Allentown, PA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Allentown's 2026 zoning code, adopted as Ordinance No. 16166 on October 15, 2025, allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, but § 660-42.C(11) closes off the short-term rental market entirely: on lots with an accessory dwelling unit, neither the principal unit nor the accessory unit may be used as a short-term rental. The ban applies to both dwellings on the lot, not just the ADU, so a homeowner who adds a backyard cottage cannot then list the main house on a nightly-rental platform either.

The restriction is locked in before construction even starts. Under § 660-42.C(12), the property owner must file an affidavit with the Zoning Officer and record a deed restriction agreeing to comply with the owner-occupancy, rental, and other ADU restrictions, and to notify every future buyer of the requirement. That deed restriction runs with the land, binding heirs, assigns, and any later owner, so the short-term rental ban survives a sale of the property.

Enforcement flows through the Zoning Officer under § 660-123. Because the deed restriction and affidavit are conditions of the ADU permit, discovering a short-term listing gives the City grounds to revoke the ADU permit under § 660-123.C(1)(a) or (d) for misrepresentation or a permit-condition violation, in addition to standard civil enforcement that can produce a judgment of up to $500 plus court costs and the City's attorney fees, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.