Lower Paxton, PA HOA Rules: Architectural Review (2026)

Architectural review in Lower Paxton Township is not a general homeowners association program. It is a requirement of the Traditional Neighborhood Development Overlay District (TND) in Lower Paxton Township Code § 203-405.D(13). The stated intent is unified and consistent architectural styles while avoiding monotony. The applicant establishes legally enforceable provisions controlling the styles of architecture, rooflines, porches and the general types of exterior materials, modeled on the traditional architecture of Pennsylvania boroughs and villages, unless the applicant proves to the Board of Supervisors that a more-contemporary design is appropriate.

The approval path has three steps. The provisions must be approved and sealed by a registered architect. The substance of the draft goes to the Township in writing at the time of preliminary subdivision submission. The Board of Supervisors then approves the provisions as a condition of final subdivision and land development approval. Any later substantive change needs approval by resolution of the Board of Supervisors, so a developer or association cannot rewrite the standards on its own.

The code also sets the content the provisions must cover. They must not require excessive uniformity or restrict buyers to a single design, and they must limit monotony and excessive modernity. They must promote front or side porches, minimize the visual impact of garage doors, address front door locations, and require decorative masonry or a closely similar material on specified minimum percentages of front facades. A maximum of 40% of the dwelling units can have a front facade composed primarily of vinyl siding. Buildings of over 150 feet in length must look like smaller connected buildings, and the provisions must also cover fence materials visible from a street.

Enforcement is split. The Township can require that some or all of the provisions be recorded or placed in a development agreement. It keeps the authority to ensure a system stays in place to enforce them, but it accepts no responsibility to directly enforce private deed restrictions on individual properties. In practice the day-to-day review of a homeowner's exterior change belongs to whatever private enforcement system the developer set up.