Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act — Local Preemption (§1396.4e) (PA)
Tracked preemption from the Pennsylvania overlay bundle.
Overview
← All state preemptionsPennsylvania overlay roll-upPennsylvania zoning wikiPennsylvania building codesFederal overlaysGlossaryFederal-conflict: Not flagged
Effective
1971-11-30
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:PA
Other Pennsylvania preemptions
Pennsylvania Act 13 — Oil & Gas Operational Preemption (58 Pa.C.S. §3303)Chesapeake Bay Watershed — Riparian Buffer & E&S Control (25 Pa. Code Ch. 102)Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) Environmental ReviewMPC §503(1.1) — Manufactured / Industrialized Housing PreemptionPennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) — Building Code PreemptionFirearms — Local Regulation Preemption (18 Pa.C.S. §6120)Pennsylvania History Code — State Historic Preservation Review (Pa.C.S. Title 37)Pennsylvania Agricultural Area Security Law — Agricultural Security Areas (Act 43 / Act 38 of 2005)
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
AND
city.is_in_surface_mining_footprint==Trueproject.use_type==surface_mining_operation
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | require | dep_smcra_permit | Core operational, environmental, reclamation, and bonding standards are set by the Commonwealth (PA DEP, Bureau of Mining Programs). Operators obtain DEP permits under 25 Pa. Code Chs. 77, 86–90. |
base_districts[*].allowed_uses | preserve_location_zoning | surface_mining | Reasonable local zoning of the LOCATION of mining (district-by-district permissibility) is preserved per Hydropress Environmental Services v. Township of Upper Mount Bethel, 836 A.2d 912 (Pa. 2003). Local ordinances that purport to BAN or substantively RATCHET surface mining are preempted. |
Citation
Authority source
Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act, 52 P.S. §1396.1 et seq.; preemption clause at 52 P.S. §1396.4e
§ 52 P.S. §1396.4e
Research notes
Implementing regulations at 25 Pa. Code Chs. 77, 86–90. Federal SMCRA (30 U.S.C. §1201 et seq.) operates in parallel and is administered by PA DEP under a federally approved state program. Non-mining aspects (access roads, traffic, certain noise) can still be subject to local permits.