Green Lane and Marlborough Township sit at the reservoir end of the Upper Perkiomen valley, where Montgomery County turns to woods and water. The township’s resale rule is refreshingly plain, no certificate of occupancy, with a single exception that runs underground: properties on public sewer cannot reach settlement without a lateral and sump pump inspection certificate from the joint sewer authority.
The Upper Perkiomen valley picture
The borough is a few blocks of village homes beside the reservoir; the township wraps around it with farmhouses, newer singles, and acreage. Buyers come for Green Lane Park, Upper Perkiomen schools, and prices that undercut the county’s lower half. Listings are scarce enough that prepared sellers set terms, and the preparation here is mostly records: sewer or septic, permits, and the tax basis on a home held thirty years.
No certificate, with one exception
The township’s building and zoning FAQ answers the resale question in one line: no certificate of occupancy is required. The exception is the sewer system. About 550 connections, Green Lane Borough, Sumneytown, and the Geryville Pike corridor of the township, run through the Green Lane Marlborough Joint Authority, and for those properties the township’s sewer ordinance puts a certificate between you and the closing table.
How the sewer inspection works
- 01Arrange the inspection through the joint authority when the property goes under agreement, or better, before listing. The lateral and any sump pump connections are checked for stormwater and groundwater infiltration.
- 02Clear deficiencies. Problems are recorded on a form and given to the owner. Repairs happen at the owner’s expense, and settlement cannot proceed until a sewer inspection certificate issues.
- 03Or use the temporary path. When repairs cannot be finished by closing, a temporary permit can name the responsible party, set a deadline of up to 180 days, and require escrow of the estimated repair cost plus 25%.
The Pennsylvania money
Both municipalities sit at the standard 2% total realty transfer tax, customarily split, so the seller’s half on a $450,000 sale is $4,500. Pennsylvania withholds nothing at settlement, and the federal exclusion, $250,000 single, $500,000 married, plus improvement records over a long tenure, is covered in the home-sale tax guide. The full ledger lives in the cost-to-sell guide.
Getting started
The order here: a free valuation that prices reservoir proximity and acreage correctly, the sewer-or-septic question answered on day one, and the lateral inspected early if the answer is sewer. The neighboring East Greenville, Pennsburg, and Red Hill guide covers the boroughs downstream, the Montgomery County downsizing guide maps where sellers here land next, and the complete downsizing guide handles the rest.