Lower Paxton, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Lower Paxton Township treats a home occupation as a permitted special exception, heard by the Zoning Hearing Board under § 203-700, and § 203-617(A) then lists what does not qualify. Paragraph (14) says the listed uses "shall not be considered home occupations and shall be restricted to the zoning districts in which they are specifically authorized as permitted uses or uses by special exception." Item (j) names vehicle or equipment rental, repair, or sales, and item (k) names vehicle repair garages, as defined by the chapter. The chapter defines a vehicle repair garage as any building, premises, and land where a business, service, or industry performs maintenance, servicing, repair, or painting of vehicles weighing less than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating. A paid repair operation in a driveway or home garage in Lower Paxton Township therefore falls outside the home occupation category.

Even a lawful home occupation faces vehicle limits. Paragraph (13) permits one work vehicle on the premises, and paragraph (12) bars the use of commercial vehicles for regular delivery of materials to or from the premises and bars parking commercial vehicles there. Separately, § 203-516 prohibits storing trucks in excess of one ton capacity, vehicles bearing commercial advertisement, and similar commercial equipment outside an enclosed building, and bars parking them overnight on any lot in a district where residential uses are permitted. It also bars commercial vehicles from Township streets and from front, side, or rear yards, with an exception for temporary loading, unloading, or rendering service to a residential property.

A genuine repair shop must meet § 203-740 in a district that allows it. It must stay at least 100 feet from any lot line adjoining a residential use or residential zoning district, provide a bufferyard along those lot lines, and perform all repair work inside an enclosed building with adequate ventilation and fire protection. Parts and dismantled vehicles cannot be stored outside an enclosed building, towed vehicles must be stored on the premises, and no vehicle can be stored or dismantled on a public street. The Towne Centre District also lists automobile or other vehicle sales, service, or repair establishments as prohibited uses.