Environmental Rules in Penn Hills, PA (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Development in Penn Hills cannot increase peak stormwater discharge rates: post-development runoff for the 1- through 100-year, 24-hour storm events must stay at or below predevelopment rates, per the Municipality's stormwater management ordinance.
Penn Hills Stormwater Rate Control Standard
Some RestrictionsCode of the Municipality of Penn Hills § 1058.16(a)(1)
Post-development discharge rates shall not exceed the predevelopment discharge rates for the one-, two-, five-, ten-, twenty-five-, fifty-, and 100-year, twenty-four-hour storm events. This is the equivalent to a 100% release rate area when compared to those rates shown in the maps contained in Appendix A (New and Existing Release Rate Management Districts).[1] This predevelopment to post-devel...
Erosion Control
Construction and other earth-disturbing work in the Municipality of Penn Hills must use erosion and sediment control best management practices throughout the project, and no regulated activity can start until the Municipality approves a stormwater management site plan.
Penn Hills Erosion and Sediment Control Rule
Some RestrictionsCode of the Municipality of Penn Hills § 1058.13(d)
For all regulated earth disturbance activities, erosion and sediment control BMPs shall be designed, implemented, operated, and maintained during the regulated earth disturbance activities (e.g., during construction) to meet the purposes and requirements of this chapter and to meet all requirements under Title 25 of the Pennsylvania Code and the Clean Streams Law.[1] Various BMPs and their desi...
Flood Zones
Penn Hills bars new construction within 50 feet of any watercourse's top-of-bank inside a mapped floodplain unless the state Department of Environmental Protection issues a permit first.
Penn Hills Floodplain Development Rules
Significant RestrictionsCode of the Municipality of Penn Hills § 1436.25(d)
Within any Identified Floodplain Area (see § 1436.21), no new construction or development shall be located within the area measured 50 feet landward from the top-of-bank of any watercourse, unless a permit is obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection Regional Office.
Flood Elevation Requirements
Penn Hills requires new or substantially improved structures in flood zones to elevate their lowest floor to the base flood elevation plus a mandatory 1.5-foot freeboard safety margin.
Penn Hills Freeboard Elevation Rule
Some RestrictionsCode of the Municipality of Penn Hills §§ 1436.26(a)(1), 1436.41
REGULATORY FLOOD ELEVATION: The base flood elevation (BFE) or estimated flood height as determined using simplified methods plus a freeboard safety factor of 1 1/2 feet. ... In AE, A1-30, and AH Zones, any new construction or substantial improvement shall have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated up to, or above, the regulatory flood elevation.
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Penn Hills city rules.
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