Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
letter-number-functional
Indiana Borough is the county seat of Indiana County, PA — a Pennsylvania borough governed by the Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968). Naming uses standard PA-borough letter-number functional convention: R-1 (Single-Family Residential) / R-2 (Two-Family Residential) / R-3 (Multi-Family Residential) / C-1 (Retail Business and Commercial) / C-2 (General Business and Commercial) / M-1 (Manufacturing) / MU-1 (Mixed Use) / P-1 (Public and Semi-Public) / U-1 (University Related and Commercial). The U-1 district is unusual — captures the IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) campus zone. ZOUP (Zoning Ordinance Update Project) by Michael Baker International is in progress (2025-2026) — comprehensive rewrite to align with INDIANA2030 comprehensive plan; not yet adopted.
Worth knowing
- MPC-governed Pennsylvania borough — full Act 247 framework binds. Indiana Borough is governed by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968, 53 P.S. §10101 et seq.). Unlike Philadelphia (FCCHRA shield) or Pittsburgh (Second-Class-City home-rule hybrid), Indiana Borough is squarely within the MPC framework. Procedural requirements (§10609.1 / §10916.1 validity-challenge / curative-amendment procedure, §10301(a)(4) provide-for-all-housing-types mandate, §10603(b)-(c.2) limits on use-prohibition) bind the Borough. Surrick v. Zoning Hearing Board exclusionary-zoning doctrine applies. (53 P.S. §§10101-11202; Surrick v. ZHB, 382 A.2d 105 (Pa. 1977))
- Marcellus Shale county seat — Act 13 §3303 operational preemption applies. Indiana County is in the heart of the Marcellus Shale producing footprint, with active drilling permits in 2024-2025 (Infinity Natural Resources). Under Robinson Township v. Commonwealth (Pa. 2013), the Borough RETAINS locational zoning authority over oil-and-gas surface facilities (well pads, compressor stations, processing plants) — but operational/technical aspects (well casing, pressure, safety) are preempted to PA DEP under §3303. The former §3304 (which had required permitting in every zoning district) was stricken under Pa. Const. Art. I §27 Environmental Rights Amendment. ZOUP MUST address oil-and-gas surface facility zoning under the Robinson Township framework — bare omission leaves both pro-O&G validity-challenge and anti-O&G ERA-balancing exposure. (Robinson Township v. Commonwealth, 83 A.3d 901 (Pa. 2013); Robinson Township II, 147 A.3d 536 (Pa. 2016); 58 Pa.C.S. §3303)
- U-1 University Related and Commercial — captures IUP campus zone. Unusual district unique to a university-town context: U-1 captures Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)'s ~370-acre main campus at the borough's center. PASSHE (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) governs IUP capital projects — state-funded construction triggers PA History Code §2002(e) SHPO consultation. IUP enrollment ~10,000 directly drives borough housing/parking dynamics; student-housing-permissibility in U-1 is a material pro-forma input. (Chapter 460 Article II; indianaboro.com/planning-zoning)
+ 5 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_mf 2com 2spec 2res_sf 1mu 1ind 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-1 | Single-Family Residential | res_sf | 6,000 sf | 35 ft | — | — | 3.5 | 2 | 25 / 8 / 20 |
| R-2 | Two-Family / Duplex Residential | res_mf | — | 35 ft | — | — | 6.5 | 1.5 | 20 / 5 / 20 |
| R-3 | Multi-Family Residential | res_mf | — | 45 ft | — | — | 12.5 | 1.2 | 15 / 10 / 10 |
| C-1 | Retail Business and Commercial | com | — | 40 ft | — | — | — | — | 15 / 5 / 5 |
| C-2 | General Business and Commercial | com | — | 55 ft | — | — | — | — | 10 / 0 / 0 |
| MU-1 | Mixed-Use | mu | — | 60 ft | — | 1.25 | 20 | — | — / — / — |
| M-1 | Light Industrial / Manufacturing | ind | — | 50 ft | — | — | — | — | 25 / 15 / 15 |
| P-1 | Public and Semi-Public | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| U-1 | University Related and Commercial | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
FP
Floodplain Overlay
floodSS
Steep Slopes Overlay
geologic_hazardHP
Downtown Historic Preservation District
historic_preservationState preemptions
PA_MPC_ACT247_1968applies
Effect
Indiana Borough's zoning authority flows from and is limited by the MPC. Procedural requirements (notice, hearing-board structure, curative-amendment / validity-challenge procedure under §10609.1 / §10916.1) bind the Borough. Must provide for all basic forms of housing per §10301(a)(4) — Surrick v. Zoning Hearing Board exclusionary-zoning doctrine applies (382 A.2d 105, Pa. 1977). The validity-challenge procedure is available to developers challenging exclusionary Indiana Borough zoning.
PA_MPC_503_1_1_MANUFACTURED_HOUSING_2000applies
Effect
Manufactured / industrialized housing must be allowed in any Indiana Borough residential district where site-built single-family is permitted. Compatibility standards (roof pitch, foundation, skirting, width, orientation) may apply only if facially and functionally equivalent to those imposed on site-built. Indiana Borough cannot adopt MH-exclusionary zoning in R-1 / R-2 / R-3. Pre-HUD-code (pre-1976) mobile homes are NOT protected and may be banned.
PA_SMCRA_SURFACE_MINING_1396_4Eapplies
Effect
If a surface-mining project arose within or adjacent to Borough limits, operational/reclamation/bonding standards would be set by PA DEP under 25 Pa. Code Chs. 77, 86–90. Hydropress (Pa. 2003) preserves locational zoning — Indiana Borough may zone the LOCATION of mining (district-by-district permissibility) but cannot ban or substantively ratchet operational standards.
PA_ACT13_OIL_GAS_3303applies
Effect
OPERATIONAL aspects of oil-and-gas operations — well construction, casing, pressure testing, safety — are preempted to PA DEP under §3303. Indiana Borough may NOT impose stricter technical/operational standards. LOCATIONAL zoning of surface facilities (well pads, compressor stations, processing plants) is PRESERVED — Indiana Borough retains authority to zone where these uses may locate, subject to Pa. Const. Art. I §27 Environmental Rights Amendment balancing. Borough cannot ban oil-and-gas operations outright (former §3304 mandate-permit-in-every-district was struck down precisely because it eliminated all locational discretion — but conversely Robinson Township restored discretion symmetrically).
PA_ACT537_SEWAGE_FACILITIES_PLANNING_1966applies
Effect
Indiana Borough must maintain Act 537 Plan; planning modules required for new on-lot sewage or public-sewer extensions. Indiana Borough Municipal Authority (IBMA) administers public-sewer system covering essentially all of corporate Borough. On-lot systems vanishingly rare in urbanized core but possible in fringe ETJ-coordinating areas.
PA_ACT167_STORMWATER_MANAGEMENT_1978applies
Effect
Indiana Borough's local stormwater ordinance must control post-construction runoff volume, rate, and water quality consistent with Indiana County's Two Lick Creek watershed plan. NPDES Phase II MS4 designation likely (small urbanized area).
PA_AG_SECURITY_AREA_ACT43_1981applies
Effect
If Indiana Borough or a developer proposes to condemn land within an adjacent ASA for a project rendering it unsuitable for ag, the Agricultural Lands Condemnation Approval Board (ALCAB) must approve. Right-to-Farm protections (3 P.S. §§951–957) attach to nearby ag operations and limit Borough nuisance ordinances reaching adjacent ag.
PA_HISTORY_CODE_ARCHAEOLOGY_1988applies
Effect
State-funded or state-permitted undertakings require PA SHPO (PHMC) consultation. Indiana Borough downtown historic preservation district (status pending ZOUP confirmation) operates locally; PA SHPO consultation applies to PASSHE-funded IUP capital projects.
PA_UCC_UNIFORM_CONSTRUCTION_CODE_1999applies
Effect
Statewide UCC applies in Indiana Borough. Borough may have opted-in to local UCC enforcement (most PA boroughs do); otherwise PA Department of Labor & Industry administers.
PA_FIREARMS_PREEMPTION_6120applies
Effect
Indiana Borough may regulate firearms-related uses only via generally-applicable commercial-zoning provisions. Cannot regulate firearms ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation. Cannot impose targeted firearms-specific zoning.
Non-applicable laws (4)
PA_FCCHRA_PHILADELPHIA_1949not_applicable_not_first_class_city
Effect
Not applicable.
PA_CHESAPEAKE_BAY_RIPARIAN_BUFFER_CH102not_applicable_not_chesapeake_watershed
Effect
Indiana Borough sits in the Ohio River watershed (via Two Lick Creek → Conemaugh → Allegheny). Chapter 102 §102.14 riparian-forest-buffer requirement (Chesapeake EV/HQ waters) does not apply. Chapter 102 E&S/NPDES still applies to ≥1 acre disturbance.
PA_COASTAL_ZONE_LAKE_ERIE_DELAWARE_CZMAnot_applicable_inland
Effect
Indiana Borough is inland — not in either coastal zone.
PA_SCENIC_RIVERS_ACT_1972not_applicable_no_designated_corridor
Effect
No designated PA Scenic Rivers System segment passes through Indiana Borough. Two Lick Creek is not classified.
Adopted building codes
Most jurisdictions opt in
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- MPC-governed Pennsylvania borough — full Act 247 framework binds. Indiana Borough is governed by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968, 53 P.S. §10101 et seq.). Unlike Philadelphia (FCCHRA shield) or Pittsburgh (Second-Class-City home-rule hybrid), Indiana Borough is squarely within the MPC framework. Procedural requirements (§10609.1 / §10916.1 validity-challenge / curative-amendment procedure, §10301(a)(4) provide-for-all-housing-types mandate, §10603(b)-(c.2) limits on use-prohibition) bind the Borough. Surrick v. Zoning Hearing Board exclusionary-zoning doctrine applies. (53 P.S. §§10101-11202; Surrick v. ZHB, 382 A.2d 105 (Pa. 1977))
- Marcellus Shale county seat — Act 13 §3303 operational preemption applies. Indiana County is in the heart of the Marcellus Shale producing footprint, with active drilling permits in 2024-2025 (Infinity Natural Resources). Under Robinson Township v. Commonwealth (Pa. 2013), the Borough RETAINS locational zoning authority over oil-and-gas surface facilities (well pads, compressor stations, processing plants) — but operational/technical aspects (well casing, pressure, safety) are preempted to PA DEP under §3303. The former §3304 (which had required permitting in every zoning district) was stricken under Pa. Const. Art. I §27 Environmental Rights Amendment. ZOUP MUST address oil-and-gas surface facility zoning under the Robinson Township framework — bare omission leaves both pro-O&G validity-challenge and anti-O&G ERA-balancing exposure. (Robinson Township v. Commonwealth, 83 A.3d 901 (Pa. 2013); Robinson Township II, 147 A.3d 536 (Pa. 2016); 58 Pa.C.S. §3303)
- U-1 University Related and Commercial — captures IUP campus zone. Unusual district unique to a university-town context: U-1 captures Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)'s ~370-acre main campus at the borough's center. PASSHE (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) governs IUP capital projects — state-funded construction triggers PA History Code §2002(e) SHPO consultation. IUP enrollment ~10,000 directly drives borough housing/parking dynamics; student-housing-permissibility in U-1 is a material pro-forma input. (Chapter 460 Article II; indianaboro.com/planning-zoning)
- ZOUP rewrite in flight (Michael Baker International, 2025-2026). Indiana Borough is engaged in a comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Update Project (ZOUP) led by Michael Baker International, intended to modernize Chapter 460 and align with the INDIANA2030 comprehensive plan. Adoption would trigger a full re-research cycle. Public comment via the Borough Planning & Zoning Office. v2 records the existing pre-ZOUP framework; adoption-date freshness trigger applies. (indianaboro.com/zoup; INDIANA2030 comprehensive plan)
- Letter-number functional naming. Standard PA-borough naming: R-1 single-family / R-2 two-family / R-3 multi-family / C-1 retail / C-2 general / M-1 manufacturing / MU-1 mixed-use / P-1 public / U-1 university-related. Naming convention is intuitive and consistent — distinguishes Indiana Borough from cities using non-numeric ladders (Philadelphia RSA-1...RSA-6). (Chapter 460 Article II)
- Two Lick Creek floodplain (FP) + steep slopes (SS) overlays. FP overlay captures FEMA SFHA along Two Lick Creek tributary system. SS overlay captures >15% slopes — material in western PA's hilly landscape. Both feed Act 167 watershed-plan implementation; coordinate with Indiana County's stormwater plan. v1 listed Coney Island Creek which is a misattribution — Two Lick Creek is the correct watercourse. (Chapter 460 Schedule 2; Indiana County watershed plan)
- Ecode360 source is 403-gated to scripted fetch. ecode360.com (IN2678 slug) returns Cloudflare 403 to scripted WebFetch — full Schedule 1 / Schedule 2 dimensional and use-table extraction requires browser-based retrieval (Chrome MCP) or PDF zoning map download. Authoritative ordinance text is the adopted Chapter 460 at the Borough offices. ZOUP draft circulation will provide a natural full-fetch opportunity. (source-portals.md (skill reference); ecode360.com IN2678)
- Homer City Generating Station gas-fired power plant + data center complex (county-level). Adjacent to Indiana Borough: the former Homer City Generating Station (coal-fired, retired Jul 2023) is being redeveloped as the largest gas-fired power plant in the country plus a massive data center complex. While the project site is in Center Township (not Indiana Borough corporate limits), regional impacts on transmission, water use, traffic, and housing demand are material to Indiana Borough underwriting. Coordination with Indiana County Planning and adjacent townships is necessary. (Homer City Redevelopment LLC announcements 2024-2025; Indiana County Planning)
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- note: Measurement methodology and rooftop exclusions per local code; pre-ZOUP defaults are typical PA borough conventions
- lot_coverage
- {"description": "Building footprint as percentage of lot area", "unit": "%"}
- du_ac
- {"description": "Dwelling units per acre"}
- setbacks
- {"description": "Distance from property line to nearest building face", "unit": "ft"}
- parking
- {"description": "Required off-street spaces", "unit": "spaces"}
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
{"description": "lot_area_sf * lot_coverage"}- buildable_envelope_sf
{"description": "(lot_width_ft - 2*setback_side_ft) * (lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft)"}- parking_required
{"description": "units * parking ratio (Chapter 460 Article IV Supplementary Regulations)"}
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Retrieval failure: ecode360.com returns Cloudflare 403 to scripted WebFetch (per skill source-portals.md). Indiana Borough planning page (indianaboro.com/planning-zoning) reachable via WebFetch and confirms canonical ordinance via IN2678 slug. Schedule 1 / Schedule 2 dimensional tables require browser-based retrieval for full extraction.
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | |
| confidence tags full form | passed | |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | |
| preempt section city specific | passed |
Verification
| last_verified_at | 2026-05-18T00:00:00Z |
|---|---|
| verifier_specialist | verification-pass |
| verifier_version | 1.0 |
| verification_result | passed |
| atomic_claims_checked | 47 |
| atomic_claims_passed | 47 |
| atomic_claims_failed | 0 |
| notes | All confirmed claims carry Chapter 460 (Article II or Schedule reference) / state-citation (53 P.S. §10101 et seq., 53 P.S. §13101 et seq., 58 Pa.C.S. §3303, 52 P.S. §1396.4e, 35 P.S. §§750.1, 32 P.S. §§680.1, 37 Pa.C.S. §2002, 18 Pa.C.S. §6120, 35 P.S. §§7210.101, 3 P.S. §§901, Robinson Township v. Commonwealth Pa. 2013) or named-policy citation (INDIANA2030 / Homer City Redevelopment / Infinity Natural Resources). No aggregator citations. Partial-status fields (R-1/R-2/R-3 minimum lot, setback values; C-1/C-2 setbacks; MU-1 FAR; HP overlay specific citation; ASA adjacency) carry explicit reason: Cloudflare 403 to scripted eCode360 fetch; ZOUP rewrite in flight invites direct browser retrieval at draft circulation. |
| narrative_ref | narratives/indiana-pa/2b0fbd5e-1a38-4217-8f11-ea91d2bf80f8.json |
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