Property Maintenance in Erie, PA (2026)
4 verified property maintenance rules for Erie, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Trash Bin Storage
Erie's residential refuse-container rules are codified at Article 951 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Erie. Each receptacle must be a rigid container of rust-resistant metal or plastic, watertight, with outside handles and a tight-fitting cover, holding not less than 3 and not more than 35 gallons. On the designated weekly collection night, householders deposit either the receptacles containing securely bagged refuse, or securely bagged refuse itself, at the curbside; nothing may be set out more than 24 hours before the collection day.
Erie Trash Bin Rules (Article 951): 3-35 Gallon Rust-Resistant Containers with Tight Covers; 24-Hour Set-Out Limit
Some RestrictionsProperty Blight
Erie addresses blight through three layered tools: (1) Article 1503 of the Codified Ordinances (Property Maintenance Code, based on the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code) adopted under the PA Uniform Construction Code; (2) the Erie Land Bank established under Article 941 (PA Land Bank Act, 68 Pa.C.S. §2101) to acquire and dispose of tax-delinquent and blighted parcels; and (3) the state-law backstop of PA Act 90 of 2010 (Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act, 53 P.S. §6111) under which Erie may deny permits and approvals to property owners with serious code violations anywhere in the Commonwealth.
Erie Blight: Article 1503 Property Maintenance Standards + Land Bank + PA Act 90 Permit-Denial Backstop
Heavy RestrictionsVacant Lot Maintenance
Erie's Vacant and Foreclosure Property Registration ordinance (codified at Part 13 of the Codified Ordinances, Vacant and Foreclosure Property) requires every owner of any building or structure on real property that has been vacant for more than 180 consecutive days to register with the Office of Code Enforcement on forms or website access provided by the City. A nonrefundable $300 registration fee accompanies the form and is repeated every six months until the property is no longer subject to registration. Foreclosure-property registrations additionally name the lender, mortgage servicer, 24-hour contact, and local property management company.
Erie Vacant Property Registry: 180-Day Trigger, $300 Semi-Annual Fee, Code Enforcement Oversight
Heavy RestrictionsSnow & Sidewalk Clearing
Erie's sidewalk snow ordinance (Codified Ordinances Article 521, Snow and Ice Removal) requires the occupant of any home, apartment, store, storehouse, shop, garage, factory, church, schoolhouse, or other building to remove or hire someone to remove all snow, ice, or sleet from the sidewalk in front of the premises within three hours after snowfall ceases. Owners of corner buildings must clear the side sidewalks for the full distance their occupancy extends; owners of vacant lots and vacant buildings are responsible for the abutting sidewalk. If ice is so hardened it cannot be removed without damaging the sidewalk, sand or sawdust must be applied until it can be removed.