Swarthmore Borough, Pennsylvania, PA Municipal Code — every chapter, in plain language

Current through February 9, 2026. Official source: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/swarthmore/latest/overview

Every town writes its own rules, and Swarthmore Borough, Pennsylvania's live in its municipal code — 180 chapters covering day-to-day questions like fences, parking, pets, permits and property upkeep. Below is the full map of what the code covers.

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What's in the Swarthmore Borough, Pennsylvania code

1. Swarthmore Borough, Pennsylvania
2. CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE BOROUGH OF SWARTHMORE, PENNSYLVANIA
3. CERTIFICATION
4. DIRECTORY OF OFFICIALS (2026)
5. ORDINANCE NO. 788
6. COMPARATIVE SECTION TABLE
7. PART TWO - ADMINISTRATION CODE
8. TITLE TWO - General Provisions
9. Chapter 202 Codified Ordinances
10. Chapter 204 Official Standards and Records
11. Chapter 206 Wards and Boundaries
12. CHAPTER 207 Discrimination in Employment, Housing and Public Accommodation
13. Chapter 208 Emergency Operations Plan
14. CHAPTER 209 Attorney Fee Schedule
15. TITLE FOUR - Legislation
16. Chapter 210 Council
17. Chapter 212 Ordinances and Resolutions
18. TITLE SIX - Administration
19. Chapter 220 Mayor
20. Chapter 222 Manager
21. Chapter 224 Secretary
22. Chapter 226 Solicitor
23. Chapter 228 Treasurer
24. Chapter 230 Tax Collector
25. Chapter 232 Independent Auditor
26. Chapter 234 Engineer
27. Chapter 236 Building and Plumbing Inspector
28. Chapter 238 Health Officer
29. Chapter 240 Zoning Officer
30. Chapter 242 Police Department
31. Chapter 244 Volunteer Fire Department
32. Chapter 246 Highway Department
33. Chapter 248 Planning Department
34. TITLE EIGHT - Authorities, Boards and Commissions
35. Chapter 260 Planning Commission
36. CHAPTER 261 Local Traffic Advisory Committee
37. Chapter 262 Zoning Hearing Board
38. Chapter 264 Civil Service Commission
39. Chapter 265 Vacancy Board
40. Chapter 266 Tree Committee
41. Chapter 267 Recycling Committee
42. Chapter 268 Park and Recreation Board
43. Chapter 270 Swarthmore Recreation Association
44. Chapter 272 Swarthmore Drug and Alcohol Advisory Council
45. Chapter 274 Swarthmore Environmental Advisory Council
46. Chapter 276 Pension Committee
47. Chapter 278 Authorities
48. CHAPTER 279 Human Relations Commission
49. TITLE TEN - Employment Provisions; Pensions and Benefits
50. Chapter 280 Employees Generally
51. Chapter 282 Police Pension
52. Chapter 284 Employees' Pension
53. Chapter 286 Social Security
54. TITLE TWELVE - Judicial
55. Chapter 290 District Justice of the Peace
56. PART FOUR - TRAFFIC CODE
57. TITLE TWO - General Provisions
58. Chapter 420 Enforcement, Impounding and Penalty
59. Chapter 422 Stop Intersections and One-Way Streets
60. Chapter 424 Left Turns
61. TITLE FOUR - Parking
62. Chapter 440 Parking Generally
63. Chapter 442 Parking Meters
64. CHAPTER 444 Mobility Impaired Residential Accessible Parking
65. TITLE SIX - Bicycles, Motorcycles and Snowmobiles
66. Chapter 460 Bicycles
67. PART SIX - GENERAL OFFENSES CODE
68. Chapter 606 Alcoholic Beverages (Repealed)
69. Chapter 608 Animals
70. Chapter 616 Billposting and Handbills
71. Chapter 624 Disorderly Conduct and Peace Disturbances
72. Chapter 648 Open Burning
73. Chapter 656 Parades and Assemblages
74. Chapter 664 Rabies Control
75. Chapter 672 Safety and Sanitation
76. CHAPTER 674 Hours of Operation
77. CHAPTER 676 Bamboo
78. CHAPTER 678 Raising and Keeping of Chickens
79. PART EIGHT - BUSINESS REGULATION AND TAXATION CODE
80. TITLE TWO - Business Regulation
81. Chapter 808 General Provisions and Penalty
82. Chapter 814 Alarm Systems
83. Chapter 816 Amusements
84. Chapter 824 Cable Television
85. Chapter 832 Gas Stations
86. Chapter 848 Peddlers, Solicitors and Transient Merchants
87. Chapter 860 Restaurants
88. CHAPTER 862 Single-Use Product Regulations
89. Chapter 864 Sound Amplifiers
90. CHAPTER 868 Fire Insurance
91. TITLE FOUR - Taxation
92. Chapter 880 Per Capita Tax
93. Chapter 884 Realty Transfer Tax
94. Chapter 886 Real Estate Tax
95. Chapter 888 Local Services Tax
96. Chapter 890 Business Improvement District
97. CHAPTER 891 Taxes
98. PART TEN - STREETS, UTILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES CODE
99. TITLE TWO - Street and Sidewalk Areas
100. Chapter 1020 Street and Sidewalk Obstructions
101. Chapter 1022 Snow and Ice Removal
102. Chapter 1024 Sidewalk Construction and Repair
103. Chapter 1026 Excavations
104. Chapter 1028 Trees, Shrubs and Rushes
105. TITLE FOUR - Utilities
106. 1040 Water
107. Chapter 1042 Sewers and Private Disposal Systems
108. Chapter 1043 Wastewater Treatment
109. Chapter 1044 Electricity
110. Chapter 1046 Gas
111. CHAPTER 1048 Small Wireless Facilities
112. CHAPTER 1049 Solid Waste Disposal
113. TITLE SIX - Other Public Services
114. Chapter 1060 Collection of Solid Waste
115. Chapter 1062 Disposal of Solid Waste
116. Chapter 1064 Recycling
117. CHAPTER 1066 Rules and Guidelines for Use of Park and Recreation Areas
118. PART TWELVE - PLANNING AND ZONING CODE
119. TITLE TWO - Planning
120. Chapter 1220 Planning Department and Commission
121. Chapter 1222 Subdivision Regulations (Repealed)
122. TITLE FOUR - Zoning
123. Chapter 1240 General Provisions and Definitions
124. Chapter 1242 Administration, Enforcement and Penalty
125. Chapter 1244 Districts Generally; Zoning Map
126. Chapter 1246 RA Residential Districts
127. Chapter 1248 RB Residential Districts
128. Chapter 1250 RC Residential Districts
129. Chapter 1252 AR Apartment Residential Districts
130. Chapter 1254 AL Alternate Residential Districts
131. Chapter 1256 Town Center (TC) Zoning District
132. Chapter 1258 IN-A Institutional Districts
133. CHAPTER 1259 IN-B Institutional Zoning District
134. Chapter 1260 PA Parks Districts
135. CHAPTER 1261 IN-C Institutional Commercial District
136. Chapter 1262 Design Guidelines
137. Chapter 1264 Supplemental Regulations
138. Chapter 1266 Signs
139. Chapter 1268 Parking Requirements
140. Chapter 1270 Floodway Controls
141. Chapter 1272 Nonconforming Use Regulations
142. Chapter 1274 Wireless Communications Facilities
143. CHAPTER 1275 Solar Energy Systems
144. TITLE SIX - Subdivision and Land Development
145. Chapter 1280 General Provisions
146. Chapter 1282 Definitions
147. Chapter 1284 Subdivision and Land Development Control
148. Chapter 1286 Plan Processing Procedures and Plan Requirements
149. Chapter 1288 Design Standards
150. Chapter 1290 Mobile Home Parks
151. Chapter 1292 Construction and Acceptance of Improvements
152. CHAPTER 1293 Natural Features Conservation and Landscaping, Buffering, Screening and Lighting
153. Chapter 1294 Administration of Provisions for Open Space
154. Chapter 1296 Administration
155. TITLE EIGHT - Fair Housing
156. Chapter 1298 Fair Housing
157. PART THIRTEEN - RENTAL INSPECTIONS AND REGISTRATION REQUIRED
158. TITLE ONE - Rental Inspections
159. CHAPTER 1301 Rental Inspections and Registration Required
160. PART FOURTEEN - BUILDING AND HOUSING CODE
161. TITLE TWO - Building Standards
162. Chapter 1421 International Building Code and Residential Code (Repealed)
163. Chapter 1423 International One and Two Family Dwelling Code (Repealed)
164. Chapter 1425 International Plumbing Code (Repealed)
165. Chapter 1427 International Mechanical Code (Repealed)
166. Chapter 1429 ICC Electrical Code (Repealed)
167. CHAPTER 1431 Pennsylvania Construction Code
168. TITLE SIX - Miscellaneous Building Regulations
169. Chapter 1451 Certificates of Use and Occupancy
170. Chapter 1457 Floodplain Management
171. Chapter 1459 Watershed Stormwater Management
172. Chapter 1463 Licensing of Contractors
173. Chapter 1471 Residential Wood Decks (Repealed)
174. Chapter 1473 Smoke Detection and Fire Suppression Systems (Repealed)
175. Chapter 1480 Flood Hazards
176. TITLE EIGHT - Housing
177. Chapter 1481 International Property Maintenance Code
178. PART SIXTEEN - FIRE PREVENTION CODE
179. Chapter 1620 International Fire Prevention Code (Repealed)
180. Chapter 1630 National Fire Codes (NFPA) (Repealed)