Erie, PA Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)

Article 1129, adopted by Ordinance 39-2018, exists because lack of property maintenance, littering, improper trash storage, inoperable vehicles, unpermitted vendors, high grass and weeds, graffiti and uncleared snow degrade property values and community order (§ 1129.01). Section 1129.03 lists 41 numbered Quality of Life violations, QOL-1 through QOL-41, covering everything from rubbish accumulation and illegal dumping to unpermitted driveway cuts and improper animal restraint. Any Public Officer, defined to include police officers, code enforcement officers, building code officials and other authorized inspectors, may issue a ticket to the owner or occupant of the property or to the individual who committed the violation (§ 1129.04).

A ticket can be served by handing it to the violator, to an adult household member, by posting it on the property, or by mail (§ 1129.06), and each day a violation continues is treated as a separate offense (§ 1129.07). The City can abate a violation itself once 48 hours pass after a ticket issues, immediately if the condition is an imminent danger, charging $75 per worker per hour plus materials with a 20% markup, or direct a contractor to do the work and add a 30% processing fee (§ 1129.08).

Section 1129.09 sets the fine schedule: most QOL items carry $100 per offense, prohibited occupancy of a condemned structure is $200, and illegal burning starts at $25 for a first offense, rising to $50 and then $100.