This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Harris Township Zoning Ordinance."
This chapter is enacted and ordained under the grant of powers by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act of 1968, July 31, P.L. 805, as amended, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
This chapter is enacted for the following purposes:
A. 
To promote, protect, and facilitate public health, safety, morals, general welfare, coordinated and practical community development, proper density of population, civil defense, disaster evacuation, airports and national defense facilities, the provision of adequate light and air, police protection, vehicle parking and loading space, transportation, water, sewerage, schools, public grounds, and other public requirements.
B. 
To prevent the following: overcrowding of land, blight, danger and congestion in travel and transportation, loss of health, life, or property from fire, flood, panic, or other dangers. This chapter is made in accordance with the Harris Township Comprehensive Plan, and with consideration of the character of the Township, its various parts, and the suitability of the various parts for particular uses and structures.
The community development objectives of this chapter are the goals, objectives, and policies of the Harris Township Comprehensive Plan, as applicable to the purposes of this chapter.
In their interpretation and application, the regulations set by this chapter within each district shall be held to be minimum requirements adopted for the promotion of the purposes of this chapter and shall apply with uniformity to each class of use or structure:
A. 
Types of control. The following regulations shall apply in the respective districts: use regulations, including primary and accessory uses; lot requirements, including size, width, and coverage; setback requirements for front, side, and rear yards; maximum height requirements; and supplemental regulations.
B. 
New lots, uses, and structures. In all districts after the effective date of this chapter, any new lot, use, or structure shall be constructed, developed, and used only in accordance with the regulations specified for each district.
C. 
Existing lots, uses, and structures. In all districts after the effective date of this chapter, any existing lot, use, or structure which is not in conformity with the regulations for the district in which it is located shall be deemed as nonconforming, and subject to the regulations of Article VIII.
D. 
Relationship with other restrictions. The provisions of this chapter are not intended to interfere with, abrogate, or annul other rules, regulations, or ordinances, provided that where this chapter imposes a greater restriction than that imposed by such other rules, easements, covenants, restrictions, regulations, or ordinances, the provisions of this chapter shall control.
E. 
Exemptions. This chapter shall not apply to any lot, use, or structure which is owned or leased by the Township of Harris, or which is exempted from zoning regulations by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., or other laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.