Act 537 Sewage
Facilities
Planning Authorizations
The Act 537 Program
On January 24, 1966, the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537, as
amended) was enacted to correct existing sewage disposal problems and prevent
future problems. To meet this objective, the Act requires proper planning in all
types of sewage disposal situations. Local municipalities are largely
responsible for administering the Act 537 sewage facilities program. To assist
local municipalities in fulfilling this responsibility, the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) provides technical assistance, financial
assistance, and oversight.
The Planning Process
Municipalities are required to develop and implement comprehensive official
plans that provide for the resolution of existing sewage disposal problems,
provide for the future sewage disposal needs of new land development; and
provide for future sewage disposal needs of the municipality. This official plan
is sometimes called the "base" plan or the "Act 537 plan." When
a new land development project is proposed, municipalities are required to
revise their official plan (unless the project is exempt from planning).
The Planning Forms
The following forms and their supporting documentation are used in the
process of revising an official plan. The Planning Module Application Mailer
is the first step in this process and must be submitted
for all new land development projects. The mailer information is used
by DEP to determine whether sewage facilities' planning is required and, if so,
what type of planning is appropriate for a project. The Planning Module
Component forms located on the following pages are provided as examples of
the instructions and the type of information required for the planning process.
The appropriate planning module forms will be provided by DEP either in paper or
downloadable format in response to the completed Planning Module Application
Mailer. Use only the most current planning forms for
your submission. If there has been a project delay since planning
forms were obtained from DEP, be sure to verify the forms originally received
remain the most current forms available. In all cases, local municipal involvement is required,
do not submit completed planning module forms directly to DEP without municipal
coordination.
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