Zoning Hearing Board

Zoning Hearing Board Notices

From the PA Department of Community and Economic Development: “The zoning hearing board is a quasi-judicial body that renders decisions on specific types of land use appeals and applications. Members of the zoning hearing board are appointed by the governing body. Although the zoning hearing board functions like a court, formal court procedures are not strictly required.

The primary purpose of the zoning hearing board is to help assure fair and equitable application and administration of the zoning ordinance. The zoning hearing board hears appeals from the zoning officer’s determinations and grants relief from the literal enforcement of the zoning ordinance in certain hardship situations by means of a variance. The right to appeal for relief is an important step in ensuring that due process is followed when restricting use of private property for a predetermined public good. The zoning hearing board also hears applications for special use and challenges to the substantive validity of ordinances. The Pennsylvania Municipalities planning Code (MPC) provides a specific set of rules that must be followed for applications submitted to the zoning hearing board.

The zoning hearing board has no legislative power; it can neither make nor modify zoning policy. Neither does the zoning hearing board have enforcement powers. The zoning hearing board schedules hearings on applications and appeals that come before it, takes evidence, and issues written decisions with findings of fact and conclusions of law. A zoning hearing board must limit its scope of activities to those permitted by the MPC and by the local zoning ordinance. As such, the zoning hearing board does not have statutory powers in matters relating to the Uniform Construction Code.” 

As with the info on our Planning Commission, a more in-depth description of the ZHB can be found on the PA Dept of Community and Economic Development website at www.dced.pa.gov.

For our residents, occasionally you may receive a notice of a hearing regarding a property near you.  We are required to notify property owners within a particular radius of the applicant owner.  If you have strong feelings regarding a topic one way or another, the hearing is where you can let your voice be heard. That’s why are you notified of a hearing.  Hearing notices are also posted on our website and in two places at the Borough Office- at the entry foyer windows and on the bulletin board outside our office on the second floor.