Upper Darby, PA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Section 550-10 sets the bulk standards that apply to "every building or structure hereinafter erected, altered or used" in the R-C, R-C-1, R-1, and R-2 Zoning Districts, and Table 4-1 fixes the maximum building height at 35 feet across all four districts. The same table pairs that height cap with district-specific lot, frontage and yard rules: R-C lots need 15,000 to 20,000 square feet depending on sewer service, while R-2 lots need only 5,000 square feet, yet the height limit does not scale with lot size.

Construction that exceeds 35 feet in these districts needs relief from the Zoning Hearing Board rather than a staff sign-off. Under § 550-53A, the Zoning Officer, appointed by the Township, administers the chapter and must issue or deny a zoning use permit within 30 days of a complete application under § 550-53C; permits for anything that departs from the Table 4-1 standards, including a height variance, can only be issued on order of the Zoning Hearing Board under Article XII (§ 550-54). A zoning use permit is required under § 550-53B before any building may be erected or structurally altered, and it lapses if construction is not substantially commenced within 180 days of issuance under § 550-53D.

Multifamily buildings in the R-4 District are governed by a separate 65-foot cap under Table 4-3B, so the 35-foot figure applies only to the single-family detached districts covered here.