Pittsburgh, PA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Max fine
- $500 per violation
- Jail if fine unpaid
- Up to 72 hours
- Covered hosts
- Owner, lessee, or person in control
- Affirmative defense
- Parent serving own child at home
- Enacted
- Ord. No. 29-2013, eff. 11-21-2013
Summary
Pittsburgh holds hosts liable for gatherings where anyone under 21 drinks, whether the host knew or should have known: fines run to $500 with jail time in default of payment.
(c) Prohibited Conduct. A host may not, knowingly or with constructive knowledge, conduct or accommodate a gathering including underage drinking.
(d) Penalties. Any host who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to: A fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) and in default thereof, imprisonment not exceeding seventy-two (72) hours.
(e) Exceptions.
(1) It will be an affirmative defense to a violation of subsection (c) that the conduct was part of a legally protected religious observance.
(2) It will be an affirmative defense to a violation of subsection (c) that the defendant is a parent or guardian of the underage person and the defendant gave or furnished the alcoholic beverage to that person solely for the consumption in the defendant's household.
(f) Severability. If any provision of this section or the application to any person or circumstance is held invalid in a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other provisions. Any other application of this section which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application and for this purpose the provisions of this section are declared severable.
Full Breakdown
Pittsburgh Code § 601.19 makes it illegal for a host, anyone who owns, leases, or controls a residential property, to knowingly or with constructive knowledge 'conduct or accommodate a gathering including underage drinking.' Constructive knowledge means what a host should have discovered through reasonable care, so hosts can't claim ignorance if they turned a blind eye. Violators face a fine up to $500, with jail up to 72 hours if the fine goes unpaid. The law carves out two affirmative defenses: gatherings tied to a legally protected religious observance, and a parent or guardian who provided alcohol to their own child for consumption inside their own household.
Violations & Fines
Fine up to $500 per violation; unpaid fines can mean up to 72 hours in jail. Property owners, landlords, and party hosts are all covered as 'hosts.'
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be fined if I didn't know minors were drinking at my party?
Does the law apply to renters, not just homeowners?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pittsburgh
Compare Pittsburgh to another location·View the Pennsylvania public conduct overview
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