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    Pennsylvania

    Lehman Township, Pennsylvania short-term rental rules

    Overview

    Lehman Township adopted a detailed short-term rental permit ordinance in 2018 and the township now states that new short-term rentals are not permitted in residential zones. That combination matters more than any single requirement: an existing permitted rental and a new purchase are not in the same position.

    Areas covered: Lehman Township, Pike County, Bushkill area within the township · Last verified

    Verified requirements for Lehman Township, Pennsylvania

    Each item below was read from the official document cited with it. Nothing here is generic guidance.

    1. prohibition

      Any new short-term rentals are not permitted in any residential zone in Lehman Township.

      Source: Lehman Township — Short-Term Rentals (official page) (opens in a new tab) · Short-Term Rentals (page body text) · Verified

    2. taxes

      Pennsylvania's 6% state hotel occupancy tax applies to short-term rentals of less than 30 days in Lehman Township (Luzerne County), collected via the state Department of Revenue.

      Source: PA Department of Revenue — Home-sharing/Third-party Broker Rentals (opens in a new tab) · Home-sharing/Third-party Broker Rentals · Verified

    3. Permit required before renting or advertising

      Rentals of 2 to 30 nights require a township-issued permit before the property is rented or advertised.

      Source: Lehman Township Ordinance No. 135 (short-term rentals) (opens in a new tab) · § 104 · Verified

    4. New short-term rentals not permitted in residential zones

      The township's current short-term rental page states that new short-term rentals are not permitted in any residential zone.

      Source: Lehman Township — Short-Term Rentals (opens in a new tab) · Short-Term Rentals · Verified

    5. Inspection to property-maintenance code

      Applications require proof of inspection for 2015 International Property Maintenance Code compliance by a Pennsylvania-certified inspector.

      Source: Lehman Township Ordinance No. 135 (opens in a new tab) · § 105(C); § 106 · Verified

    6. Parking and 24-hour contact

      One off-street parking space is required per bedroom and vehicles are limited to available spaces; a 24-hour emergency contact must be provided.

      Source: Lehman Township Ordinance No. 135 (opens in a new tab) · § 108(E)–(F) · Verified

    7. Permit number in all advertising

      Every advertisement must include the township-issued permit number.

      Source: Lehman Township Ordinance No. 135 (opens in a new tab) · § 108(H) · Verified

    8. Two-year permit term

      Permits are valid two years and renewed biennially by 31 December; permits are non-transferable and a new owner must obtain a new permit.

      Source: Lehman Township Ordinance No. 135 (opens in a new tab) · § 107; § 109(B) · Verified

    9. Revocation and penalties

      Three or more violations can trigger revocation with notice and appeal rights, and violations are summary offences with fines up to $1,000 plus costs.

      Source: Lehman Township Ordinance No. 135 (opens in a new tab) · § 111–112; § 114 · Verified

    Regulation research score

    How far the short-term-rental rules we confirmed from cited official sources for Lehman Township, Pennsylvania constrain an ordinary non-owner-occupied, whole-home short-term rental, expressed on a 0–100 burden scale built from 12 weighted criteria in two dimensions: market access and operating compliance. Higher means more constrained. It is not a legal conclusion, a permissiveness rating, a market rating, a measure of desirability, legality or profitability, and not investment advice.

    Very high / effectively restricted· 100/100 (range 100–100)· High confidence

    Documented rules make an ordinary non-owner-occupied whole-home short-term rental unavailable or close to impossible for most properties — for example an outright prohibition, a primary-residence mandate, or a closed permit programme.

    A documented severe market-access trigger is present (prohibition or closed entry; zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacing), so the effectively-restricted band is available. The observed estimate of 100 of 100 combines an access sub-score of 100 and an operating sub-score of 100.

    Based on 83% evidence coverage across the 12-criterion rubric.

    Market access and eligibility · 100 of 100

    • Prohibition or closed entrySevere market-access trigger · 100

      New short-term rentals are not permitted in any residential zone in the township.

    • Zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacingSevere market-access trigger · 100

      The same township-wide residential exclusion, cited separately.

    Operating and compliance · 100 of 100

    • Permit, licence, or registration22 pts
    • Inspection or life-safety certification16 pts
    • Occupancy and parking14 pts
    • Enforcement and penalties14 pts
    • Local responsible party12 pts
    • Renewal or transfer10 pts
    • Advertising and listing rules7 pts
    • Lodging tax or fees5 pts

    Operating rules are weighted at 0.45, so compliance requirements alone cannot push a jurisdiction past Moderate / structured.

    Burden estimate
    100 of 100 · Very high / effectively restricted
    Uncertainty interval
    100–100 of 100
    Evidence coverage
    83% · 10 of 12 criteria resolved
    Confidence
    High
    Last reviewed

    High confidence: 83% of the rubric is resolved against cited official sources. The observed estimate of 100 could still rise to 100 if the remaining criteria turn out to apply.

    10 of 12 rubric criteria resolved against cited official sources.

    Why this score

    Market-access findings are graded severe, major, moderate or none from the cited official claim itself; the most severe finding scores in full and each additional finding adds a quarter of its points, so correlated restrictions are never double-counted. The operating sub-score is a weighted count out of 100 and is multiplied by 0.45, which is why routine permitting, inspection, contact, tax and enforcement rules alone cannot exceed the Moderate / structured band. An unresolved criterion is never recorded as 'not required' and never scored as zero: it enters the central estimate at a quarter of its worst case and reaches its full worst case at the top of the published interval, but it can never release the gates that open the high-access or effectively-restricted bands — those read confirmed findings only. Every result therefore ships as estimate, interval, evidence coverage and confidence together.

    • Prohibition or closed entry100.00 pts (range 100–100 of 100)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded severe market-access trigger (100 access points). New short-term rentals are not permitted in any residential zone in the township.

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residence25.00 pts (range 0–100 of 100)

      Not confirmed either way. It is never recorded as "not required" and never scored as zero: it enters the estimate at 25% of its worst case and widens the upper bound by up to 100 access points. It can never on its own move this jurisdiction into a higher-access band — those gates read confirmed findings only.

    • Zoning eligibility, caps, density or spacing100.00 pts (range 100–100 of 65)

      Confirmed by a cited official source and graded severe market-access trigger (100 access points). The same township-wide residential exclusion, cited separately.

    • Minimum or maximum stay8.75 pts (range 0–35 of 35)

      Not confirmed either way. It is never recorded as "not required" and never scored as zero: it enters the estimate at 25% of its worst case and widens the upper bound by up to 35 access points. It can never on its own move this jurisdiction into a higher-access band — those gates read confirmed findings only.

    • Permit, licence, or registration22.00 pts (range 22–22 of 22)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 22 of 100 operating points.

    • Inspection or life-safety certification16.00 pts (range 16–16 of 16)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 16 of 100 operating points.

    • Occupancy and parking14.00 pts (range 14–14 of 14)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 14 of 100 operating points.

    • Enforcement and penalties14.00 pts (range 14–14 of 14)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 14 of 100 operating points.

    • Local responsible party12.00 pts (range 12–12 of 12)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 12 of 100 operating points.

    • Renewal or transfer10.00 pts (range 10–10 of 10)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 10 of 100 operating points.

    • Advertising and listing rules7.00 pts (range 7–7 of 7)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 7 of 100 operating points.

    • Lodging tax or fees5.00 pts (range 5–5 of 5)

      Confirmed by a cited official source, so it scores its full 5 of 100 operating points.

    What we could not confirm — and what to ask

    We found no official source resolving these 2 criteria either way. They are not treated as “not required” and are not scored as zero. Confirm each one with the department listed below before you rely on it.

    • Owner-occupancy or primary residence — unknown; could add 0–100 points.
    • Minimum or maximum stay — unknown; could add 0–35 points.

    The rubric

    How the category is set on the 0–100 scale: 80+ reads very high / effectively restricted and requires a documented severe market-access trigger; 60–79 reads high access constraints and requires a documented major access constraint (or two moderate ones); 40–59 reads moderate / structured, which is the ceiling for jurisdictions whose confirmed rules are operating requirements only; 20–39 reads lower regulatory burden; below 20 reads minimal STR-specific burden located. A documented official-source search that resolves criteria and finds no short-term-rental-specific requirement reads “no local STR-specific regulation located in reviewed official sources” — which is not a statement that operating here is unrestricted, legal, or low-risk. Unconfirmed criteria never count as permissive. How to confirm the rest yourself.

    Who to ask in Lehman Township, Pennsylvania

    Department-level contact details as published on the jurisdiction’s own website. We do not publish individual staff contact information.

    • Lehman Township Zoning/Permits Office

      Zoning and permitting questions regarding short-term rental restrictions under the Township's Short Term Rental Ordinance No. 135

      Published at this official page · checked

    General research checklist (not Lehman Township, Pennsylvania specific)

    These are the categories short-term rental owners check anywhere in the US. They are general prompts, not this jurisdiction’s ordinance.

    Occupancy limits
    Most jurisdictions tie maximum overnight occupancy to bedroom count, septic capacity, or a fixed cap. Confirm the current figure for your specific parcel with Lehman Township before advertising a sleeping capacity.
    Parking
    On-site parking counts and prohibitions on street or shoulder parking are among the most commonly enforced short-term rental provisions. Verify the required count with Lehman Township and state it plainly in your listing.
    Life-safety requirements
    Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, egress, and posted evacuation information are typical requirements. Some jurisdictions inspect; others self-certify. Verify which applies.
    Local responsible party
    Many ordinances require a named local contact who can respond to the property within a set time. Confirm whether a contact is required, what response window applies, and how it must be filed with Lehman Township.
    Renewal and enforcement
    Registrations and permits generally renew on a fixed cycle, and enforcement is usually complaint-driven with escalating penalties. Confirm the renewal date, fee, and enforcement process with Lehman Township.
    Lodging and sales tax
    State and local lodging or occupancy taxes may be collected by the booking platform, by you, or split. Confirm current collection responsibility with both the taxing authority and your platform — platform collection agreements change.

    Confirm these directly — we could not verify them

    We publish gaps rather than guesses. The following were not confirmable from a current official source at our last review.

    • Needs confirmation — how the 2018 ordinance and the township's current residential-zone position interact for an existing permitted rental, and whether legal non-conforming status is recognised.
    • Needs confirmation — occupancy caps and any minimum-stay requirement beyond the 2-night threshold in the definition.
    • Needs confirmation — current permit fee.
    • Needs confirmation — a published township phone number and email for the code official.

    Official sources

    Government sources only. If a link has moved, go to the jurisdiction’s main site and search for short-term or vacation rentals.

    Change log

    • — Entry created from Ordinance No. 135 (adopted 23 October 2018) and the township's current short-term rental page.

    Operating a rental here?

    Compliance is the owner’s responsibility in every model, including ours. What a co-host can do is keep the listing, messaging, and pricing consistent with the rules you confirm.

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    Nearby jurisdictions

    Found a change in Lehman Township, Pennsylvania?

    Send the official link and we'll re-verify this entry. We'd rather correct it than leave a stale requirement up.

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