Erie, PA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Erie enacted the Vacant and Foreclosure Property Registration ordinance to address the deterioration and blight caused by an increasing number of vacant and foreclosed properties throughout the City. The 180-consecutive-day vacancy trigger is the operative threshold: once a building or structure remains vacant for more than 180 days, the owner must register with the Office of Code Enforcement using City-issued forms or the online registry portal, providing the owner's name and direct mailing address. For properties subject to a mortgage foreclosure action, the registration must additionally include the lender's and mortgage servicer's name, direct mailing address, direct contact name and phone number, facsimile number and email address for both parties, the property's folio or tax number, and the name and 24-hour contact phone number of the property management company responsible for the security and maintenance of the property. The $300 nonrefundable fee is paid at initial registration and again every six months for as long as the property remains subject to registration. Vacant lots without structures fall back on the broader Property Maintenance Code at Article 1503 (which requires lot maintenance free from debris and excessive vegetation) and the Article 1129 Quality of Life Ticketing Program for high-grass-and-weed violations on private property (one of the violation categories Council expressly named when adopting the QOL program in October 2018). The City may also refer persistent vacant-lot nuisance conditions to the Erie Land Bank (Article 941, PA Land Bank Act authority) for acquisition through the County Tax Claim Bureau process or accept owner donations.