Bethlehem, PA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Maximum occupancy of a Bethlehem short-term rental is governed by the International Property Maintenance Code, applied through Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code (34 Pa. Code Chapters 401-405) and Bethlehem's rental property registration and inspection program administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development (Housing Inspections). IPMC Section 404.4.1 ('Room area') requires every habitable room to have at least 70 square feet of floor area, IPMC Section 404.4.2 sets minimum bedroom area at 70 sq ft for one occupant plus 50 sq ft for each additional occupant (so a 120-sq-ft bedroom legally sleeps two adults), and IPMC Section 404.5 fixes a 'minimum total area' for the entire dwelling unit based on the total occupants. Children under 12 typically count as one-half person under IPMC. Bethlehem's housing stock includes many older row homes and twins in the Historic District, South Side, and West Bethlehem with small bedrooms, so advertising a Bethlehem home as 'sleeps 10' frequently violates IPMC; inspectors measure rooms during the rental inspection cycle and at any complaint inspection. STR hosts should calculate the legal maximum by adding the bedroom-by-bedroom occupancy and confirming the result against the IPMC dwelling-total area floor. The Code Official has authority under IPMC §108 to order an overcrowded unit vacated until corrected.