MapLink™ | Land Uses

Accessory uses
A. A use conducted on the same lot as a principal use to which it is related, and located either within the same structure or in an accessory structure or as an accessory use of land, except that off-street parking may be located on a contiguous lot.
B. A use which is clearly incidental to and customarily found in connection with a particular principal use.
Adult arcade Any place to which the public is permitted or invited wherein coin-operated, slug-operated or for any form of consideration, or electronically or mechanically controlled still or motion-picture machines, projectors, video or laser disc players or other image-producing devices are maintained to show images to five or fewer persons per machine at any one time, and where the images so displayed are distinguished or characterized by the depicting or describing of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas as defined in this chapter.
Adult book store, novelty store, and video store
A. A commercial establishment which, as one of its principal purposes, offers for sale or rental for any form of consideration any one or more of the following:
(1) Books, magazines, periodicals or other printed matter, or photographs, films, motion pictures, videocassettes or video reproductions, slides, or other visual representations which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas as defined in this chapter; or
(2) Instruments, devices or paraphernalia which are designed for use in connection with specified sexual activities as defined in this chapter.
B. A commercial establishment may have other principal business purposes that do not involve the offering for sale or rental of material depicting or describing specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas and still be categorized as an adult bookstore, adult novelty store or adult video store. Such other business purposes will not serve to exempt such commercial establishments from being categorized as an adult bookstore, adult novelty store or adult video store so long as one of its business purposes is the offering for sale or rental for consideration the specified materials which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas as defined in this chapter.
Adult cabaret A nightclub, bar, restaurant or similar commercial establishment which features:
A. Persons who appear in a state of nudity or seminudity;
B. Live performances which are characterized by the exposure of specified anatomical areas or by specified sexual activities; or
C. Films, motion pictures, videocassettes, slides or other photographic reproductions which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
Adult day-care center A facility which provides supervision and/or instruction for adults who are not all related to the caregiver or operator, on a daily basis where tuition, fees or other forms of compensation are charged, whether governmentally subsidized and/or licensed or not and whether operated for profit or not for profit.
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Adult education center A facility in which adults meet in classes for the purpose of receiving instruction related to particular subjects.
Adult motion-picture theater A commercial establishment where, for any form of consideration, films, motion pictures, videocassettes, slides or similar photographic reproductions are regularly shown which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
Adult theater A theater, concert hall, auditorium or similar commercial establishment which regularly features persons who appear in a state of nudity or seminudity, or live performances which are characterized by the exposure of specified anatomical areas or by specified sexual activities.
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Agriculture An enterprise that is actively engaged in the commercial production and preparation for market of crops, livestock and livestock products and in the production, harvesting and preparation for market or use of agricultural, agronomic, horticultural, silvicultural and aquacultural crops and commodities. The term includes an enterprise that implements changes in production practices and procedures or types of crops, livestock, livestock products or commodities produced consistent with practices and procedures that are normally engaged by farmers or are consistent with technological development within the agricultural industry.
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Ambulatory care center A medical facility, including lands and buildings, not part of a hospital, in which a variety of outpatient medical services, not including emergency medical services and medical emergency support services, are provided to persons, including occupational therapy, physical therapy and rehabilitation, physical fitness and cardiac rehabilitation, speech therapy, hearing testing, behavior modification, diagnostic imaging, x-ray and nuclear medicine, outpatient surgery and procedures not requiring hospitalization (short procedures), renal dialysis, dental care, laboratory, including blood draw, collection of other bodily fluids and analysis thereof, eye care, sports medicine clinic and similar medical provider services. Transport of patients by helicopter to or from the ambulatory care facility or by other emergency medical support vehicles with sirens or other audible warning systems engaged is prohibited. Temporary lodging for those individuals recovering from the medical services performed at an ambulatory care center with a maximum duration per stay not exceeding 72 hours shall be considered an accessory use to an ambulatory care center.
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Apartments A dwelling unit intended for rental located either within an apartment building or within a structure otherwise permitted by this chapter.
APARTMENT BUILDING -- A building containing three or more apartment dwelling units separated by party walls, one or more of which dwelling units may be located from ground to roof, and common outside access and hallways, intended to be owned by a single entity and used specifically for residential purposes and originally constructed as such.
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Assisted-living facility A facility licensed or not as such by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which is designated and constructed to serve the housing and personal care needs of persons age 55 years or older (provided nothing herein shall preclude residency by any person under age 55 who is handicapped), operated by a full-time staff in which supervised round-the-clock services and nursing care are provided for a period exceeding 24 hours for four or more individuals who require only intermittent care to maintain the basic needs of daily living in the areas of hygiene, cooking, cleaning, eating, nutrition, ambulatory care, recreation, community activities and mobility, general safety and similar activities of everyday living. An assisted living facility shall include special care units offering specialized care and services for residents with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. An assisted living facility does not include a nursing home, retirement community, halfway house, drug and alcohol abuse treatment or similar facility.
Athletic club An enterprise operating as a business or club which charges an admission, entry or membership fee or combination thereof, whether owned by a public or private entity, which is open to the public and provides various athletic or health facilities for its members, including a combination of more than one of the following: gymnasium, swimming pool, nautilus, weights and similar conditioning equipment, tennis, handball, racquetball and similar ball courts and similar athletic facilities which are used to promote fitness and good health. An athletic club may also include as an accessory use a physical therapy facility, provided that the patients are members of the athletic club, all therapy is provided by licensed physical therapists and the area dedicated to the physical therapy does not exceed 15% of the gross floor area of the athletic club. No other professional medical services may be provided in an athletic club, including but not limited to care by a physician, chiropractor, dentist, psychologist or psychiatrist. The term "athletic club" shall be synonymous with "health club."
Athletic fields
Athletic/field house
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Attached single-family dwellings A building containing not more than six dwelling units separated by parallel party walls, each of which has only one dwelling from ground to roof, independent outside access, not more than two walls in common with adjacent units and open space to the front and rear (internal units) or front, rear and one side (end units); a townhouse; a rowhouse.
Automobile and/or a truck leasing agency
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Automobile repair shop The repair, reconditioning and lubrication of motor vehicles and the replacement or installation of motor vehicle parts and accessories when conducted in a repair shop offering a full range of the foregoing services, but not including body and fender repair, collision repair service, spray painting or the sale of new or preowned (used) motor vehicles.
Bank and financial institution A type of commercial activity wherein the service rendered is available to the general public and is related to the management of money. Examples are banks, savings and loan associations, brokerages, accountants, tax consultants, investment counselors and similar activities.
Business or professional office A building used primarily for business services, professional and personal services, financial services, government functions or for administrative, managerial or clerical functions.
Cafeteria
Car wash
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Child day-care center A facility which, on a daily basis, exclusively provides supplemental parental care and supervision and/or instruction to seven or more children simultaneously, who are not all related to the caregiver or operator, where tuition, fees or other forms of compensation are charged, whether governmentally subsidized or not, and which is licensed or approved to dispense child care by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and whether operated for profit or not for profit.
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Church
Commercial airport A landing area which may be used for commercial flight operations, including charter, leasing of aircraft, aircraft sales, aircraft rental, flight instruction, air freight, aircraft maintenance and repair or any other flight activities for compensation, but excluding scheduled airlines (FAA Part 121 operations).
Common conference rooms
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Common open space Land or a combination of land and water intended for the use and enjoyment of the public, Township residents or the residents of a development as a whole and which consists of landscaped or natural terrain and which may be used as passive open space or for certain recreation specifically approved by the Board of Supervisors in the approval of the development plan. Common open space shall be either greenway lands as defined in this chapter or a common element which is owned by all members of the homeowners' or condominium association. Common open space shall be free of buildings, except for recreational and utility buildings specifically approved by the Board of Supervisors as part of the development plan. Common open space shall not include street rights-of-way, private streets, or yard areas.
Contractor's establishment A commercial use which involves offices and/or the storage of supplies, equipment, machinery and materials for contractors and tradesmen such as builders, masons, carpenters and landscapers. Such use does not include retail sales of products or materials.
Convalescent or nursing homes An extended- or intermediate-care facility licensed or approved to provide full-time convalescent or chronic care to individuals who, due to advanced age, illness or infirmity, are unable to care for themselves.
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Convenience store A retail store of not less than 3,000 square feet and not more than 5,500 square feet of gross floor area for the sale of food and beverages for off-premises consumption, personal care items and other similar items. This use may include ATM machines and the retail sale of automotive fuel under canopy. A convenience store must meet all criteria in § 84-57.12 of this chapter.
Customary accessory uses
Customary golf course accessory uses Including clubhouse, maintenance buildings and structures, recreational uses, such as tennis courts, swimming pool, multipurpose courts, sports field, hiking, walking and bicycle paths, and other active and passive recreational facilities
Customary residential accessory uses
Dog day-care facility The indoor use of a building where six or more dogs are kept for the purpose of providing shelter, housing, boarding, grooming and feeding during the day.
Dormitory, college A building owned or managed by a college or university which contains dwelling rooms that provide sleeping and living accommodations or apartments containing not more than four bedrooms and living quarters solely for students enrolled at the college or university which owns the dormitory.
Dormitory, private A building owned or managed by a noneducational entity engaged in the business of providing student housing in the form of apartments containing not more than four bedrooms and living quarters solely for college or university students enrolled at a college or university immediately contiguous to or on the grounds of the college or university at which such students are matriculated.
Educational facilities Including classrooms, laboratories required as a part of the curriculum, school libraries and administrative offices of a public or private college or university and/or public and private elementary, middle and high schools.
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Emergency rescue services
Emergency service
Escort agency A person or business association who furnishes, offers to furnish or advertises to furnish escorts as one of its primary business purposes for a fee, tip or other consideration.
Family day-care homes A building used principally as a residence by one adult caregiver in which child day-care is provided simultaneously for six or fewer children who are not all related to the resident caregiver. Such residential property shall have outdoor play area of sufficient size to accommodate six children at once which shall be enclosed with at least a four-foot-high continuous barrier.
Flexible design development option A residential development option which is permitted by conditional use of the Board of Supervisors in the R-3B Zoning District which is intended to allow flexibility in building and dwelling unit design and to facilitate the preservation of open space for the public use and enjoyment of Township residents. A flexible design development may include semidetached dwellings, single-family attached dwellings and single-family detached dwellings subject to the design standards in Article IVB of this chapter.
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Forestry The management of forests and timberlands when practiced in accordance with accepted silvicultural principles, through developing, cultivating, harvesting, transporting and selling trees for commercial purposes, which does not involve any land development.
Funeral parlor
Gasoline service station An area of land, together with any structure thereon, used for:
A. The retail sale of motor fuel and lubricants and incidental services, such as lubrication and handwashing of motor vehicles.
B. The sale, installation or minor repair of tires, batteries or other automobile accessories.
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General hospital An institution having an organized medical staff providing emergency and in-patient diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitation, medical and surgical care, treatment and services for the care of persons who are sick, injured, diseased, disabled or pregnant regardless of the length of time the patient remains hospitalized, including the provision for emergency medical support services; a general hospital. Nothing in this definition shall be construed to preclude either the designation of a hospital as a trauma center or the provision of mental health care and treatment within a hospital, but the term shall not include facilities caring exclusively for the mentally ill.
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Geothermal pump house A structure or building used to house pumps and piping associated with a geothermal heating and cooling system. All equipment associated with such pump house must be located inside of the building or subsurface.
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Greenhouse
Group day-care home A building in which child day-care is provided for more than six but fewer than 12 children at any one time; a child days center.
Gymnasium
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Hand or automatic self-service laundry
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Home occupation An accessory use which is clearly incidental or secondary to the residential use of the dwelling unit and occupies not more than 25% of total floor area of such dwelling unit or 500 square feet, whichever is less. Such use is customarily carried on within a dwelling unit by one or more occupants of such dwelling unit, except that one person not residing in such dwelling unit may be employed.
A. A home occupation does not permit the following operations:
(1) Selling articles produced elsewhere than on the premises.
(2) Having exterior displays of goods visible from the outside.
(3) Storing materials or products outside the dwelling unit.
B. Such occupation shall not require other internal or external alteration or involve construction features not customarily found in a dwelling or the use of electrical or mechanical equipment which would change the fire rating of the structure.
C. No mechanical or commercial equipment is used except such as may be used for domestic or household purposes or as deemed similar in power and type.
D. The conducting of an animal hospital, barbershop, beauty parlor, clinic or other operation which provides any type of medical, homeopathic or massage services, hospital, kennel or any similar use shall not be deemed to be a home occupation.
E. No home-related business shall be conducted as a home occupation which involves any outdoor use or activity in conjunction therewith, including but not limited to the outdoor storage of material, equipment or products, parking accommodations or the parking or keeping of employee vehicles, whether on the lot or an adjacent public street, except one employee parking space for an employee performing service solely within the home, and the accommodation of one business motor vehicle owned by the home owner not exceeding in weight and/or in length the size specified in § 84-57.2 of this Code.
F. Prior to undertaking the conduct of a home occupation the owner shall secure a permit authorizing the home occupation from the Township Zoning Officer.
G. No educational use shall be conducted as a home occupation which involves instruction or tutoring in one group to more than three individuals at any one time, or that in any manner appears as or constitutes a school.
Home-related business A routine and customary accessory use which:
A. Is clearly incidental to the residential use of the dwelling unit; and
B. Is not performed within a dwelling unit or accessory structure, such as is the case with a home occupation, but may be administered or managed from the dwelling unit and/or an accessory structure and complies with the standards in § 84-57.20.
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Hotel/motel A building or a group of two or more detached or semidetached buildings located an a lot held in single and separate ownership, designed, intended and used principally for providing sleeping accommodations to the transient public in rooms or suites, which may include a kitchen facility and which are provided with daily maid service. The following ancillary facilities may be provided as an integral part of the facility within the building or buildings on the lot, provided, however, that no gambling or electronic gambling devices shall be permitted: restaurant, coffee shop, lounge, meeting rooms, banquet facilities and shops for the retail sale of books, papers, magazines, clothing and sundries to guests; recreation facilities for use only by registered guests, such as a swimming pool, exercise room or area, and similar ancillary facilities commonly accessory to a hotel/motel facility may be provided either in the building or immediately outside the building on the lot in an area specifically designed and designated for such ancillary use. Hotels are generally, but not exclusively, designed so that rooms are entered primarily from an interior lobby, corridor or hallway. Motels are generally, but not exclusively, designed so that access to rooms is provided directly or in close proximity to automobile parking spaces serving such units. Only for the purpose of calculating required parking spaces shall the hotel or motel rooms or suites be considered discrete from other ancillary facilities.
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Independent living facility A building containing multiple residential dwelling units for persons who are age 55 years of age and older which qualifies for the exemption to the prohibition against discrimination based on familial status found in Section 3607(b)(1) of the United States Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3607(b)(1), and the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 and the regulations promulgated thereunder. The facility may include accessory uses such as common kitchen facilities and dining rooms, activity and meeting rooms, storage areas, recreation and exercise facilities, sundries store, administrative offices and a beauty/barber shop.
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In-law suites A dwelling unit especially created for and limited to occupancy by a relative of the residents of the principal dwelling unit. Such unit may also house a spouse of such relative.
Kennel A use of land or buildings where two or more cats or dogs are kept on a temporary basis for the purpose of breeding, boarding, raising, training, sale or show purposes.
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Kindergarten
Laboratory or research facilities
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Laundromat A facility which provides washing and drying machines for clothing, operated by the customer and not by employees of the facility.
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Learning center A facility which provides supplemental educational support and tutoring services for students. Such use shall not be defined as an "educational use" and shall not include day-care facilities.
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Living quarters for a watchman or a caretaker
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Lumberyard A commercial activity characterized by the sale or storage of unfinished lumber products.