Can You Put a Porta Potty on a Bethlehem Street? The Right-of-Way Permit, Explained

Do I need a permit to put a porta potty on a Bethlehem street?

Anything placed in the public right-of-way in Bethlehem, including dumpsters, moving pods, containers and portable toilets, needs an Engineering Permit from the Department of Public Works Engineering Bureau. The fee for containers temporarily in the right-of-way is $50, the application requires $1,000,000 of general liability insurance naming the City as additional insured, and it should be filed 24 hours to 30 days before placement.

The form is the Engineering Permit Application; the Engineering Bureau is at 10 E. Church Street, 610-865-7063. The same form covers sidewalk closures, lane restrictions and special events in the right-of-way ($100). The sidewalk itself is almost never approved for a unit because it must stay passable.

What is the December 1 to March 1 rule?

The City bars street and right-of-way openings from December 1 through March 1 except for emergencies, which in practice means no new curb placements of containers during those months. A rehab that starts in January needs the unit on private property: the rear yard, an alley you control, or a neighbor's driveway with written permission.

How do I avoid needing the permit?

Four ways work on most Bethlehem jobs: put the unit in the rear yard or alley (a 43.5-inch PJN3 rolls through a 48-inch gate), use the garage apron or driveway, get written permission for a neighbor's driveway, or set the unit on a jobsite trailer already parked at the curb. On the South Side and in the Historic District, the alley is the answer nine times out of ten.

1. Walk the block. Most rowhomes between Third and Fourth Streets have a rear alley with a gate.
2. Measure the gate. 48 inches clears a standard or deluxe unit; the accessible unit does not fit.
3. Check the ground. Pavers and gravel are fine; a soft bed gets a plywood pad.
4. Tell us the access. Gate code or unlocked on route day; the service truck parks in the alley for eight minutes.

What happens if a unit is placed on the street without a permit?

The City can order it removed and cite the property owner under the Engineering permit rules; the renter, not the hauler, is the responsible party on the application. If you ask us to set a unit at the curb, we will ask for the permit number first. It protects you, and it keeps our truck out of a Code Enforcement conversation.