Moving into an Allentown rowhome is a different sport than moving into a suburban colonial. The house shares walls, the staircase turns twice, and the street outside was laid out generations before moving trucks existed. None of that is a problem when the plan accounts for it. Here’s how rowhome moves actually work in this city, block by narrow block.
Streets Built Before Trucks Were Invented
Allentown’s own city code spells out the challenge: over 90% of the city’s streets are 36 feet wide, leaving eight feet for parking and ten feet per lane of traffic. A moving truck takes real planning on a grid like that. The good news is the law accounts for it too, since vehicles actively loading or unloading get an exemption from standard parallel-parking requirements.
Planning still wins the day. Parking enforcement in Allentown runs around the clock, meters in the Hamilton Street core run six days a week, and residential permit zones cover much of Center City. We confirm the legal staging plan for your exact block at booking, including coordination with the Allentown Parking Authority when metered spaces need to be held. The truck’s spot is settled before move day, never negotiated during it.
The Staircase Is the Whole Move
Rowhome staircases are narrow, steep, and fond of a tight winder turn at the top. The winning mindset is disassembly-first: bed frames come apart, sofas lose their feet, and box springs sometimes take the bend only in a flexible split version. Our crews measure the stairwell and the biggest pieces during the estimate, so every item has a plan before it leaves the truck. Banisters get padded, plaster corners get guarded, and nothing gets forced through a turn it can’t make.
Shared Walls, Shared Stoops, Good Neighbors
A rowhome move happens inches from the neighbors on both sides. Crews that work these blocks weekly keep the courtesy built in: floor runners across shared stoops, no equipment resting on the adjoining rail, and work hours that respect the street. You’re going to live next to these people. The move should be the good first impression, and on these blocks it usually is.
The Rear Alley Temptation
Plenty of Allentown blocks have rear alleys that look like the easy answer on a map. Some genuinely are. Many run too narrow for a full-size truck or carry low utility lines that rule out the box height. We confirm alley width, surface, and clearance for your specific address at booking, so the crew arrives knowing whether the move runs from the front curb or the back gate.
Rowhome Questions, Answered Straight
How do movers park when there’s no driveway?
The truck stages at the curb under the loading exemption, in a spot confirmed before move day. On permit blocks and metered stretches, arrangements get made with the parking authority ahead of time. The one bad option is improvising at 8 AM.
Will a couch fit up a rowhome staircase?
Usually yes, with disassembly and the right carry angles. The honest answer comes from measuring during your estimate. When a piece truly can’t make the turn, we tell you before move day, not on it.
Do movers charge more for rowhome moves?
Rowhomes bill like any local move, hourly plus one flat travel fee. Stairs and longer curb carries add time, and time is the bill, so a prepared home and a confirmed parking plan keep the total honest.
When should I book a rowhome move?
Two to four weeks out, and earlier for month-end dates. The extra lead time lets the parking plan and any permit coordination happen calmly.
Every Block in the Grid
From Center City brick rows to West End twins, our Allentown movers run these streets every week, and our local moving crews arrive with the stairwell already mapped. Still deciding which city fits? Our comparison of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton settles the debate honestly.
Request your free estimate or call You Move Me Lehigh Valley at (484) 705-2800, and we’ll bring the plan your block requires.