Rental Inspections in Pennsylvania (2026)
29 rules on the books across Pennsylvania, 17 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Inspection Programs
Proactive rental inspection programs, registration requirements, systematic and periodic inspection cycles, what inspectors check, and the fees landlords pay to fund them.
Bensalem
Significant RestrictionsEvery application for Bensalem's annual rental license triggers a Building and Planning Department inspection: common…
Read full rule →Bethlehem
Significant RestrictionsBethlehem requires every residential rental unit to carry an annual occupancy license and undergo a Code Official…
Read full rule →Bristol
Significant RestrictionsBristol Borough, Pennsylvania inspects every rental dwelling unit every two years, and every year in a building with…
Read full rule →Bristol Township
Significant RestrictionsIn Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, every licensed rental unit needs a certificate of approval, issued once the Township…
Read full rule →Erie
Significant RestrictionsErie requires every residential rental unit to hold a rental license from the Code Official, issued only after…
Read full rule →Harrisburg
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Harrisburg, the Codes Bureau inspects a registered rental unit once its registration is accepted, if no…
Read full rule →Haverford
Significant RestrictionsIn Haverford Township, no one can occupy or allow occupancy of a vacant rental dwelling unit or rooming unit until the…
Read full rule →Lower Merion
Significant RestrictionsBefore Lower Merion issues a residential rental license, the Director must inspect the unit under Section 75-17 of the…
Read full rule →Millcreek
Significant RestrictionsIn Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, an owner must consent to inspection by the Code Enforcement Officer…
Read full rule →Pittsburgh
Significant RestrictionsPittsburgh requires every rental unit to register and pass a Permits, Licenses and Inspections Department inspection…
Read full rule →Upper Darby
Significant RestrictionsNo one may rent, lease, or let out a dwelling or rooming unit in Upper Darby without first securing an annual rental…
Read full rule →Allentown
Some RestrictionsEvery Allentown rental unit must pass a Bureau of Building Standards and Safety inspection before its residential…
Read full rule →Penn Hills
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires a Code Enforcement inspection of every regulated rental unit each time tenants or occupants change…
Read full rule →Philadelphia
Some RestrictionsPhiladelphia has no citywide proactive rental inspection sweep. Instead, owners get a rental license and a Certificate…
Read full rule →Pottstown
Some RestrictionsEvery residential rental unit in Pottstown Borough needs a residential rental license, renewed every two years, and the…
Read full rule →Reading
Some RestrictionsReading places every registered rental property into a routine inspection cycle, requiring a Property Maintenance…
Read full rule →Scranton
Some RestrictionsEvery Scranton rental unit undergoes a Bureau of Code Enforcement health and safety inspection no more than once every…
Read full rule →Tenant Complaint Process
How tenants can file complaints about code violations, what triggers a city inspection, and protections against landlord retaliation for reporting issues.
Allentown
Some RestrictionsA tenant complaint lets Allentown's code official reinspect a rental unit outside the normal five-year cycle whenever…
Read full rule →Bethlehem
Some RestrictionsBethlehem's Code Official can inspect a regulated rental unit any time a rental ordinance is violated, and is not…
Read full rule →Bristol Township
Some RestrictionsIn Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, § 120-11 directs the Building Official to investigate complaints alleging violations…
Read full rule →Erie
Some RestrictionsWhen Erie's Code Official finds code violations at a rental inspection, the owner gets written notice of the…
Read full rule →Harrisburg
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Harrisburg, a complaint about a registered rental unit brings a Codes Bureau inspection at no fee to the…
Read full rule →Haverford
Some RestrictionsIn Haverford Township, the Director of Code Enforcement inspects dwellings on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m…
Read full rule →Lower Merion
Some RestrictionsLower Merion's Fair Housing Code bars a landlord from evicting a tenant, cutting off services, or changing lease terms…
Read full rule →Philadelphia
Some RestrictionsPhiladelphia bars landlords from retaliating against tenants who report Housing or Fire Code violations, and lets…
Read full rule →Pittsburgh
Some RestrictionsPittsburgh renters and owners of pre-1978 rental dwellings can request a free lead hazard inspection from the…
Read full rule →Pottstown
Some RestrictionsA tenant complaint triggers an inspection in Pottstown: Section 801 of Chapter 5, Part 8 requires the Licensing and…
Read full rule →Reading
Some RestrictionsReading's Property Maintenance Division can inspect a registered rental any time a complaint or a code official's…
Read full rule →Scranton
Some RestrictionsScranton's Code Official can inspect a rental unit at any time a health or safety concern is reported, outside the…
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