Bristol, PA Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Bristol Borough Code § 27-803 names the Zoning Officer as the person who administers and enforces the zoning chapter. The Zoning Officer is appointed by Borough Council, cannot hold any elective office, and serves until Borough Council declares otherwise. Among the listed duties in Subsection 2A is to receive complaints of violation of this chapter, so a resident who sees an unpermitted use, a structure, a sign or parking that breaks Chapter 27 reports it to that office. The section prints no complaint form, hotline or website, so the report goes to the Zoning Officer at the Borough.

After a complaint, the Zoning Officer issues a written notice of violation to any person violating any provision of the chapter and keeps records of complaints received, inspections made, reports rendered, and notices or orders issued. The Zoning Officer cannot permit any construction, use or change of use which does not conform to the chapter. The same officer is authorized to institute civil enforcement proceedings under §§ 27-811 and 27-812.

The formal enforcement notice under § 27-811 is sent to the owner of record of the parcel and to any person who has filed a written request to receive enforcement notices regarding that parcel. It must state the name of the owner of record, the location of the property in violation, the specific violation with the requirements not met and the provisions of Chapter 27 cited, the date before which compliance steps must start and the date before which they must be finished, and the right to appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board. In an appeal of an enforcement notice, the Borough presents its evidence first, and any filing fee is returned to the appellant if the Zoning Hearing Board or a court rules in the appellant's favor.

This row covers zoning. Other Bristol Borough chapters, such as animals, property maintenance and fire prevention, name their own enforcing officers.