UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Subdivision and land development ordinances are the most common land-use regulations administered by local municipalities. To help local officials and citizens gain a better understanding of these ordinances, Penn State Extension will offer a webinar titled “Subdivision and Land Development Regulation in Pennsylvania.” The session will be offered twice: from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, and from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Extension educators will explain how local land development regulations work and how municipal leaders across Pennsylvania use this tool to manage land development.
These regulations are authorized by state law, known as the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. In 2019, 94% of Pennsylvania’s municipalities — more than 2,400 towns, boroughs and cities — had their own set of land development rules or followed county-level regulations. Creating these regulations is often the first outcome of municipal comprehensive planning processes.
Planning commissions and other municipal planning agencies play a central role in Pennsylvania’s land development processes. Local elected governing bodies, such as city and borough councils and township supervisors, often delegate the administration of land development ordinances to these agencies. In Pennsylvania, planning commissions, elected officials and municipal staff work together to review land development applications, from initial meetings through project completion.
This webinar will cover the purpose of subdivision and land development regulations, how the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code guides this process, the definitions of “subdivision” and “land development,” the review and approval process of subdivisions and land developments, the roles of planning commissions and elected officials, and how to update subdivision and land development ordinances.
The program is free, but preregistration is required. Register on the Penn State Extension website.
For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst, economic and community development extension educator, at 570-832-2803 or ptw3@psu.edu.