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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY SOLOBAY, BARRAR, BOYD, CAUSER, CREIGHTON, DENLINGER, FLECK, GEIST, HARPER, HESS, KORTZ, KULA, MAHONEY, M. O'BRIEN, ROAE, SIPTROTH, WHITE AND YOUNGBLOOD, MARCH 27, 2009 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, MARCH 27, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Amending the act of January 24, 1966 (1965 P.L.1535, No.537), |
2 | entitled, as amended, "An act providing for the planning and |
3 | regulation of community sewage systems and individual sewage |
4 | systems; requiring municipalities to submit plans for systems |
5 | in their jurisdiction; authorizing grants; requiring permits |
6 | for persons installing such systems; requiring disclosure |
7 | statements in certain land sale contracts; authorizing the |
8 | Department of Environmental Resources to adopt and administer |
9 | rules, regulations, standards and procedures; creating an |
10 | advisory committee; providing remedies and prescribing |
11 | penalties," further providing for permits; and making |
12 | editorial changes. |
13 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
14 | hereby enacts as follows: |
15 | Section 1. The title of the act of January 24, 1966 (1965 |
16 | P.L.1535, No.537), known as the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities |
17 | Act, amended December 2, 1976 (P.L.1264, No.280), is amended to |
18 | read: |
19 | AN ACT |
20 | Providing for the planning and regulation of community sewage |
21 | systems and individual sewage systems; requiring |
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1 | municipalities to submit plans for systems in their |
2 | jurisdiction; authorizing grants; requiring permits for |
3 | persons installing such systems; requiring disclosure |
4 | statements in certain land sale contracts; authorizing the |
5 | Department of Environmental [Resources] Protection to adopt |
6 | and administer rules, regulations, standards and procedures; |
7 | creating an advisory committee; providing remedies and |
8 | prescribing penalties. |
9 | Section 2. The definitions of "delegated agency," |
10 | "department," "official plan," "official plan revision" and |
11 | "secretary" in section 2 of the act, amended December 14, 1994 |
12 | (P.L.1250, No.149), are amended to read: |
13 | Section 2. Definitions.--As used in this act: |
14 | * * * |
15 | "Delegated agency" means a municipality, local agency, |
16 | multimunicipal local agency or county or joint county department |
17 | of health to which the Department of Environmental [Resources] |
18 | Protection has delegated the authority to review and approve |
19 | subdivisions for new land developments as supplements to the |
20 | official plan of a municipality in which the subdivision is |
21 | located. |
22 | "Department" means the Department of Environmental |
23 | [Resources] Protection of the Commonwealth [of Pennsylvania]. |
24 | * * * |
25 | "Official plan" means a comprehensive plan for the provision |
26 | of adequate sewage systems adopted by a municipality or |
27 | municipalities possessing authority or jurisdiction over the |
28 | provision of such systems and submitted to and approved by the |
29 | [State] Department of Environmental [Resources] Protection as |
30 | provided herein. |
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1 | "Official plan revision" means a change in the municipality's |
2 | official plan to provide for additional or newly identified or |
3 | future sewage facilities needs, which may include, but not be |
4 | limited to, any of the following: |
5 | (1) Update revision.--A comprehensive revision to an |
6 | existing official plan required when the Department of |
7 | Environmental [Resources] Protection or municipality determines |
8 | an official plan or any of its parts is inadequate for the |
9 | existing or future sewage facilities needs of a municipality or |
10 | its residents or landowners. |
11 | (2) Revision for new land development.--A revision to a |
12 | municipality's official plan resulting from a proposed |
13 | subdivision. |
14 | (3) Special study.--A study, survey, investigation, inquiry, |
15 | research report or analysis which is directly related to an |
16 | update revision. Such study shall provide documentation or other |
17 | support necessary to solve specific problems identified in the |
18 | update revision. |
19 | (4) Supplement.--A sewage facilities planning module for a |
20 | subdivision for new land development which will not be served by |
21 | sewage facilities requiring a new or modified permit from the |
22 | Department of Environmental [Resources] Protection under the act |
23 | of June 22, 1937 (P.L.1987, No.394), known as "The Clean Streams |
24 | Law," and which is reviewed and approved by a delegated agency |
25 | under section 7(b)(4.3)(iv) of this act. |
26 | (5) Exception to the requirement to revise.--A process |
27 | established by regulation promulgated under this act which |
28 | provides the criteria under which a revision for new land |
29 | development is not required. |
30 | * * * |
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1 | "Secretary" means the Secretary of Environmental [Resources] |
2 | Protection of the Commonwealth [of Pennsylvania]. |
3 | * * * |
4 | Section 3. Section 4(a) of the act, amended July 1, 1989 |
5 | (P.L.124, No.26), is amended to read: |
6 | Section 4. Advisory Committee.--(a) An advisory committee |
7 | shall be appointed within three months of the passage of this |
8 | act and biennially thereafter, membership of which shall be |
9 | composed of one representative from the following organizations, |
10 | the name of said representative to be submitted to the secretary |
11 | within ten days of receipt of request for same: Pennsylvania |
12 | State Association of Township Supervisors, Pennsylvania State |
13 | Association of Boroughs, Pennsylvania League of Cities, |
14 | Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners, |
15 | Pennsylvania State Association of County Commissioners, |
16 | Pennsylvania Association of Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, |
17 | Contractors, Inc., Pennsylvania Society of Professional |
18 | Engineers, Mortgage Bankers' Association, Pennsylvania Builders |
19 | Association, Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, Pennsylvania |
20 | Landowners Association, Pennsylvania Society of Architects, |
21 | County Health Departments, Pennsylvania State University, |
22 | Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, Pennsylvania |
23 | Section of the American Water Works Association, Water Pollution |
24 | Association of Pennsylvania, American Society of Civil |
25 | Engineers, Pennsylvania Environmental Health Association, |
26 | Farmers Home Administration, Consulting Engineers Council of |
27 | Pennsylvania, National Association of Water Companies, |
28 | Pennsylvania Vacation Land Developers Association, United States |
29 | Department of Housing and Urban Development, [Pennsylvania |
30 | Department of Commerce, Pennsylvania Department of Community |
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1 | Affairs] Department of Community and Economic Development, |
2 | Office of State Planning and Development, Pennsylvania Bar |
3 | Association, and such other organizations having a direct |
4 | interest in the area of water and sewage as the secretary deems |
5 | necessary. |
6 | * * * |
7 | Section 4. Sections 7(a) and 10 heading of the act, amended |
8 | December 14, 1994 (P.L.1250, No.149), are amended to read: |
9 | Section 7. Permits.--(a) (1) (i) No person shall install, |
10 | construct, or award a contract for construction, or alter, |
11 | repair or connect to an individual sewage system or community |
12 | sewage system or construct, or request bid proposals for |
13 | construction, or install or occupy any building or structure for |
14 | which an individual sewage system or community sewage system is |
15 | to be installed without first obtaining a permit indicating that |
16 | the site and the plans and specifications of such system are in |
17 | compliance with the provisions of this act and the standards |
18 | adopted pursuant to this act. |
19 | (ii) A permit shall not be required by a person where a new |
20 | dwelling is proposed to replace a previously existing dwelling |
21 | where the size and anticipated use of the new dwelling is the |
22 | same as the previously existing dwelling and the previously |
23 | existing dwelling was in use within one year of the anticipated |
24 | date of the completion of construction. This exception shall not |
25 | apply when an active investigation of malfunction is under way |
26 | by the local agency or the department. |
27 | (iii) No permit may be issued by the local agency in those |
28 | cases where a permit from the department is required pursuant to |
29 | the act of June 22, 1937 (P.L.1987, No.394), known as "The Clean |
30 | Streams Law," as amended, or where the department pursuant to |
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1 | its rules and regulations, determines that such permit is not |
2 | necessary for the protection of the public health. |
3 | (iv) Except where a local agency or municipality requires a |
4 | permit by ordinance, no permit or plan revision shall be |
5 | required for the installation of an individual on-lot sewage |
6 | system for a residential structure occupied or intended to be |
7 | occupied by the property owner or a member of his immediate |
8 | family on a contiguous tract of land ten acres or more if the |
9 | owner of the property was the owner of record as of January 10, |
10 | 1987. |
11 | (v) No ordinance of a local agency or municipality shall |
12 | require a permit or plan revision for the installation of an |
13 | individual on-lot sewage system for a residential structure |
14 | occupied or intended to be occupied by the property owner or a |
15 | member of his immediate family on a contiguous tract of land one |
16 | hundred acres or more. |
17 | (2) (i) The installation of such a permit-exempt system |
18 | shall not be required to be approved by or meet the standards of |
19 | the department or local agency pursuant to their rules and |
20 | regulations for the siting, design or installation of on-lot |
21 | sewage systems, except for the siting requirements of subsection |
22 | (a.1), unless a permit is required by a regulation or ordinance |
23 | of a local agency or municipality or the person qualifying for |
24 | the permit exemption chooses to not use the permit exemption. |
25 | (ii) A permit exemption may also be granted where a ten-acre |
26 | parcel or lot is subdivided from a parent tract after January |
27 | 10, 1987, or where there is a one-hundred acre or more parcel. |
28 | (iii) When one permit exemption has been granted for a lot, |
29 | tract or parcel under this section, any lot, tract or parcel |
30 | remaining after subdivision of the lot or parcel which received |
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1 | the permit exemption or any lots or parcels subdivided therefrom |
2 | in the future shall not be eligible for a ten-acre permit |
3 | exemption and must meet the planning, permitting, siting and |
4 | construction standards of the department for on-lot sewage |
5 | systems. |
6 | (iv) Persons otherwise qualified for a permit exemption who |
7 | do not choose to use the permit exemption remain exempt from the |
8 | planning requirements of this act. |
9 | (3) For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate |
10 | family" shall mean brother, sister, son, daughter, stepson, |
11 | stepdaughter, grandson, granddaughter, father or mother of the |
12 | property owner. |
13 | * * * |
14 | Section 10. Powers and Duties of the Department of |
15 | Environmental [Resources] Protection.--The department shall have |
16 | the power and its duty shall be: |
17 | * * * |
18 | Section 5. This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
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