Allentown, PA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 545-42 of the Codified Ordinances bars any permanent obstruction in the right-of-way of a public thoroughfare except as the article allows. Subsection A permits existing steps, open porches and awnings essential for access, so long as they do not extend more than five feet (on streets 60 feet or wider) or more than one-third of the sidewalk width (on narrower streets) beyond the property line, plus tree well surrounds up to 18 inches tall. Subsection B lists permissible encroachments subject to Bureau of Building Safety and Standards approval: steps, porches, planters, fences, building projections and utility service structures such as bus shelters.

These may not exceed one-third of the sidewalk area measured from the property line, and may never narrow the remaining clear sidewalk to less than five feet. Three City reviewers must sign off: designees of the Bureau of Engineering, the Bureau of Code Enforcement, and the Bureau of Traffic Planning and Control. The encroachment cannot impede pedestrian or vehicular flow, block light or air to neighboring property, or represent a significant variance from what already exists on the block, and in a historic district it also needs Board of Historical Architectural Review approval.

Approved owners must sign a compliance contract with the City, which reserves the right to order removal at the owner's expense on 30 days' written notice. Anything not permitted under Subsection B can still be authorized by City Council resolution under Subsection C.