Erie, PA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Erie's City of Erie Rental Housing Ordinance, adopted by Ordinance No. 66-2023 on October 18, 2023, defines habitability in § 354.04 and turns it into an enforceable landlord obligation in § 354.05(a)(1). The definition is specific: a habitable unit needs functional plumbing and sewage systems free of leaks or clogs, a reliable and safety-compliant electrical system, and heating capable of maintaining safe indoor temperatures. The structure itself must be sound, meaning intact floors, walls, roofs and ceilings, and the unit must stay free of mold, lead-based hazards and vermin infestations.

Section 354.05(a)(1) folds that definition into the Tenant Bill of Rights: tenants are entitled to housing meeting these standards as defined under 'habitability' per the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code and any other applicable law, and landlords are required to maintain habitability throughout the duration of the lease. A landlord who lets conditions slip faces legal or administrative enforcement action, which includes referral to the City's Code Official for a formal Notice of Violation.

Tenants also gain procedural leverage: § 354.05(a)(7) gives them the right to request a City code inspection to confirm whether a landlord's repair actually cures a habitability problem, and § 354.12 bars a landlord from terminating or rewriting a lease specifically to recover the cost of correcting a cited Code violation. Article 354's general penalty clause, § 354.99, sets the enforcement backstop: any landlord who violates any provision of the article is fined not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 for each offense, a penalty that runs independent of any separate remedy a tenant pursues in court.