Fire Regulations in Allentown, PA (2026)
4 verified fire regulations for Allentown, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
The City of Allentown treats a backyard fire pit as a campfire, which requires a permit and a pre-lighting inspection by the Fire Prevention Office. The fire may be in an approved open container or on the ground, must sit at least 25 feet from any structure, and the pile may not exceed 3 feet in diameter or 2 feet in height. Only one burning permit per month per property is allowed and burn time is capped at three hours.
Fire pits need a permit; 25 ft setback, 3 ft max
Heavy RestrictionsCity of Allentown Fire Department, Campfire Permit Regulations (Fire Prevention Code)
The City of Allentown regulations on a specific type of outdoor burning. Campfires require a permit and inspection before lighting. The fire may be in an approved open container or on the ground. A maximum of one (1) burning permit is allowed per month, per property unless authorized by the Fire Chief. Burn time is limited to three (3) hours unless authorized by the Fire Chief. The regulations ...
Fireworks
Pennsylvania's Act 74 of 2022 legalizes consumer fireworks statewide for anyone 18 or older and preempts a total local ban. The City of Allentown's Chapter 291 (Fireworks) restricts use between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., bans discharge within 150 feet of an occupied residential structure, and prohibits fireworks on City-owned property without a special permit from the Fire Marshal.
Consumer fireworks legal, banned 10pm-7am locally
Some RestrictionsPA State Police Fireworks FAQ (Act 74 of 2022, 3 Pa.C.S. Ch. 11); City of Allentown Codified Ord. Ch. 291 (Ord. 15474, 8-15-2018)
Anyone over the age of 18 years can purchase, possess and use consumer fireworks. ... Consumer fireworks cannot be discharged within 150 feet of a building or vehicle regardless if the building or vehicle is owned by the user of the consumer fireworks. ... Consumer fireworks cannot be ignited or discharged on public or private property without express permission of the property owner. ... Consu...
Outdoor Burning
Allentown lies inside the state-designated 'Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton air basin' (25 Pa. Code 121.1), where 25 Pa. Code 129.14 prohibits open burning of material outright. Narrow exceptions exist for cooking food and for fires set solely for recreational or ceremonial purposes, but burning trash, leaves, and yard waste is unlawful. The City layers its own permit-and-inspection requirements on top of the state ban.
Open burning banned in the Allentown air basin
Heavy Restrictions25 Pa. Code 129.14(a), (c); air basin defined at 25 Pa. Code 121.1
No person may permit the open burning of material in an air basin. ... Attachment A. Air basins of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as delimited in 25 Pa. Code 121.1. ... Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton air basin - The following political subdivisions in Lehigh County: City of Allentown, City of Bethlehem, Catasauqua Borough, Coplay Borough, Emmaus Borough, Fountain Hill Borough, Hanover Township,...
Smoke Detectors
Allentown's rental-licensing code makes it an occupant's legal duty, not just the landlord's, to keep a unit's smoke detector working: § 455-5.D bars any tenant from tampering with or interfering with a smoke detector's operation or effectiveness. Disabling one can also count as 'disruptive conduct' under the same chapter, a status that can trigger eviction proceedings and put the property's rental license at risk.
Allentown Renters Can't Disable Smoke Detectors
Some RestrictionsAllentown, PA Code of Ordinances § 455-5.D (Ch. 455, Property Maintenance Code, Art. II, Licensing Residential Rental Units)
The occupant(s) shall not tamper with or interfere with the operation or effectiveness of any smoke detector. Every occupant shall maintain in a clean and sanitary condition that part of the dwelling, dwelling or rooming unit, sleeping unit and yard which he occupies and controls. Every occupant of a dwelling containing a single dwelling unit shall be responsible for the extermination of any in...
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