Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania

Lower Burrell’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction subject to the municipal building code inside Lower Burrell city limits.

  • The incorporated Uniform Construction Code is amended from time to time.

  adopted code: Uniform Construction Code, 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401 through 405 (as 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 municipal building code of the City.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Lower Burrell city limits.

  • Chapter 300 was adopted by City Council on 10-7-1985; amendments are noted where applicable.

  “[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Lower Burrell 10-7-1985 by Ord. No. 3-1985. Amendments noted where applicable.]”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Lower Burrell city limits.

  • The opened attachment identifies S-1, S-2, R-1, R-2, and R-3 in its height standards; the full district classification text was not available in the opened excerpt.

  “S-1, S-2, R-1, R-2 and R-3 Maximum Height”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Fees for City administration and enforcement of the Uniform Construction Code inside Lower Burrell city limits.

  • Fees are established by the governing body by resolution from time to time.

  “Fees assessable by the City for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this article and the code shall be established by the governing body by resolution from time to time.”

Rules another office applies inside Lower Burrell

Lower Burrell 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

  One-family development in the R-1 District inside Lower Burrell city limits.

  • WWS means with water and sewer; WE means with either water or sewer; WN means with neither water nor sewer.

  minimum lot area with water and sewer: 10000 square feet (R-1 one-family district) · minimum lot area with either water or sewer: 15000 square feet (R-1 one-family district) · minimum lot area with neither water nor sewer: 20000 square feet (R-1 one-family district)

  “Lot area per family: 10,000 square feet; 15,000 square feet where either public water or sewerage is absent; and 20,000 square feet where neither public water or sewerage are provided.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — One-family development in the S-1 District inside Lower Burrell city limits.

    “Lot area: 20,000 square feet/dwelling unit with water and sewer, and 40,000 square feet/dwelling unit without either water or sewer.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  One-family development in the S-1 District inside Lower Burrell city limits.

  • For a side yard abutting a street, the schedule requires not less than the front-yard depth required on the adjoining lot on that street; if not abutting a street, the minimum is 16 feet in S-1.

  front yard: 40 feet (S-1 one-family district) · side yard: 16 feet (each side; S-1 one-family district) · rear yard: 40 feet (S-1 one-family district)

  “Front yard width: 40 feet. [...] Interior lots: 16 feet on each side. [...] Rear yard depth: 40 feet.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Lower Burrell or Westmoreland County directly.

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Lower Burrell city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Lower Burrell city limits.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Lower Burrell city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of structures inside Lower Burrell city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — One-family dwellings inside Lower Burrell city limits.

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 Lower Burrell 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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