Bethlehem's Landscaping Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles landscaping rules a little differently. In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Grass Height Limits

Bethlehem caps grass and noxious-weed growth at one (1) foot under Article 1161.07(b) of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Bethlehem (https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/CityOfBethlehem/media/Ordinance-PDFs/ARTICLE1161.pdf). The limit applies on any lot within the corporate limits when weeds are within 200 feet of any building or public right-of-way. Article 1161 defines 'Noxious Weeds' as all grasses, annual plants, and vegetation, excluding cultivated flowers, gardens, trees, and shrubs.

Key details: Controlling Article: Bethlehem Article 1161.07(b). Height Limit: 1 foot (12 inches). Trigger Distance: Within 200 ft of building/ROW. Enforcement: Bethlehem Bureau of Health. Lien Penalty: Cost + 20% (Art. 1161.09).

Article 1161.09 authorizes the Bureau of Health to engage labor and materials necessary to abate after notice and add a twenty percent (20%) penalty, then certify the cost to the City Solicitor for entry as a lien in the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton or Lehigh County, collected as a municipal claim. Article 1161.99 sets escalating fines: $100 first violation, $250 second, $500 third, and $1,000 fourth-and-subsequent, each with up to 30-90 days imprisonment.

Tree Trimming

Trimming any tree on a public area in Bethlehem requires a permit from the Director of Public Works under Article 910.04 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Bethlehem (https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/CityOfBethlehem/media/Ordinance-PDFs/ARTICLE0910.pdf), with a $25 application fee under 910.05(b) and an arborist license under 910.10. Trees wholly on private property and outside the public right-of-way are not subject to Article 910's permit requirement. Pennsylvania common-law self-help allows trimming a neighbor's overhanging branches up to the property line.

Key details: Controlling Article: Bethlehem Article 910 (Trees). Permit Required For: Any work on public-area trees. Application Fee: $25 (Art. 910.05(b)). Arborist License: Required (Art. 910.10). Maximum Fine: $1,000 + 90 days (Art. 910.99).

Pruning a public-area tree without an Article 910.04 permit, or without holding the Article 910.10 Arborist License, is a code violation. Article 910.99 sets the penalty schedule: $200 first violation (or 30 days), $500 second violation (or 60 days), and $1,000 third-and-subsequent violation (or 90 days), or both. Article 910.08(m) imposes a minimum fine of $1,000 per tree where unauthorized work necessitates removal, with both the abutting property owner and the person performing the work jointly and severally liable, plus restitution including replacement tree(s). License revocation under 910.10 is available for safety-rule violations.

Weed Ordinances

Weed control in Bethlehem combines local Article 1161.07 (Health Nuisances — Noxious Weeds Defined) with Pennsylvania's statewide Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Act of 2017 (Act 46 of 2017, codified at 3 Pa.C.S. §§1501-1562), which replaced the prior framework at 3 P.S. §255 et seq. Locally, the one-foot height ceiling within 200 feet of a building or ROW applies. Statewide, the PA Department of Agriculture maintains Class A, B, and C noxious-weed lists. Running bamboo is separately regulated under Article 1161.07(c).

Key details: Local Authority: Bethlehem Article 1161.07. Local Height Limit: 1 foot within 200 ft of building/ROW. Running Bamboo Rule: Art. 1161.07(c) — 20 ft setback + barrier. State Noxious Weed Law: 3 Pa.C.S. Ch. 12 (Act 46 of 2017). State Administering Body: PA Controlled Plant & Noxious Weed Cmte..

Failure to abate after Article 1161 notice triggers Bureau of Health-performed mowing under 1161.09 with the cost plus a 20% penalty filed as a lien in the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton or Lehigh County. Article 1161.99 fines escalate $100/$250/$500/$1,000 across first through fourth-and-subsequent violations. Maintaining running bamboo in violation of 1161.07(c) is a summary offense. Statewide violations of 3 Pa.C.S. Chapter 12 (sale, cultivation, or distribution of Class A noxious weeds) are subject to PA Department of Agriculture civil penalties and destruction orders separately from local enforcement.

Water Restrictions

The City of Bethlehem owns its water supply through the Bethlehem Authority, drawing from Pocono Mountain reservoirs holding approximately 10 billion gallons across roughly 23,000 acres of protected watershed. Article 911 (Water Regulations) authorizes the City to request voluntary conservation and, if needed, to impose mandatory restrictions during a supply shortage. Statewide drought stages — Watch, Warning, Emergency — are declared by PA DEP under the Pennsylvania Drought Emergency Act (35 Pa.C.S. and 4 Pa. Code Chapter 119). Mandatory measures attach only at a gubernatorial Drought Emergency.

Key details: Water Source: Pocono reservoirs (~10B gallons). Watershed: ~23,000 protected acres. Local Authority: Bethlehem Article 911 (Water Regs.). State Framework: 35 Pa.C.S. + 4 Pa. Code Ch. 119. Drought Stages: Watch / Warning / Emergency.

Article 911 violations carry $200 / $500 / $1,000 fines on a first/second/third-and-subsequent schedule (30/60/90 days imprisonment), and the City reserves the right to shut off service after due notice and cancel the customer contract. A statewide Drought Emergency under 35 Pa.C.S. and 4 Pa. Code Chapter 119 is enforced by PA DEP civil-administrative penalties and summary fines prosecuted before the Magisterial District Court (typically $100-$300 first offense). Essential uses (firefighting, healthcare, construction-site dust control) remain permitted. The Bethlehem Authority and the Department of Water and Sewer Resources can additionally impose tariff-based surcharges.

The rules around water restrictions in Bethlehem lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Tree removal in Bethlehem is governed by Article 910 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Bethlehem (https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/CityOfBethlehem/media/Ordinance-PDFs/ARTICLE0910.pdf). No person may remove any tree on a public area without a permit from the Director of Public Works under 910.04(a), with a $25 application fee under 910.05(b). Article 910.04(b) authorizes the Director to require replacement plantings as a condition of the permit. Unauthorized removal of a public tree carries a minimum $1,000 fine per tree under 910.08(m), with the abutting owner and the actor jointly and severally liable.

Key details: Controlling Article: Bethlehem Article 910 (Trees). Public-Area Removal: Director of Public Works permit required. Application Fee: $25 (Art. 910.05(b)). Unauthorized Removal Fine: $1,000 minimum/tree (Art. 910.08(m)). Private Hazard Removal: Generally exempt outside ROW.

Article 910.99 sets the base penalty schedule: $200 first violation (or 30 days), $500 second (or 60 days), $1,000 third-and-subsequent (or 90 days), or both. Article 910.08(m) imposes an enhanced minimum fine of $1,000 per tree where unauthorized work necessitates removal of a tree on public property, with both the abutting property owner and the person responsible held jointly and severally liable, plus restitution including replacement tree(s). Article 910.04(f) authorizes the City to plant required replacements at the owner's expense with a $300 administration fee plus actual costs. Article 910.17 authorizes lien-backed assessment for public-improvement tree costs under the Third Class City Code §§4503-A through 4508-A.

Native Plants

The City of Bethlehem does not mandate native-plant landscaping on residential property. The Bureau of Urban Forestry maintains an approved street-tree list emphasizing species suited to the Lehigh Valley climate, and the City coordinates with the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Lehigh County and PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry for native-plant guidance. Pennsylvania's Right to Farm Act (3 P.S. §951-957) protects qualifying agricultural operations from nuisance suits raised more than one year after operations began.

Key details: Residential Mandate: None — voluntary. Approved Street-Tree List: Bethlehem Bureau of Urban Forestry. Right to Farm Act: 3 P.S. §951-957. Local Recognition: Tree City USA (30+ years). Resources: PA DCNR + Penn State Extension.

The City of Bethlehem imposes no penalties on homeowners for choosing non-native landscaping. A neglected lot can still be cited under Article 1161.07 (Noxious Weeds) for growth over one foot within 200 feet of a building or public right-of-way, but Article 1161.07(a) excludes cultivated flowers and gardens from the weed definition, distinguishing maintained native plantings from rank neglect. Pennsylvania's Right to Farm Act (3 P.S. §951-957) preempts most nuisance suits against established agricultural operations — including native-meadow and pollinator-habitat operations — when the operation predates the complaint by more than one year.

Bethlehem is more permissive than most cities when it comes to native plants. That said, there are still limits.

Composting

Backyard composting in Bethlehem is permitted and encouraged. The City operates the Bethlehem Yardwaste Facility at 1480 Schoenersville Road, accepting branches up to 4 inches in diameter and 6 feet in length, brush, hedge trimmings, garden residue, leaves in loose or brown paper bags only, and Christmas trees free of tinsel and stands. Mulch and compost are available with a $10 per cubic yard loading fee. PA Act 101 (53 P.S. §4000.101+) requires municipalities over 5,000 population to provide leaf and yard-waste collection. Open burning of leaves is prohibited under 25 Pa. Code §129.14.

Key details: State Mandate: PA Act 101 (53 P.S. §4000.101+). Yardwaste Facility: 1480 Schoenersville Rd.. Branch Size Limit: 4" diameter, 6 ft length. Leaf Bags: Paper or loose only (no plastic). Mulch/Compost Loading: $10 per cubic yard.

Improper composting that creates a documented vermin or odor nuisance is enforceable under Article 1161 (Health Nuisances) with Bureau of Health citation, fines on the 1161.99 schedule ($100/$250/$500/$1,000), and lien abatement under 1161.09 (cost plus 20%). Placing yard waste in trash bound for landfill rather than the yardwaste stream conflicts with PA Act 101 (53 P.S. §4000.1502). Burning leaves or brush violates 25 Pa. Code §129.14 and is enforced by PA DEP and the Bethlehem Bureau of Fire, with residential fines typically up to $300 escalating for commercial open burning.

Bethlehem is more permissive than most cities when it comes to composting. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Bethlehem gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 3 of the 7 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Bethlehem can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.