Pittsburgh, PA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2021 International Property Maintenance Code
- Enforcing agency
- PLI, code official appointed by Mayor
- Appeals body
- Board of License and Inspection Review
- Penalty
- Summary offense, separate offense per day
- Structural inspections
- Every 5 years, most multi-unit buildings
Summary
Pittsburgh adopted the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code as its citywide property maintenance law, setting minimum habitability standards every rental unit and structure must meet.
...is hereby adopted as the Property Maintenance Code of the City of Pittsburgh, in the State of Pennsylvania, for regulating and governing the conditions and maintenance of all property, buildings and structures; by providing the standards for supplied utilities and facilities and other physical things and conditions essential to ensure that structures are safe, sanitary and fit for occupation and use; and the condemnation of buildings and structures unfit for human occupancy and use...
Full Breakdown
Pittsburgh Code § 1004.01 adopts the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, as locally amended in § 1004.02, as the city's Property Maintenance Code for all property, buildings, and structures: covering sanitation, utilities, and structural safety needed to keep units "safe, sanitary and fit for occupation and use." The Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI) administers it through a Mayor-appointed code official (§ 103.2), with appeals routed to the Board of License and Inspection Review (§ 701.15). Local amendments also set a 10-inch weed limit (§ 302.4) and require licensed-engineer structural inspections every five years for most multi-unit buildings (§ 304.1.2).
Violations & Fines
Failure to comply with a notice of violation is a summary offense under § 109.3, with each continuing day a separate offense. The code official may placard an unsafe unit "Condemned" (§ 111.7), bar occupancy (§ 111.8), and charge repair costs as a lien against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pittsburgh have its own habitability code, or use a model code?
What happens if a rental unit fails a habitability inspection?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pittsburgh
Compare Pittsburgh to another location·View the Pennsylvania rental property rules overview
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Repairs & Habitability in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Allegheny County handle repairs & habitability.