Before You Build in Allentown, PA: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Allentown defines a fence as a 'structure,' and Section 1305.02 requires a Zoning Permit from the Zoning Officer before the construction or placement of any structure. Temporary construction-site fences and qualifying retaining walls are exempt from the fence regulations; pool barriers are governed by the building code.

Pennsylvania has no “Good Neighbor Fence Act.” Each property owner is responsible for their own fence. Common law governs boundary disputes.

In Allentown's neighborhood (residential) zones, fences and walls in a required front setback may not exceed 4 feet, except open-design fences with a solid-to-open ratio of 1:1 or less (picket, split rail, wrought iron) may reach 6 feet; fences outside the front setback may not exceed 6 feet. In all other zones, front-setback fences may reach 10 feet.

Allentown requires pool barriers meeting safety codes to prevent drowning. Fences must be at least 4 to 5 feet tall with self-closing, self-latching gates.

Allentown requires permits for retaining walls above a certain height, typically 4 feet. Engineering review may be required for taller walls.

A City of Allentown building permit is required before installing any indoor or outdoor hot tub, spa, above-ground or in-ground swimming pool, and any pool (including inflatables) 24 inches or more in depth; plans must be approved by the city Bureaus before construction begins.

Allentown's Chapter 556 is silent on fencing, so pool barriers are set by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, which adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (34 Pa. Code Sec. 403.26(a)): the barrier must be at least 48 inches high, leave no more than 2 inches of ground clearance, block a 4-inch sphere, and pedestrian gates must be self-closing and self-latching.

Allentown regulates hot tub and spa installation including electrical permits, barrier requirements, and placement rules.

Allentown regulates above-ground pools including permit requirements, setbacks, and barrier standards. Pools over a certain depth or capacity typically require permits.

PA enforces pool safety through the UCC and federal VGB Act. Anti-entrapment drain covers and pool barriers required. Building code inspections mandatory.

Allentown expressly allows accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on lots occupied by a single dwelling unit. An ADU may not exceed 800 square feet or 40% of the principal dwelling's floor area (whichever is less), only one is allowed per lot, at least one unit on the lot must be owner-occupied, and the combined floor area of the principal unit plus the ADU must total at least 1,750 square feet.

Allentown allows a detached garage or other outbuilding to be converted to living space as an accessory dwelling unit: an ADU may be created by converting space within an existing outbuilding on a lot occupied by a single principal dwelling, subject to the Section 660-42 ADU rules. Finishing a garage and any change of use require building permits, an outbuilding occupied by an ADU must sit on a permanent foundation, and the converted ADU may not exceed 800 sq ft or 40% of the principal dwelling, whichever is less.

In Allentown a storage shed is an accessory structure that generally may not exceed 15 feet in height, may not stand in any front yard, and must be set back at least 3 feet from side and rear lot lines and 10 feet from any street lot line (unless the Article 4 outbuilding tables set a specific figure). A shed of 150 square feet or less may sit on an abutting commonly owned lot. A detached shed not attached to a one- or two-family dwelling or townhouse, or any shed 1,000 sq ft or larger, requires a building permit.

Allentown requires permits for carport construction. Setback requirements, height limits, and lot coverage maximums apply.

Allentown regulates tiny homes differently based on whether they are on a permanent foundation or on wheels. Zoning and minimum square footage requirements apply.

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.

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.

In Allentown, the owner of property abutting a public right-of-way is responsible for the care and maintenance of any shade (street) tree growing in that right-of-way. A City permit from the Department of Public Works is required before pruning, removing, planting, stump-grinding, or applying pesticide/fertilizer to a street tree, and all work must follow the City's Arboricultural Specifications and Standards of Practice under Article 911 of the 1962 Codified Ordinances.

Allentown has no permanent day-of-week or time-of-day lawn-watering ordinance. Outdoor watering is restricted only when the Governor declares a drought emergency, at which point Pennsylvania's statewide nonessential-water-use ban (4 Pa. Code Chapter 119) prohibits watering grass except for narrow exceptions. The Lehigh County Authority (LCA), which supplies Allentown, issues its own voluntary or mandatory conservation requests tied to the state drought status.

Allentown regulates tree removal on private property through permits and size thresholds. Street trees are city-managed and cannot be removed by residents.