Pittsburgh Landlord-Tenant Rules
Pittsburgh adds local rules on top of Pennsylvania landlord-tenant law. Here is what is different, with the city code or agency page behind each rule.
| Rental registration & inspection | Pittsburgh's Residential Housing Rental Permit Program (Pittsburgh Code Ch. 781) requires owners of rental units, including short-term homestays, to register with the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) and get a permit. Dormitories, rehab and long-term medical facilities, and hotels, motels and nursing homes inspected by the Allegheny County Health Department are exempt. PLI inspects units against the property maintenance code, which includes working heat, electricity and running water. Units with a certificate of occupancy issued within the past 3 years skip inspection. A provisional permit lasts 1 year. After a passed inspection, a non-provisional permit lasts 3 years with no inspections, but registration must be renewed every year. New owners must register within 60 days of a transfer. Fees are $16 per unit for registration plus inspection fees ($5.50 per unit plus $14 per dwelling or sleeping unit). The rules allow a $500 fine for each unit rented without a non-provisional permit and prosecution as a summary offense. However, the city's current page says registration is voluntary 'until further notice', and PLI will give at least 30 days' notice, with revised rules, before enforcement begins. Rules PDF: https://www.pittsburghpa.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/pli/documents/residential-housing-rental-permit-program-rules-regulations_12192024.pdf. The rules say PLI may enter a unit only with the consent of the owner or an adult tenant, or with an administrative warrant. They also state that the penalties do not limit tenants' own legal remedies. |
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| Local fair housing protected classes | Pittsburgh's Fair Practices ordinance protects every class covered by the federal Fair Housing Act. It also protects sexual orientation (since 1990), gender identity and gender expression (since 2014), citizenship or immigration status, status as a survivor of domestic violence, hair texture and protective hairstyles, and housing status. Complaints go to the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (City-County Building, 414 Grant St., 412-255-2600, human.relations@pittsburghpa.gov). The commission does not take walk-ins, so call or email to schedule. Those snippets also list ancestry, place of birth and preferred language as local classes, but that was not verified. Source of income is not on the city's current list. |
| Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line | PLI enforces the property maintenance code in rental housing. Pittsburgh 311 is at 412-255-2621. The Commission on Human Relations' fair housing page lists that number for complaints. Section 1004's adoption of the maintenance code is cited in the PLI rental permit rules PDF. |
Eviction cases in Pittsburgh are heard in: Allegheny County Magisterial District Courts (landlord-tenant cases up to $12,000)
Eviction court, fees and help
Right to a lawyer in eviction cases
No city right to counsel found. The city's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing task force has recommended legal help for tenants facing eviction. Official source
Local agencies
- Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) — Runs the rental permit/registry program and enforces the property maintenance code. Questions: plicodeenforcementsupervisors@pittsburghpa.gov.
- Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations — Investigates housing discrimination complaints under Ch. 659 and works with HUD. Phone 412-255-2600.
Frequently asked questions
What landlord-tenant rules does Pittsburgh add on top of Pennsylvania law?
Rental registration & inspection: Pittsburgh's Residential Housing Rental Permit Program (Pittsburgh Code Ch. 781) requires owners of rental units, including short-term homestays, to register with the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) and get a permit. Dormitories, rehab and long-term medical facilities, and hotels, motels and nursing homes inspected by the Allegheny County Health Department are exempt. PLI inspects units against the property maintenance code, which includes working heat, electricity and running water. Units with a certificate of occupancy issued within the past 3 years skip inspection. A provisional permit lasts 1 year. After a passed inspection, a non-provisional permit lasts 3 years with no inspections, but registration must be renewed every year. New owners must register within 60 days of a transfer. Fees are $16 per unit for registration plus inspection fees ($5.50 per unit plus $14 per dwelling or sleeping unit). The rules allow a $500 fine for each unit rented without a non-provisional permit and prosecution as a summary offense. However, the city's current page says registration is voluntary 'until further notice', and PLI will give at least 30 days' notice, with revised rules, before enforcement begins.; Local fair housing protected classes: Pittsburgh's Fair Practices ordinance protects every class covered by the federal Fair Housing Act. It also protects sexual orientation (since 1990), gender identity and gender expression (since 2014), citizenship or immigration status, status as a survivor of domestic violence, hair texture and protective hairstyles, and housing status. Complaints go to the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (City-County Building, 414 Grant St., 412-255-2600, human.relations@pittsburghpa.gov). The commission does not take walk-ins, so call or email to schedule.; Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line: PLI enforces the property maintenance code in rental housing. Pittsburgh 311 is at 412-255-2621. The Commission on Human Relations' fair housing page lists that number for complaints.
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.