Allentown, PA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Allentown, PA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Code Section
- 4 Pa. Code Chapter 119 (esp. Section 119.4)
- Permanent local watering ban
- None in Allentown city code
- Trigger
- Governor-declared drought emergency
- Allowed grass watering hours (emergency)
- 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., hand-held only, for new seed/sod
- Water supplier
- Lehigh County Authority (LCA)
- Statutory authority
- 35 Pa.C.S. (Emergency Management Services Code)
Summary
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.
Whenever the Governor declares by proclamation or executive order a state of drought or water shortage emergency in an area of this Commonwealth, the following water uses shall be deemed nonessential and are prohibited within areas that have been declared to be in a state of drought or water shortage emergency, including within any public water supply agency's service area for which a source of water is located within the designated drought emergency area: (1) The use of any water for watering of grass, except: ... (ii) Water may be used to establish and maintain newly seeded and sodded grass areas when applied between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. by means of a bucket, can or hand held hose equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
Full Breakdown
Allentown does not impose permanent calendar-based lawn-watering limits. Instead, mandatory outdoor-watering restrictions are triggered by Pennsylvania's drought-emergency framework. Under 4 Pa. ), professional landscaper work, brief irrigation-system testing (15 minutes per zone), and one-time grub control. 4(3) applies the same evening-only, hand-watering rule to outdoor gardens, landscaped areas, trees, shrubs and other outdoor plants. S. The PA Department of Environmental Protection administers the drought-declaration system (Normal, Drought Watch, Drought Warning, Drought Emergency); only a Drought Emergency carries enforceable statewide restrictions. For Allentown specifically, water service is provided by the Lehigh County Authority, which monitors DEP drought status and asks customers to voluntarily reduce use (for example, a 5% voluntary reduction during a Drought Watch) and can impose tighter limits during a declared emergency.
Violations & Fines
During a declared drought emergency, violations of the statewide nonessential-water-use ban are summary offenses under 4 Pa. Code Chapter 119 and the Emergency Management Services Code (35 Pa.C.S. Section 7707), enforceable by law enforcement. Outside an emergency, LCA conservation requests are generally voluntary unless LCA imposes contractual or tariff-based restrictions on its customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there set days I can water my lawn in Allentown?
Can I water my lawn during a drought emergency?
Who sets watering rules for Allentown residents?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Allentown
How Allentown compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Allentown to another location·View the Pennsylvania landscaping rules overview
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