Buying Land in Columbia County, Pennsylvania

The Susquehanna River Corridor Has Real, Recent Flood History

Case-by-case / verify locally

Tropical Storm Lee's September 2011 flooding set a record crest on the Susquehanna at Bloomsburg (over 32.75 feet), flooded roughly a third of the town, damaged an estimated 2,400 structures, and led to a federal disaster declaration. Bloomsburg has since built a levee and floodwall system with $15 million in federal flood-control funding. Any parcel near the river corridor should be checked against current FEMA flood-zone mapping directly.

Zoning Remains Municipal, Not Countywide

Case-by-case / verify locally

The Commissioners' Office of Planning and Development coordinates countywide planning, but each borough and township -- including Bloomsburg, whose current zoning ordinance dates to the 1970s-80s -- adopts and administers its own zoning independently.

No County Health Department -- Septic Runs Through Local SEOs

Generally favorable

Columbia County is not one of the handful of Pennsylvania counties with its own county health department, so onlot sewage (septic) permitting follows the state default: a DEP-certified Sewage Enforcement Officer, serving the municipality, handles soil testing and permit approval.