Erie, PA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Article 330 of the Codified Ordinances makes it unlawful to operate, let, or rent any residential rental unit in Erie without a rental license issued by the Code Official. 04(a)(2), short-term rentals carry a one-year license term and are inspected annually, while all other residential rental units carry a two-year term with a minimum of one inspection every two years, with inspection schedules divided by ward. 04(a)(3). 04(a)(10) lets a rental that passes two consecutive unconditional inspections over four years drop to just one inspection every four years, though this reduced schedule never applies to short-term rentals, which stay on the annual cycle regardless.

04(a)(5). Owner-occupied flats and duplexes are exempt from the annual fee and inspection if the building is registered annually and the owner certifies the other unit is vacant. Buildings under an open, approved construction or rehabilitation permit have their fee and inspection requirements suspended until the permit closes. 01, is to address a documented pattern: City records showed more code violations, disturbances, and physical decline concentrated in non-owner-occupied rental units compared to owner-occupied housing.