Zoning, building permits and septic rules in West Pike Run Township, Pennsylvania

West Pike Run Township’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Premises requiring a Township occupancy permit.

  • The premises must be inspected by the Zoning Officer or delegate and found compliant before the occupancy permit issues.

  “the premises have been inspected by the Zoning Officer or his delegate”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Initial occupancy of covered construction and specified changes of use or occupancy inside West Pike Run Township.

  • The ordinance lists initial occupancy of a building erected, altered, or enlarged where a building permit is required; changes in use, ownership, or occupancy of nonresidential structures; nonconforming-use changes; and land-use changes.
  • Vacant land put under cultivation is excepted.

  “An occupancy permit shall be required under the following circumstances:”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside West Pike Run Township.

  • Chapter 400 was amended in its entirety by Ordinance No. 2022-2 on December 19, 2022.

  “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of West Pike Run 11-14-1988 by Ord. No. 1988-2; amended in its entirety 12-19-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-2. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Township zoning permits inside West Pike Run Township.

  • Applications are written Township forms with information, plans, documents, and fees needed to determine compliance.
  • For new or altered structures, apply for zoning approval before a building-permit application.
  • The zoning permit is acted on within 90 days, except the subdivision or land-development timing follows MPC plan-review timing.

  zoning permit action period: <= 90 days (When the application involves subdivision or land development, the MPC plan-review period applies.)

  “A zoning permit shall be acted on within 90 days of submission”

Rules another office applies inside West Pike Run Township

West Pike Run Township 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

  R-1 Residential District inside West Pike Run Township.

  • For septic tanks or on-lot sewage treatment, the lot must meet percolation-test requirements and cannot be smaller than two acres.
  • Lots with public sewer connection have a 5,000-square-foot minimum.

  minimum lot size with septic or on-lot sewage: >= 2 acre (Must also be no less than required by percolation tests.) · minimum lot size with public sewer connection: 5000 square feet

  “The minimum lot size for lots with public sewer system connection is 5,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A Agricultural District inside West Pike Run Township.

    “in no case shall it be less than one acre.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 Residential District inside West Pike Run Township.

  maximum impervious coverage: <= 80 percent

  “Maximum lot coverage. Maximum impervious coverage: 80%.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask West Pike Run Township or Washington County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside West Pike Run Township.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside West Pike Run Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside West Pike Run Township.
• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside West Pike Run Township.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside West Pike Run 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 West Pike Run 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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