Harrisburg, PA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Filing window
- October 31 to December 31 each year
- Registration fee
- $75 for up to three units, plus $15 per additional unit
- Late filing fee
- $25 in addition to other applicable fees
- New owner
- New application within 10 days of settlement
- Responsible agent
- Individual living or working within 50 miles of the City
- Penalty
- Fine of $50 to $1,000 plus costs, per violation
Summary
In the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, every residential rental unit needs its own annual registration application filed with the Codes Bureau between October 31 and December 31 for the coming calendar year, occupied or not. Owner-occupied dwellings with no more than two unrelated individuals beyond the owner's family, hotels, motels, hospitals, nursing homes and rooming houses are exempt.
A. An annual registration application shall be required for each residential rental unit within the City. The owners of all residential rental units, whether or not presently occupied, shall be required to submit a registration application for each residential rental unit. ... B. The registration application shall be made on a form prescribed by the Codes Bureau and shall be submitted to the Codes Bureau between October 31 and December 31 of each year to be in effect for the upcoming calendar year. Each residential application registration shall be effective until December 31 of the calendar year for which the registration application was submitted. ... D. The following categories of residential rental properties shall not be subject to the registration application requirement provisions of this chapter: (1) Owner-occupied dwelling units, provided that not more than two unrelated individuals, in addition to the immediate members of the owner's family, occupy the dwelling unit at any time; (2) Hotels and motels; (3) Hospitals and nursing homes; and (4) Rooming houses or boardinghouses.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 8-511 of the Harrisburg Codified Ordinances is titled the Residential Rental Unit Registration Program, and § 8-511.7 is its registration section. The application is filed for each residential rental unit, not once per building, on a form prescribed by the Codes Bureau, which the chapter defines as the Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Codes Enforcement. Each registration is effective until December 31 of the year it was filed for, and the October 31 to December 31 window is the filing period set for each year. When the owner is a corporate entity, the application must also list the names and addresses of the officers, shareholders, directors or owners responsible for conducting the business.
An application is not accepted until all overdue real estate taxes, water, sewage and refuse collection or disposal charges owed to the City by the owner are paid in full and all applicable registration and inspection fees are paid. Under § 8-511.11 the fee is $75 for a single-family dwelling or a multifamily dwelling of up to three units, plus $15 for each rental unit beyond three in a multifamily dwelling. A late application adds a $25 fee on top of every other applicable fee.
Registration does not travel with the building. A registration is nontransferable, and a new owner must submit a new application within 10 days of settlement. Section 8-511.5 adds that the owner must obtain and renew an annual business privilege license under § 5-715.8 and notify the Codes Bureau in writing within 10 business days of any change in ownership or in the number of rental units in a building. Under § 8-511.4 the owner must also name a responsible agent: an individual with a street address, not a post office box, who lives or keeps a place of business within 50 miles of the City of Harrisburg, with any change reported within 30 days. Acceptance of an application also starts the inspection clock in § 8-511.8 for any unit that has no certificate of compliance from the past five years.
Violations & Fines
Renting a unit to any occupant without first submitting a registration application is a listed violation under § 8-511.99(B), as are failing to name or update the responsible agent, failing to pay registration or inspection fees, and not being current on water, sewer or refuse fees. Conviction carries a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $1,000 plus costs, or up to 90 days in the Dauphin County Prison, or both, for each separate violation, plus a $25 neighborhood mitigation penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Harrisburg landlords have to register rental units?
Which properties are exempt from rental registration in Harrisburg?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harrisburg
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