Land Use & Zoning

Pennsylvania's 'Act 167' stormwater management planning is relevant to real estate development because:

AIt requires all new homes to include rainwater harvesting systems

BIt mandates county-level stormwater management plans that development must comply with to manage post-development runoff and protect downstream properties✓ Correct

CIt establishes statewide maximum impervious coverage ratios for all residential lots

DIt requires all Pennsylvania municipalities to construct retention ponds within city limits

Explanation

Pennsylvania's Storm Water Management Act (Act 167) requires counties to develop watershed stormwater management plans and municipalities to adopt ordinances implementing those plans. New development must demonstrate it will not increase peak stormwater runoff beyond pre-development levels, protecting downstream properties from flooding.

People Also Study

Key Terms to Know

Zoning

Local government regulations that control land use by dividing areas into zones specifying permitted uses, building sizes, and densities.

Variance

Official permission to use land in a way that does not conform to the applicable zoning ordinance, granted by a zoning board when strict enforcement would cause undue hardship.

Eminent Domain

The power of government to take private property for public use, with the requirement to pay the owner just compensation.

Adverse Possession

A doctrine by which a person can gain legal title to another's land by openly, continuously, and adversely occupying it for a statutory period.