Shed permit rules in Lehigh County, PA — also referred to as storage shed, backyard shed, or accessory building regulations — set size limits, setbacks, and when a building permit is required.
Sheds are 'accessory structures' governed by your municipality, not the county. In Allentown residential districts a shed needs a 3-foot setback from side and rear lines, may not sit in the required front yard, and is capped at 15 feet tall.
Allentown Zoning Ordinance §1315.04 controls detached accessory buildings such as sheds. In residential districts a minimum 3-foot setback applies from side and rear lot lines within the required rear yard; a shed may never occupy the required front yard. Maximum height is 15 feet (extra height allowed for extra setback). A storage shed of 150 square feet or less may serve an abutting lot even without a principal building. On residential lots under 15,000 square feet, no more than two accessory buildings are allowed. Under the statewide PA Uniform Construction Code, sheds over 200 square feet also require a building permit; a zoning permit is required regardless of size.
A shed built without a zoning permit or inside a required setback is a zoning violation subject to removal orders and daily fines under the ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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