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

Borough of Norristown’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction or development anywhere inside Norristown borough.

  • The Building Permit Officer must determine conformance with applicable codes and ordinances.
  • No permit may issue until the officer determines that other necessary state and federal permits have been obtained.

  “Building permits shall be required before any construction or development is undertaken within any area of the borough.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction within Norristown borough.

  • The Borough administers and enforces the UCC as amended.
  • The adoption includes relative codes under Act 45 and successor codes adopted by Pennsylvania.

  “the Municipality of Norristown hereby elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), as amended, as its municipal building code, and the International Fuel Gas Code for purposes described in Act 45.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction and development inside Norristown borough.

  • The Building Permit Officer or another authorized official performs as many inspections during construction and upon completion as necessary.

  “During the construction period, the Building Permit Officer or other authorized official shall inspect the premises to determine that the work is progressing in compliance with the information provided on the permit application and with all applicable municipal laws and ordinances. He/she shall make as many inspections during and upon completion of the work as are necessary.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings subject to a change in occupancy inside Norristown borough.

  • A temporary occupancy certificate is an alternative where authorized.
  • Non-owner-occupied residential occupancy certificates expire after three years or upon an occupancy change, whichever occurs first.

  non-owner-occupied residential certificate duration: 3 years (Expires earlier upon an occupancy change.)

  “From and after the effective date of this chapter, it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to change the occupancy of any residential dwelling unit or commercial or industrial building within the Municipality of Norristown or permit such a change without first obtaining an occupancy certificate or temporary occupancy certificate.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Norristown borough.

  • The published zoning chapter includes R-1 Residence, R-2 Residence, Main Street Mixed-Use, Multi-Family Residential, Neighborhood Commercial, Commercial Retail, Office-Residential, Office-Commercial-Retail, Downtown Riverfront, Town Center, Town Center II, Limited Industrial Mixed Use, Heavy Industrial, Institutional, Recreation, and overlay districts.

  “Article IV R-1 Residence District [...] Article XX RC Retirement Community Overlay District”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Proposed construction or development wholly or partly in an identified floodplain area inside Norristown borough.

  • Applicant must comply with all applicable provisions of Chapter 320.
  • The cited provision was amended April 4, 2017, by Ordinance No. 17-04.

  “If any proposed construction or development is located entirely or partially within any identified floodplain area, applicants for building permits shall comply with all applicable provisions of Chapter 320.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applicants inside Norristown borough.

  • Application must be made in writing to the Building Permit Officer on Borough forms.
  • Required application information includes applicant, owner, contractor, site location, other permits, work description and estimated cost, and a site plan.
  • Work must begin within six months after issuance and be completed within the approved time unless a written extension is granted.

  construction start deadline: <= 6 months (Unless a written extension is granted by the Building Permit Officer.)

  “Application for such a building permit shall be made, in wilting, to the Building Permit Officer on forms supplied by the borough.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Norristown borough.
• Minimum dwelling size — Principal dwellings in the R-1 Residence District inside Norristown borough.
• Minimum lot size — Principal dwellings in the R-1 Residence District inside Norristown borough.
• Setbacks — Principal dwellings in the R-1 Residence District inside Norristown borough.
• Lot coverage — Principal dwellings in the R-1 Residence District inside Norristown 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 Norristown 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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