Zoning Ordinance

Home / Departments / Planning Department / Municipal Programs & Initiatives / Zoning Ordinance

Delaware County Planning can help you update your zoning ordinance to guide development in your community.

Zoning ordinances are the legally enforceable measures that support implementation of a municipal comprehensive plan. Put simply, zoning ordinances define what land uses are allowed in specific locations, while a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) defines how these uses may be built or developed. The Department can assist municipalities in Delaware County with updating their zoning ordinance, creating a zoning ordinance on a contractual basis, and finding potential funding.

Questions about Zoning Ordinances? Contact the Planning Department at 610-891-5200 or Planning_Department@co.delaware.pa.us.

Create or Update a Zoning Ordinance

When creating or updating a zoning ordinance, the Department’s professional planners work closely with stakeholders to identify community development objectives. Along with the vision detailed in the municipal comprehensive plan, these objectives become part of the new zoning ordinance and set an overall direction for the municipality. The zoning update process considers the revision and/or addition of zoning districts, as well as provisions tailored to guide growth and development in the municipality. For more information on the zoning ordinance update process, check out this information sheet.

New or revised ordinance provisions also often include:

Parking regulations
Sign regulations
Special exceptions and conditional uses
Nonconforming uses, structures, and lots
Performance standards, administration, and enforcement

After the draft document has been prepared, staff assists the municipality through the public review process and then final adoption by the local governing body.

Funding Assistance

Regional and state funding sources may be available to support your municipal zoning ordinance update. For currently available funding assistance programs, see the Funding page.