Hi all,
I'm a newbie. I've got only an avocational code interpretation background, but I'm learning a lot in our present endeavor.
My wife and I are planning to build our own home in Pennsylvania to be closer to her family in NJ. Wisconsin is just too far away. We are planning a home in an area zoned "Land Conservation" in a rural county, which seemed to provide the most flexibility for what we wanted to do.
The county zoning official says that I can't put up and use ANY structure prior to a certificate of occupancy on the primary dwelling unit. No storage building. No chicken coop for our chickens. No place to lock up a skid-steer or tractor. He said the restriction was an underlying condition in the zoning category, but I can't find it anywhere in the zoning ordinance.
Ironically, if it weren't for pesky deed restrictions, neither the county zoning nor township ordinances preclude living in a tent after getting a permit for a portable toilet, and the sewage officer is happy to issue such a permit. Deed restrictions also prohibit mobile homes.
This puts a real dent in our plans, to the point where my wife is looking to relocate to another county? state? without such restrictions. It looks like we would have to rent a dwelling and storage unit in town. It also makes it difficult to source recycled building materials, which is one of our goals.
By the way, we haven't committed legally to buying any parcel, although we do have a verbal offer in on one that we really like. We haven't found another suitable property without deed restrictions against mobile homes or with a dwelling we can occupy.
My questions:
Dave
I'm a newbie. I've got only an avocational code interpretation background, but I'm learning a lot in our present endeavor.
My wife and I are planning to build our own home in Pennsylvania to be closer to her family in NJ. Wisconsin is just too far away. We are planning a home in an area zoned "Land Conservation" in a rural county, which seemed to provide the most flexibility for what we wanted to do.
The county zoning official says that I can't put up and use ANY structure prior to a certificate of occupancy on the primary dwelling unit. No storage building. No chicken coop for our chickens. No place to lock up a skid-steer or tractor. He said the restriction was an underlying condition in the zoning category, but I can't find it anywhere in the zoning ordinance.
Ironically, if it weren't for pesky deed restrictions, neither the county zoning nor township ordinances preclude living in a tent after getting a permit for a portable toilet, and the sewage officer is happy to issue such a permit. Deed restrictions also prohibit mobile homes.
This puts a real dent in our plans, to the point where my wife is looking to relocate to another county? state? without such restrictions. It looks like we would have to rent a dwelling and storage unit in town. It also makes it difficult to source recycled building materials, which is one of our goals.
By the way, we haven't committed legally to buying any parcel, although we do have a verbal offer in on one that we really like. We haven't found another suitable property without deed restrictions against mobile homes or with a dwelling we can occupy.
My questions:
- How pervasive is this requirement, in Pennsylvania, elsewhere?
- Where is it found in code/ordinance/regulations?
- Do I have a snowball's chance in {climate change} to get a variance around this?
- Any suggestions on how we can transition to this area more easily?
Dave