Bethlehem, PA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

The Bethlehem Zoning Ordinance sets maximum building coverage and (where applicable) impervious coverage as part of the bulk schedule for each zoning district. The RT and RR districts - Bethlehem's lower-density single-family detached zones - have stricter coverage limits, while the RG and RM Residential Districts and the Central Business District allow much higher building coverage consistent with the City's traditional rowhouse and downtown street wall, including the historic Moravian core. Stormwater controls for earth-disturbance projects are reviewed by the City under its locally adopted stormwater management ordinance (drafted under the PA Stormwater Management Act, Act 167, and the applicable Lehigh River and Monocacy Creek Act 167 Watershed Stormwater Management Plans) and PA DEP NPDES Phase II MS4 requirements at 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 (Erosion and Sediment Control). Projects over one acre of earth disturbance require a separate PA DEP / Lehigh County or Northampton County Conservation District NPDES permit. The City's Floodplain Overlay - significant along the Lehigh River and Monocacy Creek - adds further limits on impervious coverage and building footprint in mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas. Lot-coverage compliance is verified at building-permit application via plot plan and again at field inspection by Code Enforcement.