? about building a house in PA (Penn: new house, construction, contractor)

[bcbzkml]

What are the regulations in PA on an individual acting as the contractor in the construction of their house?

If we do decide to build, what advice do you have?
Someone had mentioned the water quality in another thread, but I don't think I understand fully what the issues are for the state concerning water.

[ki0eh]

PA has a statewide building code but it is administered locally.

Run, don't walk, to talk to your local municipality's building codes official. Call the local municipal secretary to find out who that is.

Water - If there is a public water system, the local municipality may or may not have a mandatory connection ordinance. If there is no public water system, PA does not have statewide standards for private water wells. However a local municipality or county may have standards.

Sewage - If there is a public sewer system, the local municipality almost always has a mandatory connection ordinance, costs for the tapping fee and user rates vary widely. If there is no public sewer system PA does have statewide standards for on-side septic systems but they are administered locally by the local municipality's Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO). However if you are building a new property where one wasn't before, and even sometimes where one was, you also need "sewage planning approval" which is another whole layer of arcana.

Again your first call should be to the local municipal office to find out who your local building official is and work through them. There are over 2,500 independent municipalities (boroughs, townships, cities) in PA. A smaller municipality probably does not have a website or a full time staffed office. In some smaller townships and boroughs the office may be open one day a week, or sometimes even not at all except for the monthly board or council meeting. But even if the office is minimal to nonexistent the township or borough officials have very wide powers. Go through them first.

[PAhippo]

pennDOT is also starting to regulate where you can put drive-ways. With all the curves in the rds, there's too many hidden drives (meaning you could get hit just pulling out onto the road). They won't make owners change the existing ones but they are preventing more.

[bcbzkml]

Thank you both for the advice.

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

pennDOT is also starting to regulate where you can put drive-ways. With all the curves in the rds, there's too many hidden drives (meaning you could get hit just pulling out onto the road). They won't make owners change the existing ones but they are preventing more.

That is a good point, some townships are doing that too. Note that PENNDOT also maintains what in other states would be county roads. Some state maintained roads aren't even paved.

On many projects the "highway occupancy permit" is the toughest to get. We put a bridge in at our camp and it cost us more and took longer to move the driveway 50' on the HOP (in a direction where it was universally acknowledged that sight distance was improved) than for the bridge permit from DEP over the perennial stream.

[jeepejeep]

Someone told me recently that in order to build a new house in PA you have to install a sprinkler system for fire? Is this true?

[PAhippo]

that may be a local law/building code some places. Not statewide.

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by jeepejeep

Someone told me recently that in order to build a new house in PA you have to install a sprinkler system for fire? Is this true?

That was briefly a part of the statewide building code in 2011. Gov Corbett's first signature of a bill into law changed that. Corbett signs sprinkler bill - witf.org

[jeepejeep]

Thank you, that seemed a but ridiculous to me .

[PAhippo]

didn't know that, kiOeh. Good thing I didn't build during that time. lol