 Connection to sewer system required; noncompliance; connection by Township; payment of costs.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land-development preliminary plans inside Haverford Township.

  • The application is reviewed for completeness by the Township Zoning Officer after receipt.
  • Complete preliminary plans receive a dated receipt and are forwarded to the Township Manager.

  “Haverford Township requires the submission of the following for any subdivision and/or any land development unless noted below:”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Township building-construction permits and inspections.

  • Schedule includes residential new-construction plan review and building permit/inspection fees.

  residential new-construction plan review: 100 USD

  “Plan review fees: Building: New construction, residential | $100”

Rules another office applies inside Haverford Township

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

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Recreational vehicles within identified floodplain areas inside Haverford Township.

  • Limited to identified floodplain areas.

  “recreational vehicles shall be prohibited.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural divisions of land under the Chapter 182 floodplain zoning definitions inside Haverford Township.

  • The division must create parcels of more than 10 acres.
  • It may not involve a new street or easement of access.

  parcel size: > 10 acres (No new street or easement of access may be involved.)

  “for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development within identified one-hundred-year floodplain or flood-prone areas inside Haverford Township.

  • Applies to construction, reconstruction, substantial improvement, enlargement, alteration, relocation, and other development.
  • Area is identified through the FEMA-approved Flood Insurance Study and attached Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

  “It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, business or corporation to undertake, or cause to be undertaken, the construction, reconstruction, substantial improvement, enlargement, alteration or relocation of any structure (including manufactured homes) or any other development of a structure or grounds within an identified one-hundred-year floodplain area or flood-prone area as set forth in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and on its attached Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) prepared and approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Community No.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Haverford Township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Haverford Township.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Haverford Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — New or changed residential occupancy inside Haverford Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Haverford 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Haverford Township 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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