Selling a Home in Londonderry, Highland, or West Sadsbury, PA: One Inspects, Two Do Not

Yes. Under Ordinances 01-2017 and 02-2017, a resale or rental of a home requires a certificate of use and occupancy. The published application carries a $50 application fee plus a $75 review fee, the code enforcement department needs at least five days notice to schedule, and inspection appointments are only made after payment is received. Mobile home resales additionally require a tax certification from the Chester County tax office. This is Londonderry Township in Chester County, near Cochranville; the Dauphin County township of the same name is a different municipality.

The township publishes the answer as a 20-item checklist, which is the fairest version of a resale inspection: you can fix the list before the inspector arrives. Highlights include four-inch house numbers visible from the street, smoke detectors on every level and in every sleeping room, GFCI outlets near water, sump pumps discharging anywhere but the sewer line, a fire-rated door between an attached garage and the house, metal dryer ducts vented outside, handrails on stairways of four or more risers, and pool door alarms where a wall opens to a pool. Unpermitted additions, sheds, pools, and finished basements get flagged, with permits required after the fact.

No. Highland’s zoning ordinance requires permits before construction or development, and West Sadsbury’s section 1006 ties use and occupancy permits to construction under a building permit, changes of use, land use changes, and nonconforming changes. Neither township publishes a resale certificate, an inspection, or a fee tied to a change of ownership. A confirming call when you list takes five minutes; as published, an existing home sells in both townships with no municipal step.

Farm country at Chester County’s southwestern corner, in the Octorara Area School District, where the county’s cheapest acreage meets Lancaster County’s. The stock runs from farmhouses and horse properties to modest singles around Cochranville, and buyers include Lancaster and Delaware commuters, agricultural households, and downsizers consolidating from larger farms. Wells, septic systems, and preserved-farmland easements carry the diligence, and correctly priced properties draw from two counties at once.