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

Section 7-307.3B of the Harrisburg Zoning Code applies to affordable housing developments that have received a certificate of qualification under Chapter 12-101 of Title 12, Affordable Housing Certification. Its Table 2 sets a Max Impervious Lot Coverage column for three districts, alongside density bonus, minimum lot area per dwelling unit and principal building height columns.

In the RL Zoning District, the Existing row prints 50%, the Low-income (<80% MFI) row prints 65%, and the Workforce (80-120% MFI) row prints 50%. In the RM Zoning District the same three rows print 70%, 85% and 75%. In the CN Zoning District every row prints 95%. The section states that an affordable housing developer is not relieved from the § 7-307.3A development standards for minimum lot width at lot frontage, front yard setback, minimum rear yard setback and principal building width. Section 7-307.3A itself applies the standards for the specific zoning district, which the code prints as an attachment to Chapter 7-307, and whichever requirement is more restrictive applies when a lot has more than one use.

Section 7-333.2 defines the terms. Impervious coverage is the total area of all impervious surfaces on a lot, including building coverage, divided by the total lot area. An impervious surface is the area covered by roofs, concrete, asphalt, or other man-made cover with a coefficient of runoff of 0.85 or higher, and the City Engineer decides any dispute over whether an area is impervious. Building coverage is a separate measure that counts only roofed buildings and attached structures.

To qualify for Table 2, § 12-101.5 requires at least 20% of the developer's market rate dwelling units to be affordable, rented at a price that does not exceed 30% of a household's monthly income, and kept affordable for not less than 10 years. Section 7-307.2 says any request for relief from these standards requires a variance permit from the Zoning Hearing Board under Chapter 7-323.