Zoning, building permits and septic rules in East Norriton Township, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

Required; the township has adopted the state Uniform Construction Code¹²

Zoning

Yes, the township's own zoning ordinance (Chapter 205)³

Septic

Montgomery County Office of Public Health issues on-lot sewage permits⁵

Occupancy certificate

New dwellings need a township use-and-occupancy certificate before anyone moves in⁶

AR district minimum lot

30,000 sq ft without public sewer; 20,000 sq ft with it⁷

AR district setbacks

50 ft front, 20 ft each side, 60 ft rear⁸

Wells

Drinking-water, irrigation and geothermal wells need a county permit before drilling⁹

RV, tiny home, accessory dwelling

Not confirmed; ask the township zoning officer⁴

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Does East Norriton Township have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. East Norriton Township, in Montgomery County, has its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 205 of the Township Code³. Montgomery County does not run one countywide zoning code; each municipality makes its own land-use and zoning decisions, so the township's ordinance is the one that governs your lot¹⁰.

Rules differ by district, so find your parcel's district on the township's online zoning map first⁴. In the AR Residential District, a lot needs 30,000 square feet without public sanitary sewer and 20,000 square feet with it, and net lot area may never fall below 10,000 square feet⁷. Required yards in AR are 50 feet in front, 20 feet on each side and 60 feet in the rear⁸. Buildings in AR may cover no more than 15% of the lot¹¹. A principal building may stand 35 feet high and an accessory building 20 feet¹².

We could not confirm the township's rules on RV living, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or short-term rentals. Ask the zoning officer at the Code Enforcement Department before you plan any of them⁴.

Do you need a building permit in East Norriton Township, and who issues it?

Yes. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires a building permit for residential construction¹, and East Norriton Township has adopted it as the township's Building Code². The township lists the 2018 International Residential Code among the codes in effect⁴.

The East Norriton Code Enforcement Department is the office to call about building permits and inspections⁴. The township's governing body decides by resolution how the code is administered, so ask the department whether the township office or a third-party agency handles your application¹³. Permit fees are also set by township resolution, so request the current fee schedule¹⁴.

Inside the Flood Damage Prevention rules, placing a manufactured home on a lot requires a building permit¹⁵. In the floodplain district, the Building Inspector must confirm that other governmental permits, including Act 537 permits, are in hand before issuing a building permit¹⁶.

Pennsylvania has no statewide license for most construction contractors, but municipalities may add their own licensing rules¹⁷. We could not find an owner-builder exemption from the township's permit requirement; ask the department.

How do septic permits work in East Norriton Township?

Septic permits for East Norriton Township come from Montgomery County, not the township. Anyone building or modifying an on-lot sewage disposal system must obtain a permit from the county Office of Public Health¹⁸. The office works through Sewage Enforcement Officers⁵.

A site evaluation with soil probes and percolation tests comes first. If the site is suitable, you submit a septic design and application for approval¹⁸. After installation, the officers inspect the system and give final approval for use¹⁹. Across Montgomery County, about 28% of soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so many lots need a thorough site evaluation or an engineered design²⁰.

Any drinking-water, irrigation or geothermal well in Montgomery County needs an Office of Public Health permit before installation⁹.

We could not confirm whether a given East Norriton lot must connect to public sewer or may use an on-lot system. Ask the Code Enforcement Department before you buy⁴.

Building a home in East Norriton Township: the steps, in order

1. Find your parcel's zoning district and confirm the use, lot size and setbacks with the zoning officer⁴.
2. If you are splitting a lot, get subdivision or land-development plan approval first; the plan must be approved, and recorded where required, before a lot sale or building permit²¹.
3. If no public sewer serves the lot, start the septic site evaluation with the county Office of Public Health¹⁸.
4. Apply for the building permit through the township Code Enforcement Department²⁴.
5. If the lot takes driveway access from a state highway, obtain a PennDOT highway occupancy permit; the building permit must carry notice of that requirement²².
6. Pass the inspections, then obtain the use-and-occupancy certificate; a new dwelling cannot be occupied until the township issues it⁶.

What stays with Montgomery County, and what should you check before you buy?

The township decides zoning and runs its construction-code administration. Montgomery County's Office of Public Health keeps septic and well permits for every address in the county, township or not⁵⁹. The county Planning Commission advises on subdivisions, but final approval is made by the municipality¹⁰. For rules on land outside the township, see the Montgomery County page.

Before you buy, confirm the zoning district, whether public sewer serves the lot, and whether any part of it lies in the floodplain district¹⁶. Resale and rental properties may need a township use-and-occupancy inspection before the certificate is issued²³. Montgomery County's effective property tax rate is 1.4%, with a median bill of $5,776 a year²⁴²⁵.

Watch-outs

• The township's ordinance sets the lot, yard and height numbers above for the AR Residential District only; other districts have different numbers, so check your parcel's district⁷.
• A township use-and-occupancy certificate is not required for a new dwelling that receives a Uniform Construction Code certificate of occupancy within one year, so ask the Code Enforcement Department which certificate applies to you⁶.
• Permit fees are set by township resolution and can change, so get the current schedule from the Code Enforcement Department before budgeting¹⁴.
• We could not confirm East Norriton's rules for RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, private wells on township land or sewer connection; call the Code Enforcement Department and the county Office of Public Health⁴²⁶.

Sources

1. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Chapter 74, Construction Code, Uniform (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
3. Township of East Norriton, PA Code of Ordinances (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
4. East Norriton Township Code Enforcement Department (eastnorritontwp.org)
5. On-Lot Sewage Permitting, quoted and re-checked
6. Chapter 190, Use and Occupancy and Temporary Access Certificates (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
7. Chapter 205, Article V, AR Residential District (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
8. Chapter 205, Article V, AR Residential District (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
9. Individual Water Supply Well Permitting, quoted and re-checked
10. Homes For All, quoted and re-checked
11. Chapter 205, Article V, AR Residential District (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
12. Chapter 205, Article V, AR Residential District (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
13. Chapter 74, Construction Code, Uniform (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
14. Chapter 74, Construction Code, Uniform (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
15. Chapter 105, Flood Damage Prevention (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
16. Chapter 105, Flood Damage Prevention (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
17. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. On-Lot Sewage Permitting, quoted and re-checked
19. On-Lot Sewage Permitting, quoted and re-checked
20. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
21. Chapter 175, Subdivision and Land Development, Article I (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
22. pa.gov, quoted and re-checked
23. Chapter 190, Use and Occupancy and Temporary Access Certificates (East Norriton Township), quoted and re-checked
24. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
25. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
26. Montgomery County Office of Public Health (OPH) (montgomerycountypa.gov)

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.