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 and serve a five-year term.

The primary purpose of the zoning hearing board is to help assure fair and equitable application and administration of the zoning ordinance. The 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 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 schedules hearings on applications and appeals that come before it, takes evidence, and issues written decisions with findings of fact and conclusions of law. The zoning hearing board limits its scope of activities to those allowable by the MPC and by the local zoning ordinance.

While the zoning hearing board is not responsible for the contents of the zoning ordinance but plays a vital role in the overall effectiveness of the zoning ordinance.

The Zoning Hearing Board is scheduled to meet the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM. Please review the agenda’s page to determine if a Hearing is scheduled.