Allentown, PA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Allentown's weed regulation sits in Chapter 393 (Neighborhood Improvement). The code's definition of weeds reaches all rank vegetable growth, including but not limited to grass, ragweed, dandelion, and miscellaneous other vegetation commonly referred to as weeds or brush which exhale unpleasant noxious odors or pollen, or which may conceal filthy deposits or serve as breeding places for mosquitoes, other insects, or vermin. No owner, possessor, or responsible agent of real estate may allow weeds to grow above 10 inches anywhere on a lot or tract within the City, and the same limit applies to the abutting tree well, sidewalk, curbline, and planter strip.

It is the owner's duty to cut the weeds to prevent such growth. The public officer is only required to notify the owner once per calendar year before the City or its contractors cut the property. Because these weed provisions are part of the broader Neighborhood Improvement / Property Maintenance enforcement scheme, costs of City abatement are charged back to the property owner.