Lehigh County requires no on-site host. Allentown mandates on-site presence only for specific uses: a Bed and Breakfast owner/operator must live on-site, and ADU lots require a record owner to occupy a unit. Ordinary STRs typically need a reachable local contact.
The county sets no host-presence rule. In Allentown, whether someone must be on-site depends on the use. A Bed and Breakfast Inn requires the primary owner/operator to live on-site, and any lot with an accessory dwelling unit must have at least one unit occupied by a record owner as a permanent residence. For ordinary short-term rentals, the zoning ordinance does not require the host to sleep on-site, but the city's rental licensing program expects a responsible local contact who can respond to problems, and good practice is to provide guests a 24/7 phone number. Requirements differ across Lehigh County's boroughs and townships, so verify locally before assuming remote, un-hosted operation is allowed.
Operating a Bed and Breakfast or ADU without the required resident owner is a zoning violation; unreachable hosts risk nuisance enforcement and license issues.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Lehigh County, PA
Pennsylvania sets no numeric hoarding limit, but the state's animal-neglect law makes it a crime to keep animals without providing each one adequate food, wa...
Lehigh County, PA
Pennsylvania Game Commission regulations make it unlawful to intentionally feed bear or elk anywhere in the Commonwealth, including Lehigh County. Feeding th...
Lehigh County, PA
Home composting is permitted in Lehigh County; Pennsylvania's Act 101 encourages diverting yard waste. There is no county composting permit. Keep piles maint...
Lehigh County, PA
Lehigh County sets no rule on artificial turf. Whether synthetic grass is allowed, and any limits on impervious coverage or front-yard use, depends on your m...
Lehigh County, PA
No Lehigh County rule limits native plantings, and Pennsylvania encourages them. The catch is Allentown's 10-inch weed limit: a deliberate, maintained native...
Lehigh County, PA
Pennsylvania has no law restricting rainwater collection, and Lehigh County imposes none. Homeowners may install rain barrels and cisterns for non-potable us...
See how Lehigh County's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.