STROUD TOWNSHIP, PA

PA State Building Codes are separate and different than Zoning and require separate and different permits.  Information on Codes is found at: www.township.stroud.pa.us/codes.htm) and in the Township office.

Zoning Regulations and Permits

   The Stroud Township Zoning office hours are 12 noon to 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday.  Please call with your questions or stop in during these hours.  Appointments can be made for other times by calling during office hours. The hours are limited to give the Zoning Officer time to complete permits.  Zoning Applications, Questions, Permits, and Variance matters for Residential properties are now submitted to H.M. Beers, Inc.  Commercial zoning matters should be directed to John DeCusatis. These offices are in the Township Municipal building at 1211 North Fifth Street, Stroud Township (mailing address Stroudsburg, PA 18360). Phone number 570-421-3362.

Zoning - Zoning Permits are required prior to construction of the following (but not limited to):
fences and retaining walls, garages, swimming pools (above and in-ground), storage sheds, decks, patio rooms, porches, any buildings or additions, and, alterations to existing structures affecting the footprint of the building or usage of the space. 
      A change of use for a property, putting up a banner or sign, having a flea market, erecting a tent for a sale and starting a home business also require a Zoning Application. 
      A  form called a Driveway permit application is required for putting in a driveway or to change a driveway location if it is accessed from a township road.  It is not on-line as there are carbon copies.
     A Sewage Application is needed for any new septic system or for repairs to an existing system. See section below on Sewage Inspectors.  It is not on-line as there are carbon copies.
      Permit applications must be filled out, signed by the property owner, and submitted with a plot plan showing the exact location of the new construction, information on what is being built, and fees for the application.  A list of the required plot plan information is on-line as well as the Zoning Permit Application page 1, page 2 (which shows other required documentation) and page 3 insurance information.  
     Completed applications are then reviewed to see if they are in compliance with our township ordinances and have all the information needed submitted.  If your application does not have all the required documentation, it will hold up the processing of your application while we wait for you to submit it.    NO work can be done until a Zoning Permit is issued.   In most instances, the foundation of the new structure must be inspected by the Zoning Officer to see if it is where the plot plan shows it will be and meets the setbacks BEFORE any additional work can proceed. Your Zoning Permit will show whether you need an As-Built survey.   When the project is complete and before it can be inhabited or used, an inspection by the Zoning Officer is required for an Occupancy Permit.   
      The Zoning Office now has set hours for receiving telephone inquiries and drop-in appointments.  Please review the new Zoning Office Policies.
      There are also specific permit applications required for yard sales and for soliciting, peddling, and hawking which you can pick up at our office.

Zoning related fees are found at: www.township.stroud.pa.us/feesord.htm

Zoning Ordinance Enforcement - Carol Nauman has been hired for pursuing violations involving junk and unregistered vehicles.   Planning Administrator and Zoning Officer John DeCusatis is charged with enforcing the Zoning Ordinance on residential, commercial, and other non-residential properties.
     Regulations are available at the Township Office during office hours. Feel free to call the zoning officer for questions and complaints: 570-421-3362.   E-mail  questions and comments to John DeCusatis at stroudpa@ptd.net and report violations, complaints related questions to Carol Nauman at stroudcn@ptd.net.

IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS AND INSPECTIONS, STATE BUILDING CODES APPLICATIONS AND INSPECTIONS ARE ALSO REQUIRED!   PA State Building Codes are in effect.  You will need to have additional forms which are not on-line, as well as pay additional fees and have additional inspections to meet the new code. Building code requirements and inspections are serviced by the Building Code Inspector, not the Zoning Officer!   Please stop in to pick up your Building Codes Application packets.
Building Code Inspectors are Kathryn Forry, Mike Smolenski, and Rick Renninger at 570-234-0621.

     PA State Building Code information is on-line at www.township.stroud.pa.us/codes.htm .  The inspectors are employees of BIU Inspection Agency, which has been subcontracted by Stroud Township to implement the new Code. Their office is in the Stroud Township building at 1211 North Fifth Street.  Building Codes office hours are 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m..   Anyone who requires an appointment for a different time must call between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to schedule the appointment.   Telephone calls will be accepted between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m..  Afternoon availability for telephone calls is limited and varies daily.  Construction inspections require 24 hour notice.  Plans and completed applications can be submitted through the reception desk at any time during Stroud Township office hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Sewage Enforcement Officer - H. M. Beers, Inc. must be contacted for applications for new on-lot septic systems as well as malfunctions or repairs of existing systems.  Fees for inspections, percolations and other related septic permit fees are found at www.township.stroud.pa.us/feesord.htm    The Sewage enfocement office is open 12 noon to 5 p.m.Monday and Wednesdays   Messages may be left at 570-421-3362, or at 570-476-8004.  E-mail to stroudhb@ptd.net or fbseo@ptd.net  or fax them at 570-476-8005. 
       In order to process your sewage permit application, we require the following items: A completed and signed Sewage Permit Application, three copies of your On-Lot Sewage System design, and all permit applications, testing, and inspection fees paid in full. Checks are made payable to Stroud Township. 
      The SEO's are not involved with septic issues for properties connected to the public utility, Stroud Township Sewer Authority. Please contact the STSA office at 570-421-5043.

    Tips for how to properly maintain a septic system are found at www.township.stroud.pa.us/tips.htm  

Zoning Permit - Please note that building codes are ALSO now in effect and additional forms, fees and inspections will be required.

Political Signs Permit

Home Occupation Regulations

Zoning Hearing Board
     The Zoning Hearing Board is comprised of three volunteer residents, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, whose primary purpose is to assure the fair and equitable application and administration of the Zoning Ordinance by hearing appeals on the Zoning Officer's decisions and by granting relief from the literal interpretation of the ordinance in certain hardship situations which require a Variance or Special Exception.  There are two Alternate members who are available if needed. The Board has no legislative power; it can neither make nor modify zoning policy, but can grant exceptions in certain specific cases.

     A copy of the Zoning Ordinance may be reviewed or purchased at the Municipal Center.

     Current members are: Ted Butz (Chair),   Rose Schwedler (Vice-Chair), and Robert Yarnall (member).  Gail Dunkelberger and Christine Scrofano, and Keith Drozal are Alternate Members.  Solicitor is David Williamson.  Alternate Solicitor is Joseph McDonald, Esq.

     Meetings are usually held the first Wednesday of each month, as needed, at 7:00 PM at the Township Municipal Center. A second meeting for the following evening is sometimes scheduled to accomodate any hearings that have not been heard due to lack of time. 

Special Exceptions and Variances
      What do you do when you want to use land in a zoning district that generally does not allow that use? You need to make an application to the Zoning Hearing Board for an Exception or Conditional Use, or a Variance.
      Each township or municipality has the right to determine the types of zoning within its boundaries, so each zoning district does not have the same restrictions and allowances. What is the same across our state is the property owner’s right to appeal to allow the owner’s intended use/design in an area not allowing it, and the guidelines for determining if the appeal should be granted under the Municipalities Planning Code.
      All zoning ordinances contain provisions for basic uses which are permitted by right. A Special Exception is needed when the use of a property is other than what is authorized in the Zoning Ordinance.
     A Variance is a means of solving problems created by applying the terms of the Zoning Ordinance to a property in which the use would normally be permitted but has problems meeting a provision such as setbacks or height regulations.
     To make an application for a Variance, Special Exception or Appeal, you will need to submit an Application to the Zoning Hearing Board along with recommended plot plan requirements. Special Exceptions also involve going before the Planning Commission.  Contact Helen Beers  (H.M. Beers, Inc.) at 421-3362 for questions related to Special Exceptions and submission requirements.
     It is up to the property owner to prove that a hardship will be created by following the Zoning Ordinance provisions.   The state criteria as to what constitutes a hardship  must be met before the Zoning Hearing Board can grant a Variance or Special Exception.

     Special Exceptions and Conditional Uses are two special approvals required for certain uses in Stroud Township.   Requests for Special Exceptions are heard by the Zoning Hearing Board while requests for Conditional Uses are heard by the Board of Supervisors.   In either case, the approving body makes a decision after review and comment by the Planning Commission.

       Approval is based on a review of the proposed project against standards set in the Zoning Ordinance.  If the project complies with the standards set forth for the Special Exception or Conditional Use and if the project complies with the general standards for all uses and any specific standards for the proposed use, then the Board may grant the approval.  The Board also has the right to attach reasonable conditions to the approval to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the community.

       Special Exceptions and Conditional Uses are required for certain uses that the Zoning Ordinance envisions being located in a particular zoning district but which require additional, site specific, review to ensure there is no adverse impact to the public health, safety, and welfare of the surrounding neighborhood or to the community in general.  Sometimes uses may be permitted outright in one zoning district but may be a Special Exception or a conditional use in another zoning district.  For example, a museum in the general commercial district requires only a zoning permit from the zoning officer.  A museum in the limited commercial district requires a Special Exception and a museum in the Special and Recreational District requires a Conditional Use.  In all other district, museums are prohibited.  A rule of thumb for determining if a use should be a Special Exception or a Conditional Use is Special Exceptions generally have an impact over the neighborhood in which it is located while conditional uses affect the Township as a whole.

       Examples of Special Exceptions in Stroud Township include multi-family dwellings, bed and breakfasts, cemeteries, auto repair facilities, nursing and personal care homes, public schools, and churches.   Examples of Conditional Uses in Stroud Township include mobile home parks, mining, certain manufacturing uses, railroad stations, park and ride lots, junk yards, hotels, campgrounds, off-track betting establishments, and most retail facilities generating more than 1,000 traffic trips per day.

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Last updated April 8, 2011