Local landlord and tenant rules in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has local rules on rental registration (Pittsburgh City Code ch. 781; PLI Rental Registration page (updated September 29, 2026)) and other landlord obligations (Pittsburgh City Code ch. 659 (housing status added September 30, 2025); Commission on Human Relations, Housing Status Guidance for Landlords (2025)), on top of Pennsylvania law.
Local rules in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Source-of-income protection
Pittsburgh added source of income — Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers included — to its fair housing ordinance in 2015, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck that ordinance down on October 21, 2021, holding that the City had no authority under the state’s Home Rule law to place that requirement on landlords. The City’s ordinance therefore does not make it unlawful to turn down a tenant because of a voucher.
Source: Apartment Ass’n of Metropolitan Pittsburgh v. City of Pittsburgh, No. 26 WAP 2020 (Pa. Oct. 21, 2021); Pittsburgh Ordinance 2015-2062 (City Code § 659.03). Checked on November 12, 2026.
Rental registration
Pittsburgh’s Residential Housing Rental Permit Program (City Code chapter 781) opened on December 19, 2024, but registering is voluntary until further notice: the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections does not enforce it or seek penalties, and will publish revised rules at least 30 days before it does. Registering now costs $16 a unit, plus $5.50 a unit for the inspection.
Source: Pittsburgh City Code ch. 781; PLI Rental Registration page (updated September 29, 2026). Checked on November 11, 2026.
Other landlord obligations
Since September 30, 2025, Pittsburgh’s fair housing ordinance forbids refusing a rental because of an applicant’s past or present housing status — homelessness, living in a shelter or in temporary or transitional housing, or having little or no rental history.
Source: Pittsburgh City Code ch. 659 (housing status added September 30, 2025); Commission on Human Relations, Housing Status Guidance for Landlords (2025). Checked on November 11, 2026.
Pennsylvania rules that apply in Pittsburgh
Every Pennsylvania rule Seayora publishes.
The homes these rules cover in Pittsburgh
52.3% of the occupied homes in Pittsburgh are rented, about 72,332 households, a share higher than across Pennsylvania (30.7%).
The median gross rent is $1,261 a month, higher than across Pennsylvania ($1,209); that is what households report paying, utilities included, not the asking rent for a vacant apartment.
48.4% of renters there pay 30% or more of their income on rent.
82.9% of the homes were built before 1980, and the federal lead-paint disclosure rule covers housing built before 1978.
| Pittsburgh | Allegheny County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that rent | 52.3% (±0.8 points) | 34.8% | 30.7% |
| Median gross rent | $1,261 (±$27) | $1,153 | $1,209 |
| Renters paying 30% or more of income on rent | 48.4% (±1.8 points) | 46.2% | 48.2% |
| Median income of renter households | $46,983 (±$2,656) | $46,532 | $47,506 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 82.9% (±1.6 points) | 77.0% | 67.3% |
| Homes in buildings of five or more units | 27.4% (±0.8 points) | 18.5% | 12.7% |
| Rental vacancy rate | 7.4% (±0.9 points) | 6.8% | 4.9% |
| Households that moved in since 2020 | 31.1% (±1.0 points) | 22.3% | 20.2% |
All housing figures for Pittsburgh: rent by bedrooms, home values, property taxes, commute.
Source: US Census Bureau, Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Pittsburgh. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rentals and records in Pittsburgh
Seayora reads open housing and building violation records for an address here from public data (Pittsburgh) and shows them on each building it manages.
Questions about Pittsburgh’s local rules
Can a landlord in Pittsburgh turn down a tenant because of a housing voucher or other lawful income?
Pittsburgh added source of income — Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers included — to its fair housing ordinance in 2015, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck that ordinance down on October 21, 2021, holding that the City had no authority under the state’s Home Rule law to place that requirement on landlords. The City’s ordinance therefore does not make it unlawful to turn down a tenant because of a voucher. (Apartment Ass’n of Metropolitan Pittsburgh v. City of Pittsburgh, No. 26 WAP 2020 (Pa. Oct. 21, 2021); Pittsburgh Ordinance 2015-2062 (City Code § 659.03))
Do landlords have to register rentals in Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh’s Residential Housing Rental Permit Program (City Code chapter 781) opened on December 19, 2024, but registering is voluntary until further notice: the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections does not enforce it or seek penalties, and will publish revised rules at least 30 days before it does. Registering now costs $16 a unit, plus $5.50 a unit for the inspection. (Pittsburgh City Code ch. 781; PLI Rental Registration page (updated September 29, 2026))
What else does Pittsburgh require of landlords?
Since September 30, 2025, Pittsburgh’s fair housing ordinance forbids refusing a rental because of an applicant’s past or present housing status — homelessness, living in a shelter or in temporary or transitional housing, or having little or no rental history. (Pittsburgh City Code ch. 659 (housing status added September 30, 2025); Commission on Human Relations, Housing Status Guidance for Landlords (2025))
This is a summary of the local rules Seayora has read from each place’s own code, not legal advice. Ordinances change and a rule may have exceptions; check the citation and the office named before acting.