In February 2026, the Warwick Township Zoning Hearing Board heard a case about in-law quarters on a property in Brunnerville. The space was built in 1922 as a summer kitchen. By the time of the hearing it held a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen, and it had already been approved as in-law quarters. The owner wanted to turn it into a separate apartment. The lot was under the township's 10,000-square-foot minimum for that kind of conversion, so the owner asked for a variance.
The board granted it. The township zoning officer then explained that the variance only covered lot size. In the Mixed Use zone, the Board of Supervisors approves the second unit itself, so the owner still had another approval to get. One space, one property, and two public bodies before a second unit could be rented.
About seven weeks before that hearing, a few minutes away, Lititz Borough Council voted to drop that kind of review for accessory apartments inside the borough. Both places share the same mailing address. So when you look at a "Lititz" house with an old garage or a summer kitchen out back, the municipality decides what that building could become.
What the borough changed in December 2025
On December 23, 2025, Lititz Borough Council unanimously passed Ordinance C-622, a text amendment to the R-A district. According to the council minutes, the amendment permits accessory apartments by right in all zoning districts. It also rewrites the R-A district to regulate both new single-family and new multifamily homes, clarifies setbacks, and makes several housekeeping changes.
Councilmember Ken Mobley said the change would allow more flexibility in developing the R-A land still available. Councilmember Mary Gattis said the borough had approved many accessory apartments by special exception over the years, so permitting them by right made sense. Nobody from the public commented, and the vote was unanimous.
Not every account describes the change the same way. LancasterOnline's recap of that meeting said council approved an amendment "to regulate accessory apartments in the R-A district," which is narrower than the minutes. The official minutes, which say "all Zoning Districts," are the more specific record of what council voted on. The borough's zoning office is the place to confirm how the adopted text reads today.
Before C-622, the process looked very different. The borough's zoning ordinance, in a version marked as amended May 29, 2025, said in Section 416 that "the Zoning Hearing Board may approve Accessory Apartments as special exceptions" in the R-1, R-2, R-2A, R-A, R-S, Commercial, Industrial, and Office and Professional districts. A special exception means a public hearing, notice, and a board decision. By right means the use is allowed as long as the standards are met.
The standards that came along with the old rule
The ordinance defines an accessory apartment as "an independent living unit with provisions within the unit for cooking, eating, sanitation and sleeping." It also says the units "may be within, attached to, or freestanding of the principal use." Freestanding units were already contemplated before C-622. What changed is the route to approval.
The 2025 text of Section 416 attached these conditions:
- Habitable floor area of no more than 700 square feet
- One accessory apartment per single-family dwelling
- The apartment may only continue as long as the principal building is occupied by a permitted use or a use allowed by special exception
- The lot has to meet the district's minimum lot area, and where a zone has no minimum, the applicant has to show there is enough space for the apartment
- The main house's exterior character can't depart from its primary features, and a freestanding unit has to complement the main building and district under the Form-Based Code
- One additional off-street parking space per accessory apartment
We weren't able to find a consolidated ordinance that shows the text after C-622. These are the standards that applied under the special-exception system, and they are the best published guide to the general shape of the rules. The exact current wording should come from the borough.
The parking requirement and the 700-square-foot cap rule out more properties than you might expect. On a narrow lot near downtown with no room for another off-street space, the by-right change may not help much. On a deeper lot with a driveway and an outbuilding, it matters a great deal.
Why the 1940s garage counts for more after August 2026
Eight months after C-622, council took a second step. On August 25, 2026, Borough Council unanimously approved Ordinance 628, which the minutes describe as a zoning amendment covering downtown solar, accessory structure demolition, and housekeeping items.
The Lancaster County Planning review of that amendment explains why the borough wanted it. Before the change, demolishing any accessory structure rated Class I or II in the 2008 Lititz Historic Resources Inventory required conditional-use approval. The county review says most of the accessory structures in that inventory are detached garages built in the 1940s with little historic significance, and that many garages from that era can't fit modern vehicles. Council had heard roughly six to eight of these conditional-use hearings and approved demolition every time.
The proposal let those accessory structures be demolished without conditional-use approval. It also added a reference to detached accessory apartments in the section on detached accessory buildings, and it permitted solar panels in the Historic Resource Protection Overlay District when they aren't visible from a public way and won't damage historic materials such as slate roofs. County planning staff recommended approval.
Taken together, the two ordinances change the math on a common Lititz lot. Picture a borough house with a single-bay garage that a current car barely fits into. That garage used to be a historic-review question and a special-exception question. Now the demolition review and the apartment hearing have both been streamlined. One caveat: the Ordinance 628 minutes summarize the adopted changes without separately confirming that the detached-apartment cross-reference made it into the final text.
The borough has been moving in this direction for a while. In June 2026, council approved a land development plan for a twin building behind 360 N. Broad Street, which brings the rental units across 358 and 360 N. Broad to eight. Councilmember Gattis thanked the applicant for building more housing, and council member Hain said the number of waivers the plan needed reflected its nature as infill.
Across the township line, every route still goes through a hearing
Warwick Township's zoning ordinance, Chapter 340, has three possible routes to a second unit. None of them is by right.
| Route | Where it applies | Approval needed | Key conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lititz Borough accessory apartment | All borough zoning districts, per Dec. 2025 minutes | By right under Ord. C-622 | 2025 text: 700 sq ft max, one per single-family dwelling, one extra parking space |
| Warwick conversion apartment | MU and LC zones | Conditional use | 10,000 sq ft minimum lot, one apartment added within a single-family detached dwelling that existed when the chapter took effect, at least four off-street spaces |
| Warwick accessory building conversion | VO zone | Special exception | Accessory building of an owner-occupied single-family dwelling, converted into one dwelling |
| Warwick ECHO housing | A zone | Special exception | Portable elder cottage, 900 sq ft max, removed after qualifying occupancy ends |
The conversion apartment section, § 340-65, also requires proof of approved water and sewage systems. It bars exterior changes that would alter the building's residential character, except fire escapes. Units on a second or third story need their own exterior means of escape, and any required land development approvals have to be obtained. Its amendment notes date to 1997 and 2010. The 10,000-square-foot minimum is the requirement the Brunnerville applicant had to get relief from.
The ECHO housing section, § 340-67, is the most restrictive. Under the ordinance, the elder cottage "shall only be occupied by at least one person who is at least 50 years old, handicapped or disabled, and is related to the occupants of the principal dwelling by blood, marriage or adoption," and by no more than two people. The cottage has to connect to the main house's utilities, sit in a side or rear yard, and come with one extra all-weather parking space. It operates under a temporary zoning permit that is reviewed every 12 months for a renewal fee. It must be removed within three months after a qualifying occupant no longer lives there. An ECHO cottage is temporary by design, which makes it a very different thing from a permanent accessory apartment in the borough.
Questions to answer before you count a second unit as part of the price
If an outbuilding, a garage, or a finished space with a kitchen is part of why a house appeals to you, these questions sort out what you're actually paying for:
- Is the parcel in Lititz Borough or Warwick Township? The mailing address won't tell you. The tax record or the municipality will.
- If it's in the borough, what does the current adopted text require? Ask the zoning office for the post-C-622 standards on size, parking, and lot area rather than relying on the older Section 416.
- If it's in the township, which zone is the parcel in? MU, LC, VO, and A each have a different route, and other zones may have none.
- Has an existing unit already been approved? The Brunnerville in-law quarters had approval as in-law quarters, and turning it into a rentable apartment was a separate application.
- Does the lot have room for the extra parking? The borough's 2025 text required one more space, and a Warwick conversion requires four on site.
These questions are about how the approval process works. They aren't a ruling on any particular property. The municipality's zoning officer gives the authoritative answer for a specific parcel.
FAQ
Can I rent out an accessory apartment in Lititz Borough? The 2025 Section 416 text we reviewed doesn't include an owner-occupancy or family-only requirement. We couldn't verify the current post-amendment text, though, so confirm with the borough before assuming any use is allowed.
Is Lititz considering other housing-related zoning changes? The borough Planning Commission's February 2026 list of possible amendments included accessory apartments, parking standards, and data center provisions. In March, the commission tabled parking standards for a separate update.
Does the borough change affect townhouse projects? C-622 also rewrote the R-A district. LancasterOnline reported that in May 2025, a 4-3 vote with Mayor Timothy Snyder breaking the tie rezoned about an acre behind St. Luke's United Church of Christ on North Walnut Street to R-A, and the developer's representative estimated 10 to 11 townhouses there. As of that report, no plans had been developed. The LancasterOnline report has the full account.
If a backyard building is part of why you like a Lititz house, The Steve Hammond Team can help you find out which municipality and zone it sits in before you write an offer, so you know whether the second unit you're picturing is a by-right option or a hearing. Schedule a free consultation and bring the address.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
