Franklin Township, PA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

The Area and Bulk Provisions table at § 27-404 splits maximum coverage into two separate lines, Building and Lot, across the same four design categories used for setbacks: Conventional, Open Space Design, Individual Sewer, and Community Sewer. Building coverage, the footprint of structures alone, is capped at 8% for Conventional lots, rising to 15% for Open Space Design and Community Sewer lots, and reaching 20% for lots served by Individual Sewer, the loosest allowance because those lots run smaller (down to 18,000 square feet minimum).

Total lot coverage, which includes driveways, patios and other impervious surfaces along with buildings, is capped at 15% for Conventional lots, 25% for Open Space Design, 30% for Community Sewer, and 35% for Individual Sewer lots. The same table requires a minimum landscaped or open space percentage running the other direction: 20% for tracts over 15 acres under Conventional design, but 55% for both Open Space Design and Individual Sewer, and 70% for Community Sewer lots, meaning the districts that permit the highest building coverage also carry the highest mandatory open space set-aside. These coverage limits apply specifically within the AR Agricultural-Residential District, which spans most of the township's farmland, mushroom operations and horse properties.