Building and Zoning Permits

Zoning Officer
The primary means of managing land use activities is municipal zoning. The public involvement in private land use and business activities begins with an application to the municipal zoning office for a permit. In Walker Township there are generally two types of permits: (1) a permit approving start of construction and (2) a use permit, which acknowledges that under the municipal zoning ordinance that the use or activity is a permitted activity on the property.

The Township uses zoning permits as a method of policing and enforcing the Township land use regulations. Since not all land use applications involve construction, use permits can take two forms: (1) authorize or legalize use of the property, and (2) use occupancy permit after construction is completed as a means of insuring that the construction and the occupying use conforms to the application as filed and that all municipal requirements are met.

The Township Zoning Ordinance is enforced by the Township Zoning Officer. If the applicant’s (a developer or builder) project specifications meet the requirements of the zoning ordinance, as the zoning officer understands them, the application is normally approved. If the zoning provisions are not met, the application is denied. A zoning officer is not vested with a wide range of discretionary power to waive requirements or to tighten the ordinance to protect some perceived public need. The PA Municipalities Planning Code, Section 614 states that “The zoning officer shall administer the zoning ordinance in accordance with its literal terms, and shall not have the power to permit any construction or any use or change of use which does not conform to the zoning ordinance.” If the applicant or a concerned property owner disagrees with the zoning officer’s determination, the remedy exists to appeal the determination to the Township’s Zoning Hearing Board. The Township Zoning Officer oversees and administers and makes determinations on all zoning permits on behalf of Walker Township.

The Walker Township Zoning Officer is:

The Building Permit Officer is responsible for processing building permit applications. In doing so, the officer ensures that any all preliminary permits and applications needed to award a Building Permit have been awarded and is responsible for examining construction plans and building sites and existing structures with regards to these applications and making necessary inspections to ensure that construction is completed in compliance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction

Code (UCC) and any special provisions the Township may enact by ordinance in addition to the UCC. The Building Permit Officer, when requested by proper authority, or when public interest requires, is also responsible for investigations in connection matters referred to in the building code and report on these investigations. In the course of these duties, the building officer may issue notices or orders as necessary to ensure removal of illegal or unsafe conditions and secure needed safeguards during construction.

The Walker Township Building Permit Officer is: