Montgomery County establishes no setback rules. Minimum front, side, and rear yard distances are set by each of the county's 62 boroughs and townships under the PA Municipalities Planning Code, and vary by zoning district.
Pennsylvania counties do not do land-use zoning, so Montgomery County has no setback ordinance. Setback (yard) requirements come from your borough or township zoning code, adopted under the PA Municipalities Planning Code. The MPC expressly authorizes each municipality to regulate the areas, courts, yards, and other open spaces and distances to be left unoccupied by uses and structures. Each municipality assigns different minimum front, side, and rear yards to each zoning district (for example, a larger-lot R-1 district has deeper setbacks than a townhouse district). To find the exact setbacks for your lot, look up your parcel's zoning district in your municipality's code or ask the township zoning officer.
Building inside a required yard without a variance is a municipal zoning violation, enforced with a stop-work order, denial of a certificate of occupancy, daily fines, and possible required removal.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County has no separate hoarding ordinance, but Pennsylvania's animal-cruelty statutes cover neglect and hoarding conditions statewide. Cases are i...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County has no general wildlife-feeding ordinance, but Pennsylvania bans feeding deer, bears and elk statewide. The PA Game Commission prohibits in...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County does not ban backyard composting; home composting is allowed. The county administers a Solid Waste Management Plan and mandatory municipal ...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County has no ordinance addressing artificial turf. There is no county ban and no county permit. Whether synthetic turf is allowed, and any imperv...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County does not require or forbid native landscaping. There is no lawn mandate. The county and its municipalities encourage native, pollinator-fri...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County has no ordinance restricting rainwater collection, and Pennsylvania does not limit rain barrels. Capturing rain for outdoor irrigation is a...
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