Allentown, PA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

City Code § 615-56, part of Article XIII (Stopping, Standing and Parking) of Chapter 615, bars parking, stopping, standing or drifting a vehicle to conceal an officer's chalk mark, or simply sitting without active loading activity, for more than 20 minutes in a marked loading zone or more than 5 minutes in a five-minute zone. Enforcement is tied to the chalk-mark method: officers mark tires or note arrival times, and a vehicle that lingers past the time limit without genuine loading or unloading in progress is in violation regardless of why it's still there.

The loading-zone limit sits alongside other Article XIII prohibitions enforced the same way, including bans on blocking a garage entrance, greasing or repairing a vehicle on a street, and washing a vehicle on a street or sidewalk. Under § 615-58G, a loading-zone violation is treated seriously enough that the vehicle is subject to immediate towing in addition to a written notice placed on the vehicle, distinguishing it from ordinary parking infractions that are ticketed but not automatically towed. A vehicle cited twice for a loading-zone or handicapped-parking violation within one year is towed automatically on the third citation under § 615-58L, with the owner responsible for all towing, storage and impound costs before release.