Permits required.

Application for permits. Applications for permits shall be made in writing to the Zoning Officer on such forms as may be furnished by the Township. Such application and accompanying plot plans, prepared by a registered engineer or land surveyor, shall contain all the information necessary to enable the Zoning Officer to determine whether the proposed construction, alteration or use complies with the provisions of this chapter.

Issuance of permits. Permits shall be granted or refused within 30 days after the date of application. Failure of the Building Inspector to act within that period shall be deemed a refusal to approve the permit. No building permit shall be issued until the Zoning Officer has certified that the proposed building, alteration or use complies with all of the provisions of this chapter. Upon completion of the erection or alteration of any building or portion thereof authorized by any permit, and prior to occupancy or use, the holder of such permit shall notify the Zoning Officer of such completion. No permit shall be considered complete or permanently effective until the Building Inspector has certified that the work has been inspected and approved as being in conformity with the permit and the provisions of this chapter and all other applicable ordinances.

Refusal of permits. The Zoning Officer shall give notice in writing to the applicant and the Board of Commissioners of the refusal of any permit and the reasons therefor and shall advise the applicant of his right to appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board. The Zoning Officer shall give notice in writing of the granting of any permit to the applicant, the Board of Commissioners and all abutting property owners.

Name and address of the applicant.

Name and address of the owner of the real estate to be affected by the proposed exception or variance, and written authority from the owner for the variance.

A brief description and location of the real estate to be affected by such proposed change.

The present zoning classification of the real estate in question, the improvements thereon, and the present use thereof.

The section of this chapter under which the variance or exception requested may be allowed, and reasons for which it should be granted.

A reasonably accurate description of the present improvements and the additions intended to be made under this application, indicating the size of such proposed improvements, materials and general construction thereof and, in addition thereto, attach a plot plan of the real estate to be affected, indicating the location and size of the lot and the size of improvements now erected and proposed to be erected thereon.

Signature and address of each petitioner, together with the number of feet of frontage in any district or part thereof.

The petition, if pertaining to the Zoning Map, shall have attached thereto a plot plan of the real estate to be affected.

The landowner may submit plans and other materials describing his proposed use or development to the Zoning Officer for a preliminary opinion as to its compliance with the applicable provisions of this chapter and the Zoning Map. Such plans and other materials shall not be required to meet the standards prescribed for preliminary, tentative or final approval under the provisions of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance[2] or for the issuance of a building permit, so long as such plans provide reasonable notice of the proposed use or development and a sufficient basis, in the judgment of the Zoning Officer, for the Zoning Officer to render an opinion as to compliance with this chapter or the Zoning Map of the proposed building or development.

If the Zoning Officer's preliminary opinion is that the use or development complies with this chapter and the Zoning Map, the Zoning Officer shall give written notice of such compliance to the landowner and to the Board of Commissioners and shall cause such notice to be published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the Township. Such notice shall include a general description of the proposed use or development and its location by street address or, if inapplicable, by any other readily identifiable manner, and the place and times where the plans and other materials may be examined by the public. The thirty-day time limitation for any person aggrieved by an approval of the proposed building or development, as set forth in Section 914.1 of the Municipalities Planning Code, to commence a proceeding before the Zoning Hearing Board shall run from the time when the second notice thereof has been published.

The landowner shall not be relieved of the obligation to comply with the requirements of this chapter, the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance or the building code, or other applicable ordinances by virtue of the preliminary opinion rendered by the Zoning Officer.

The Board of Commissioners shall grant a conditional use only if it finds adequate evidence that any proposed development submitted will meet all of the following general requirements as well as any specific requirements and standards listed herein for the proposed use. The Board shall require that any proposed use, and its location, among other things, shall be:

The burden of proof in a conditional use application shall be on the applicant to establish that the proposed use meets all the requirements and objectives of this chapter, including those specifically set forth in Article I.

Procedure for consideration of a conditional use application.

Criteria for conditional use approval. Applications for conditional use approval shall contain all data, information, and reports necessary for the Board of Commissioners to evaluate the proposal. In addition to the requirements of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC),[1] the following criteria shall be considered by the Board of Commissioners: