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

Borough of Columbia’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within Columbia borough, Pennsylvania.

  • Chapter 220 was adopted by Borough Council and has amendments noted where applicable.

  “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Columbia 8-23-1999 by Ord. No. 675. Amendments noted where applicable.]”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Columbia borough.

  • The chapter includes an attachment titled Table of Dimensional Requirements and attachments titled Table of Permitted Uses by District-Residential and Table of Permitted Uses by District-Nonresidential.

  “Attachment 1 - Table of Permitted Uses by District-Residential Attachment 2 -Table of Permitted Uses by District-Nonresidential Attachment 3 - Table of Dimensional Requirements Attachment 4 - Parcels Identified on Official Map”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Access from a property inside Columbia borough onto a state road.

  • Applies where access onto a state road requires a PennDOT highway occupancy permit.
  • The Borough zoning or building permit is automatically conditioned on issuance of the PennDOT permit.

  “Where necessary for access onto a state road, a Borough zoning or building permit shall be automatically conditioned upon issuance of a PennDOT highway occupancy permit.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning permits and applications inside Columbia borough.

  • No application or appeal is considered filed until all fees are paid.
  • The fee schedule may be established and amended by Borough Council written resolution.

  “A Borough fee schedule for permits and applications may be established and amended by written resolution of Borough Council. No application or appeal shall be considered filed until all fees are paid.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning-permit applications inside Columbia borough.

  • Applications must be made in writing on a Borough form and submitted with required fees to designated Borough staff.
  • For a new principal building, principal-building expansion, or addition of three or more parking spaces, the applicant must submit at least two copies of a scaled site plan.
  • A special-exception or variance permit is issued only in response to a written Zoning Hearing Board decision following a hearing.

  “All applications for a zoning permit or a decision by the Zoning Hearing Board shall be made in writing on a form provided by the Borough. Such completed application, with required fees, shall be submitted to a designated Borough staff-person.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Columbia borough.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Columbia borough.
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Columbia borough.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for structures inside Columbia borough.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Columbia 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Columbia 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.

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.