Read the full stored bill text
PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1157 PRINTER'S NO. 1657
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1062
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, HILL-EVANS, WAXMAN, GIRAL, KUZMA,
KENYATTA, SANCHEZ, BURGOS, KAZEEM, MADDEN, MALAGARI, DONAHUE,
KINKEAD, CIRESI, DEASY, DOUGHERTY, STEELE AND SCHLOSSBERG,
MARCH 26, 2025
AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
MAY 7, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in neighborhood blight reclamation and
revitalization, providing for State blight data collection
system; and establishing the Property Maintenance Code
Serious Violations Registry and the Property Maintenance Code
Serious Violations Registry Account.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 61 of Title 53 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a subchapter to read:
SUBCHAPTER C.1
STATE BLIGHT DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM
Sec.
6135.1. Definitions.
6135.2. Property Maintenance Code Serious Violations Registry.
6135.3. Property maintenance code serious violation reports.
6135.4. Dissemination of information by department.
6135.5. Changing status of property on registry.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
6135.6. Administrative requirements.
6135.7. Audit.
6135.8. Imposition of registry penalty .
6135.9. Property Maintenance Code Serious Violations Registry
Account.
6135.10 . Duty of Attorney General.
§ 6135.1. 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:
"Account." The Property Maintenance Code Serious Violations
Registry Account established under this subchapter.
"Department." The Department of Community and Economic
Development of the Commonwealth.
"Municipal claim." The term shall mean the same as defined
in the act of May 16, 1923 (P.L.207, No.153), referred to as the
Municipal Claim and Tax Lien Law.
"Registry." The Property Maintenance Code Serious Violations
Registry established under section 6135.2 (relating to Property
Maintenance Code Serious Violations Registry).
§ 6135.2. Property Maintenance Code Serious Violations
Registry.
(a) Establishment.--The Property Maintenance Code Serious
Violations Registry is established. The department shall
implement and administer the registry.
(b) Purpose.--The registry shall contain property
maintenance code serious violation reports filed by
municipalities under section 6135.3 (relating to property
maintenance code serious violation reports).
§ 6135.3. Property maintenance code serious violation reports.
20250HB1062PN1657 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
(a) Filing .--A municipality may file a property maintenance
code serious violation report for a person who owns real
property within the municipality with current serious property
maintenance code violations that remain unabated for at least
one year unless the municipality can demonstrate that it has,
for at least one year, cited serious violations on a property
prior to establishment of the registry.
(b) Forms provided.--Property maintenance code serious
violation reports shall be made on forms provided by the
department and submitted electronically.
(c) Information included.--Property maintenance code serious
violation reports shall include the following information:
(1) The name of the owner whose real property has been
cited for a serious property maintenance code violation. If
the property owner is a limited liability company or other
business entity that does not list the principals of the
limited liability company or other business entity, the
department or the department's third-party entity shall
attempt to find those principals or their agents and add
their names to the registry, in addition to the name of the
limited liability company or other business entity.
(2) A copy of the citation issued to the real property
owner.
(3) The physical address , tax parcel number and county
of the real property.
(4) The number of municipal claims or liens attached to
the real property by the filing municipality .
(d) Access.--The department shall make the registry
accessible electronically to all municipalities and the public.
(e) Database.--The database shall be searchable by property
20250HB1062PN1657 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
owner and by property address.
§ 6135.4. Dissemination of information by department.
(a) Availability of information.--Information contained in a
property maintenance code serious violation report shall be
accessible for inspection and duplication in accordance with the
act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-
Know Law.
(b) Requests by municipalities.--
(1) A municipality may request a copy of a property
maintenance code serious violation report on a pending
applicant for a municipal permit by submitting a property
maintenance code serious violation report request form to the
department or by requesting the form electronically.
(2) The department shall disseminate a property
maintenance code serious violation report relating to a
municipal permit applicant to the requesting municipality
within five business days of receipt of a property
maintenance code serious violation report request from the
municipality.
(3) The municipality shall notify an applicant in
writing of the reasons for a decision that denies the
applicant a municipal permit if the decision is based in
whole or in part on information contained in the registry.
(c) Requests by Commonwealth and Attorney General .--
(1) A Commonwealth agency or the Attorney General may
request a copy of a property maintenance code serious
violation report on a pending applicant for a permit,
licensing or certification by submitting a property
maintenance code serious violation report request form to the
department or by requesting the form electronically.
20250HB1062PN1657 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
(2) The department shall disseminate a property
maintenance code serious violation report relating to a State
license or certification applicant to a requesting
Commonwealth agency within 30 days of receipt of a property
maintenance code serious violation report request from the
agency.
(3) The Commonwealth agency shall notify the applicant
in writing of the reasons for a decision that denies the
permit, licensing or certification requested by the applicant
if the decision is based in whole or in part on information
contained in the registry.
(d) Hearing requested by applicant.--
(1) The department shall hold a hearing regarding why
the property owner is listed on the registry, as applicable.
If the applicant can produce a certificate or letter of code
compliance from the municipality, the department shall update
the official record within 48 hours to reflect the new
information.
(2) The municipality or Commonwealth agency shall hold a
hearing regarding administrative appeals related to permit
denials.
(e) Record of dissemination.--The department shall maintain
a listing of Commonwealth agencies, municipalities and other
entities that have requested information on a particular real
property owner and the date on which the information was
disseminated. The Attorney General shall be exempt from this
listing in order to protect the confidentiality of
investigations. This listing shall be maintained separate from
the registry.
(f) Fee.--The department may not assess a fee for the
20250HB1062PN1657 - 5 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
dissemination of property maintenance code serious violation
information.
§ 6135.5. Changing status of property on registry.
A municipality that files a report with the department shall
subsequently supply the property owner with a certificate of
compliance once the real property is declared to be brought back
into code compliance. The property owner shall forward a copy of
the certificate of compliance to the department if the property
owner wishes to have the property's status changed to "cured" on
the registry. The department shall include the information as
part of the official record for the specific property and owner
of the real property.
(A) CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE.--
(1) A MUNICIPALITY THAT FILES A REPORT WITH THE
DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBSEQUENTLY SUPPLY THE PROPERTY OWNER WITH
A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE ONCE THE REAL PROPERTY IS
DECLARED TO BE BROUGHT BACK INTO CODE COMPLIANCE.
(2) THE PROPERTY OWNER MUST FORWARD A COPY OF THE
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE TO THE DEPARTMENT IF THE PROPERTY
OWNER WISHES TO HAVE THE PROPERTY'S STATUS CHANGED TO "CURED"
ON THE REGISTRY.
(3) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL INCLUDE THE INFORMATION AS PART
OF THE OFFICIAL RECORD FOR THE SPECIFIC PROPERTY AND OWNER OF
THE REAL PROPERTY.
(B) REMOVAL OF INFORMATION FROM OFFICIAL RECORD.--THE
DEPARTMENT SHALL REMOVE FROM THE OFFICIAL RECORD ALL INFORMATION
PERTAINING TO A REAL PROPERTY OR ITS OWNER WHEN THE REAL
PROPERTY HAS REMAINED UNDER A "CURED" DESIGNATION FOR A PERIOD
OF TWO YEARS.
§ 6135.6. Administrative requirements.
20250HB1062PN1657 - 6 -
<--
<--
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
(a) Procedures.--The department shall issue guidelines to
effectuate the purposes of this subchapter, which shall include
procedures to ensure the completeness and accuracy of
information in the registry. The department may contract with a
third-party entity to assist in carrying out the department's
duties under this subchapter.
(b) Forms.--The department shall develop property
maintenance code serious violation report forms and property
maintenance code serious violation report request forms, as well
as procedures to obtain the information electronically.
(c) Security requirements.--The department shall maintain
the confidentiality and security of the information contained in
the registry by providing that:
(1) Procedures have been instituted to reasonably
protect the registry from theft, fire, sabotage, flood, wind
or other natural or manmade disasters.
(2) All personnel authorized to access registry
information are selected, supervised and trained accordingly.
§ 6135.7. Audit.
(a) Duty of Auditor General.--The Auditor General may
conduct annual performance audits of registry operations for the
first three years of the registry's existence and then every
five years thereafter.
(b) Access to records.--The department shall provide
auditors with access to all records, reports and listings
required to conduct an audit of property maintenance code
serious violations record information. Persons that have
supervision of or are authorized to receive registry information
shall cooperate with auditors and provide requested information.
(c) Contents of audit.--The audit shall report in writing
20250HB1062PN1657 - 7 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
deficiencies and recommendations for correcting the
deficiencies. The department shall respond to the audit
recommendations within a reasonable period of time .
§ 6135.8. Imposition of registry penalty .
A property owner that is in serious violation of a municipal
property maintenance code for more than one year that has been
placed on the property registry by a municipality may be subject
to a registry penalty in the amount of $1,000 for each serious
violation. The following apply to the penalty:
(1) The penalty shall be in addition to any other
applicable fees or charges lawfully collected by the
municipality and court.
(2) The municipality shall collect the penalty, deduct
administrative costs and transmit the remaining money to the
department on a quarterly basis.
(3) The penalty may take the form of a lien on the real
property, and the municipality may file the lien with the
county prothonotary or equivalent office.
(4) Money transmitted to the department under paragraph
(2) shall be deposited into the account.
§ 6135.9. Property Maintenance Code Serious Violations Registry
Account .
(a) Establishment.--The Property Maintenance Code Serious
Violations Registry Account is established within the State
Treasury. The money in the account is appropriated on a
continuing basis to the department for the purposes provided in
this subchapter. The account shall consist of money transmitted
under section 6135.8(2) (relating to imposition of registry
penalty), transferred or appropriated from the General Fund to
the account or otherwise made available to the account.
20250HB1062PN1657 - 8 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
(b) Distribution.--The department may distribute money in
excess of the money transferred or appropriated from the General
Fund to municipalities participating in the registry.
(c) Purposes.--In addition to the purpose under subsection
(b), money in the account may be used for the following
purposes:
(1) By the department to reimburse the department for
its administrative costs in carrying out its responsibilities
under this subchapter.
(2) By the unified judicial system to conduct training
of the judiciary in accordance with 42 Pa.C.S. § 1907
(relating to deteriorated real property education and
training programs for judges).
(3) By the Department of the Auditor General to
reimburse that department for the costs of conducting the
audits authorized by section 6135.7 (relating to audit).
§ 6135.10 . Duty of Attorney General.
(a) Out-of-State property owners.--For a person who lives or
has a principal place of residence outside this Commonwealth and
owns real estate property in this Commonwealth, upon written
request by a municipality, the Attorney General may assist the
municipality in pursuing compliance of the property owner in
order to bring the property up to municipal code if:
(1) A serious code violation has been cited.
(2) The property owner is charged under 53 Pa.C.S. §
6115 (relating to failure to comply with a code requirement).
(3) The property owner was properly notified of the
violations.
(b) Remedies.--For a violation under subsection (a), the
Attorney General may send a warning letter to the property owner
20250HB1062PN1657 - 9 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
or file a court proceeding on behalf of the municipality.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 120 days.
20250HB1062PN1657 - 10 -
1
2