Bolthole Index

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

The Borough of West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania has adopted the Uniform Construction Code as its own building code1, and the borough's Zoning Officer administers zoning permits under its own zoning chapter2. Septic permits for on-lot systems in Montgomery County come from the county Office of Public Health3; whether any lot inside the borough is on-lot is something we could not confirm.

At a glance

Building code
Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, adopted by the borough1
Zoning
Borough zoning districts under the borough's zoning chapter4
R-1 and R-2 setbacks
Front 25 feet, side 15 feet, rear 25 feet for a single-family detached house (R-2)5
Building height
35 feet in R-2; accessory buildings 14 feet6
Residential permit fee
$0.20 per gross square foot for a new one- or two-family dwelling7
Septic
Montgomery County Office of Public Health issues on-lot sewage permits3

Who to call

Zoning

West Conshohocken Borough Zoning Officer

Zoning permits and inspection of permitted work for conformity with the borough zoning chapter

Septic permits

Montgomery County Office of Public Health (OPH)

On-lot sewage permits and individual water-supply well permits for Montgomery County

610-278-5117

publichealth@montgomerycountypa.gov

1430 DeKalb Street, PO Box 311, Norristown, PA, 19404-0311

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

Off-grid gear

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

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Does West Conshohocken, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Borough of West Conshohocken divides all land inside the borough into zoning districts shown on a map that is part of its zoning chapter4. Montgomery County does not run one zoning code; its municipalities make land-use and zoning decisions individually8.

Rules differ by district. In the R-2 Residential District, a single-family detached house needs 7,500 square feet of lot area9, with setbacks of 25 feet in front, 15 feet at the side and 25 feet at the rear5, and building coverage is capped at 40%10. In the R-1 district the same house has the same 25-, 15- and 25-foot setbacks11, with building coverage capped at 35%12. Buildings in R-1 may not exceed 35 feet, and accessory buildings may not exceed 14 feet13. RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings and minimum house size are not something we could confirm; ask the Zoning Officer before you buy.

Do you need a building permit in West Conshohocken, and who issues it?

Yes. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires a building permit before construction starts14, and the borough has adopted that code as its own building code for work inside West Conshohocken1. Zoning permits are separate: the borough's Zoning Officer must note on a permit that the work was inspected and conforms to the zoning chapter before the permit is complete2.

For a new one- or two-family dwelling, the borough's fee schedule lists a residential building permit fee of $0.20 per gross square foot7. Anywhere in the borough, including mapped floodplain areas, construction or development needs a permit from the Building Code Official15. We could not confirm when a certificate of occupancy is required or whether the borough has an owner-builder exemption, so ask the borough before assuming either.

How do septic permits work in West Conshohocken?

On-lot sewage permits in Montgomery County are issued by the county Office of Public Health, not the borough3. The process starts with soil probes and percolation tests, then a design and application if the site is suitable, and finally an inspection by a Sewage Enforcement Officer16.

We could not confirm whether the borough's own sewage chapter requires connection to public sewer for new homes, or who administers on-lot systems inside borough limits. Ask the Zoning Officer and the Office of Public Health before you rely on a septic system on a borough lot. Drinking-water, irrigation and geothermal wells anywhere in Montgomery County need an Office of Public Health permit before installation17.

Building a home in West Conshohocken: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot's zoning district with the borough and check lot area, setbacks, coverage and height for that district4.
  2. If you are dividing land, expect borough subdivision and land development review under its Chapter 10218; the county Planning Commission reviews proposals first, but its review is advisory19.
  3. Ask about sewer and, if the lot is not on public sewer, start the county on-lot sewage process16.
  4. Apply for the UCC building permit and the zoning permit1.
  5. If the property needs access to a state highway, a highway occupancy permit is required before driveway access is allowed20.
  6. Pass inspections; a certificate of occupancy must be issued before a building can be used21.

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

The county handles septic and well permits317. Everything else on this page, zoning and building permits, is set by the borough1.

For land outside the borough, see the Montgomery County page. County-wide figures there are county-level: Montgomery County's effective property tax rate is 1.4%22, and the typical home value is $504,17923. This is a dense, developed area: about 1,799 people per square mile in the county24, so expect a small-lot, built-out setting rather than rural acreage.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm whether the borough regulates RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwelling units or short-term rentals; ask the Zoning Officer in writing before you buy, since Montgomery County municipalities set zoning individually8.
  • Borough rules differ by district, so check which district your lot is in before relying on the residential district numbers here5.
  • Pennsylvania's septic-permit exemption for a tract of 10 or more acres is unlikely to matter inside a borough, and local agencies can still apply their own rules25.

Sources

  1. Chapter 42 Construction Codes, Uniform — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  2. Article XVI Administration — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  3. On-Lot Sewage Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  4. Article III Establishment of Districts; Map; Boundaries — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  5. Article VI R-2 Residential District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  6. Article VI R-2 Residential District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  7. Chapter A114 Fees — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  8. Homes For All, quoted and re-checked
  9. Article VI R-2 Residential District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  10. Article VI R-2 Residential District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  11. Article V R-1 Residential District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  12. Article V R-1 Residential District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  13. Article V R-1 Residential District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  14. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  15. Article XIV FP Floodplain Conservation District — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  16. On-Lot Sewage Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  17. Individual Water Supply Well Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  18. Chapter 102 Subdivision and Land Development — Borough of West Conshohocken, PA (Borough of West Conshohocken), quoted and re-checked
  19. Subdivision & Land Development Reviews, quoted and re-checked
  20. pa.gov, quoted and re-checked
  21. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  24. Population density: Bolthole Index county data
  25. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

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.

Answers from the rulebook for Borough of West Conshohocken

Borough of West Conshohocken’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Building work inside West Conshohocken borough.

    • The adopted UCC and incorporated standards are amended from time to time.
    “The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Building Code of the Borough.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Work authorized by a zoning permit inside West Conshohocken borough.

    • The permit is not complete or permanently effective until inspection and approval for conformity with Chapter 113.
    “No permit shall be considered as complete or as permanently effective until the Zoning Officer has noted on the permit that the work has been inspected and approved as being in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    All land inside West Conshohocken borough.

    • The district map is incorporated by reference into Chapter 113.
    “For the purposes of this chapter, West Conshohocken Borough is hereby divided into classes of districts, which shall be designated as follows:”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land development inside West Conshohocken borough.

    • Chapter 102 includes plan-submission requirements and processing procedures.
    “Article III Plan Submission Requirements and Processing Procedures”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Construction or development anywhere inside West Conshohocken borough, including identified floodplain areas.

    • A permit from the Building Code Official is required before construction or development.
    “Applicability. It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, business or corporation to undertake, or cause to be undertaken, any construction or development anywhere within the Borough unless a permit has been obtained from the Building Code Official.”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Residential building permits inside West Conshohocken borough.

    • The stated rate is for new one- and two-family dwelling construction.

    new one- and two-family dwelling permit fee: per 0.2 USD per gross square foot

    “Building - residential permit | New construction: one- and two-family dwelling | $0.20 per gross square foot”

Rules another office applies inside Borough of West Conshohocken

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

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the borough's R-2 Residential District.

    • A qualifying lot held in single and separate ownership as of August 12, 1987 may be built on at 5,000 square feet and 50-foot width when authorized as a special exception.

    minimum lot area: 7500 square feet (Single-family detached dwelling)

    “Lot area (minimum) | 7,500 square feet | 3,750* square feet | 3,750* square feet”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the borough's R-1 Residential District.

    front yard setback: 25 feet (Single-family detached dwelling) · side yard setback: 15 feet (Single-family detached dwelling) · rear yard setback: 25 feet (Single-family detached dwelling)

    “Front yard setback | 25 feet | 25 feet | 25 feet | Side yard setback | 15 feet | 15* feet | 15 feet | Rear yard setback | 25 feet | 25 feet | 25 feet”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the borough's R-1 Residential District.

    maximum building coverage: 35 percent (Single-family detached dwelling)

    “Building coverage | 35% | 40% | 35% | Impervious coverage | 55% | 60% | 55%”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Building heightSpecified

    Buildings in the borough's R-1 Residential District.

    • Accessory building structures may not exceed 14 feet.

    maximum building height: <= 35 feet (Accessory building structures are limited to 14 feet)

    “Height. No building hereinafter erected in the R-1 Residential District shall exceed a height of 35 feet except accessory building structures which shall not exceed a height of 14 feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside West Conshohocken borough.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside West Conshohocken borough.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside West Conshohocken borough.
  • Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside West Conshohocken borough.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside West Conshohocken borough.
12 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Borough of West Conshohocken publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Montgomery County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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