Land-use zoning in York County is done by boroughs, cities, and townships under Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code, not the county. State law requires every zoning ordinance to permit no-impact home-based businesses by right in all residential zones.
York County does not zone property; municipalities do, under the PA Municipalities Planning Code (MPC, Act 247 of 1968). Your borough or township ordinance defines whether a home occupation is permitted, and any conditions like customer visits, employees, or floor area. State law guarantees a baseline: a "no-impact home-based business" must be allowed by right in every residential zone, so long as it stays inside the dwelling, uses no more than 25% of habitable floor area, employs only resident family members, and creates no outside appearance of business use.
Zoning violations are enforced by the municipal zoning officer; penalties are set by local ordinance, commonly up to $500 per day of continuing violation after notice.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
York County, PA
The York County Solid Waste Authority actively encourages backyard composting and mulch-mowing and runs a county yard-waste drop-off at the Resource Recovery...
York County, PA
York County has no rule on artificial turf. Whether synthetic grass is allowed, and any permit or stormwater requirement, is decided by your borough, city, o...
York County, PA
York County does not require or ban native-plant landscaping. Native meadows and pollinator gardens are legal and encouraged, but any 'natural landscaping' e...
York County, PA
Pennsylvania places no restriction on collecting rainwater, and York County does not ban it. Rain barrels and cisterns for garden use are legal statewide; la...
York County, PA
York County imposes no countywide lawn-watering restriction. Limits, if any, are set by your water supplier (such as the York Water Company) or your municipa...
York County, PA
York County has no countywide weed ordinance. Noxious weeds and overgrown vegetation are declared a nuisance and abated by your borough, the City of York, or...
See how York County's zoning restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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