Bethlehem's rental inspection program is run by Housing Inspections in the Department of Community and Economic Development. Inspectors apply the International Property Maintenance Code as adopted by the City to confirm habitable conditions, on a rotation cycle and on tenant complaint.
Housing Inspections at 10 East Church Street pairs Bethlehem's Rental Registration Program with a periodic and complaint-driven inspection cycle. The applied standard is the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) as adopted in the Codified Ordinances. Inspectors check working smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms (required statewide by PA Act 121 of 2014 in homes with fossil-fuel appliances or attached garages), egress windows in sleeping rooms, intact electrical service, working heat, hot and cold water, sound roofs and walls, secure handrails, and freedom from infestation. Pre-1978 units must comply with federal lead-paint disclosure (42 U.S.C. §4852d). Bethlehem's older South Side and historic Moravian-district housing stock makes lead and structural items especially relevant. Tenants may request complaint inspections; landlords get written notice and may attend.
Refusing scheduled-inspection entry, renting a unit declared unfit, missing the compliance deadline, or re-renting a placarded unit violates the Codified Ordinances. Citations go to Lehigh or Northampton County MDJ Court with escalating fines. Defective units may be placarded under IPMC §108.
Bethlehem, PA
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