Lot coverage in Bethlehem is regulated by the Bethlehem Zoning Ordinance (referenced in the Codified Ordinances on the American Legal portal) and is set district-by-district in the bulk schedule of each zoning district. Higher-density RG, RM and the Central Business District allow much higher building coverage than the lower-density RT and RR districts. Impervious-surface and stormwater impacts on larger projects are reviewed under the City's stormwater ordinance and PA DEP NPDES Phase II MS4 requirements (25 Pa. Code Chapter 102).
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.
Exceeding the lot-coverage maximum in the Bethlehem Zoning Ordinance is a zoning violation; Code Enforcement will not issue a Certificate of Occupancy until the parcel is brought into compliance. The Zoning Office can issue notices of violation and refer cases to the Magisterial District Court for fines (typically up to $1,000 per violation plus costs in PA cities) under the MPC enforcement framework at 53 P.S. Β§10617.2. Failure to comply with the City's stormwater ordinance or the underlying 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 erosion-control requirements is separately enforceable by the Lehigh or Northampton County Conservation District and PA DEP.
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