PRINTER'S NO. 217
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.273
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MERSKI, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, SCHLOSSBERG, HARKINS,
KUZMA, FREEMAN, DONAHUE, GIRAL AND MAYES, JANUARY 22, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
JANUARY 22, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in neighborhood blight reclamation and
revitalization, providing for county property maintenance
code and for Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant Program and
municipal neighborhood mitigation fund ; imposing penalties;
and making an appropriation.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 6104. County property maintenance code.
(a) Ordinance authorized.--A county may enact one of the
following:
(1) A property maintenance ordinance that incorporates a
standard or nationally recognized property maintenance code
or a variation, change or part of such code, published and
printed in book form, without incorporating the text of the
code in the ordinance.
(2) A standard or nationally recognized property
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19 maintenance code or a variation, change or part of such code
as the county's property maintenance ordinance.
(b) Publication of notice.--
(1) An ordinance under subsection (a) need not be
advertised after being adopted. Notice of the consideration
of the ordinance shall be published in a manner that gives
adequate notice of its contents and a reference to the place
within the county where copies of the proposed property
maintenance code may be examined or obtained.
(2) The notice required under paragraph (1) shall be
published once in one newspaper of general circulation at
least one week and not more than three weeks prior to the
presentation of the proposed property maintenance code to the
governing body.
(3) A property maintenance ordinance that incorporates a
standard or nationally recognized property maintenance code
or variation shall adopt a specific edition and may not
incorporate future editions automatically.
(c) Copies of ordinance.--At least three copies of the
ordinance adopted by the governing body:
(1) shall be made available for public inspection and
use during business hours or to an interested party that pays
the cost of copying; or
(2) may be furnished or lent without charge.
(d) Adoption by reference.--A property maintenance code
adopted by reference:
(1) need not be recorded in or attached to an ordinance
book; and
(2) shall be deemed to have been legally recorded if the
ordinance by which the code was adopted by reference has been
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30 recorded with an accompanying notation stating where the full
text of the code has been filed.
(e) Fines and penalties.--An ordinance under this section
may provide for reasonable property fines and penalties for
violations of the ordinance.
(f) Changes to ordinance.--The procedure described in this
section relating to the adoption of an ordinance under this
section may be used in amending, supplementing or repealing a
provision of the ordinance.
(g) Appointment of property maintenance inspectors.--
(1) The governing body may appoint property maintenance
inspectors who may enter and inspect a premises at reasonable
hours and in a reasonable manner for the administration and
enforcement of the county's property maintenance code or
ordinance under subsection (a).
(2) A fee payable to a property maintenance inspector
under the ordinance shall, after being collected by the
property maintenance inspector, be transmitted to the county
treasurer for use of the county.
(h) Enforcement action.--In addition to the penalties
provided by a property maintenance ordinance, a county may
institute an appropriate action or proceeding at law or in
equity to prevent or restrain a property maintenance violation.
(i) Relationship to other law.--The powers and duties of a
county under this section shall be in addition to the powers and
duties provided under the following:
(1) The act of November 26, 2008 (P.L.1672, No.135),
known as the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship
Act.
(2) 68 Pa.C.S. Ch. 21 (relating to land banks).
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30 (j) Limitation.--
(1) Except as provided in subsection (k), the powers of
the governing body of a county to enact, amend and repeal
ordinances under this section shall be limited to land in
those municipalities, wholly or partly within the county,
that have no property maintenance ordinance, based in whole
or in part on a standard or nationally recognized property
maintenance code, in effect at the time a property
maintenance ordinance is introduced before the governing body
of the county and until the municipality's property
maintenance ordinance is in effect.
(2) The enactment or revision of the property
maintenance ordinance by a municipality, other than the
county, whose land is subject to a county property
maintenance code shall act as a repeal pro tanto of the
county property maintenance code ordinance within the
municipality adopting the ordinance, except as provided in
subsection (k).
(k) Enforcement of municipal property maintenance
ordinances.--
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a county may
not enforce a property maintenance ordinance adopted by a
municipality within the county unless the county enters into
an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with the
municipality.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in an intergovernmental
cooperation agreement, a fine, forfeited recognizance or
other forfeiture imposed, lost or forfeited for violation of
a property maintenance ordinance subject to county
enforcement under this subsection, shall be payable to the
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30 county.
Section 2. Chapter 61 of Title 53 is amended by adding a
subchapter to read:
SUBCHAPTER B.1
MUNICIPAL CODES ENFORCEMENT GRANT PROGRAM AND
MUNICIPAL NEIGHBORHOOD MITIGATION FUND
Sec.
6121. Scope of subchapter.
6122 . Definitions.
6123. Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant Program.
6124. Municipal neighborhood mitigation fund.
6125. Penalty.
6126 . Report to General Assembly.
6127 . Guidelines.
§ 6121. Scope of subchapter.
This subchapter relates to municipal property maintenance
code assistance.
§ 6122 . Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Department." The Department of Community and Economic
Development of the Commonwealth.
"Fund." A municipal neighborhood mitigation fund established
under section 6124 (relating to municipal neighborhood
mitigation fund).
"Municipality." A county, city, borough, incorporated town,
township or home rule, optional plan or optional charter
municipality or municipal authority within this Commonwealth or
any entity formed under Subchapter A of Chapter 23 (relating to
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30 intergovernmental cooperation).
"Program." The Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant Program
established under section 6123 (relating to Municipal Codes
Enforcement Grant Program).
"Serious violation." A violation of a code that poses an
imminent threat to the health and safety of a dwelling occupant,
occupants in surrounding structures or a passerby.
§ 6123. Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant Program.
(a) Establishment.--The Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant
Program is established in the department. The program shall
issue grants to municipalities with no current codes enforcement
program for the purpose of reducing blighted property conditions
through the establishment of :
(1) code enforcement programs and the hiring and
training of code enforcement personnel to acquire relevant
certification in code enforcement; and
(2) county property maintenance code enforcement
programs.
(b) Competitive awards.--The department shall issue grants
under the program on a competitive basis according to the
following criteria:
(1) Whether the municipality demonstrates a financial
need for the grants.
(2) The overall condition of the real property within
the municipality.
(3) Whether the municipality has an intergovernmental
cooperation agreement with another jurisdiction for joint
codes enforcement.
(c) Eligibility.--In order to receive a grant under this
section, a municipality must submit an application acceptable to
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30 the department and that addresses the criteria established under
subsection (b).
(d) Matching funds.--A municipality shall provide its own
money or in-kind contributions, approved by the department as
determined by guidelines established by the department, equal to
the amount of the grant provided, and shall dedicate and expend
the money for the purpose for which the grant was awarded.
(e) Limitations.--A grant issued under this section may not:
(1) Be provided to the same recipient for more than
three consecutive years.
(2) Exceed $100,000.
(3) Be used to pay code enforcement personnel unless the
individual has acquired relevant certification or training in
codes enforcement .
§ 6124. Municipal neighborhood mitigation fund.
(a) Ordinance authorized.--A municipality with an
established code enforcement program may enact an ordinance to
establish a municipal neighborhood mitigation fund. The fund
shall comply with the provisions of this section.
(b) Source of revenue.--The penalty collected under this
chapter by the municipality shall be deposited into the fund.
(c) Use of fund.--The fund shall be used to mitigate code
violations, including demolition, cleanup, cleaning and sealing
and making repairs to blighted property.
§ 6125. Penalty.
(a) Imposition.--Upon conviction for a violation of any code
of the municipality, the municipality shall impose a
neighborhood mitigation penalty:
(1) for a first violation, in the amount of at least $25
and not more than $250;
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30 (2) for a second violation, in the amount of at least
$250 and not more than $500; and
(3) for a third or subsequent violation, in the amount
of at least $500 and not more than $1,000.
(b) Collection.--The penalty imposed under this section
shall be payable to the municipality and the municipality shall
deposit the penalty collected into the fund.
§ 6126 . Report to General Assembly.
The department shall submit an annual report to the Urban
Affairs and Housing Committee of the Senate and the Housing and
Community Development Committee of the House of Representatives
concerning the implementation of this subchapter. The report
shall include the total amount of grants awarded and the
recipients of those grants.
§ 6127. Guidelines.
Within 180 days of the effective date of this section, the
department shall establish guidelines to carry out the
provisions of this subchapter.
Section 2. The sum of $10,000,000 is appropriated to the
Department of Community and Economic Development for the purpose
of implementing the Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant Program,
including administrative costs.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 180 days.
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