Housing and Community Development

Pennsylvania House Bill 2746 requires homeowners' and condominium owners' associations to provide full disclosure of infrastructure ownership and specific maintenance responsibilities during real estate transactions. These disclosures must clearly identify who is responsible for maintaining items such as roads, culverts, storm water facilities, and public safety lighting, as well as any associated inspection fees. The bill imposes escalating financial penalties on associations that fail to provide these documents before closing, starting at $5,000 for a first violation and increasing to $15,000 for third and subsequent offenses. This law applies to all residential property closings occurring after its effective date, which is set 60 days after enactment.

This bill requires corporations and unincorporated associations in Pennsylvania to report the number of single-family or low-density residential properties they own in their annual filings. It establishes a new chapter in state law that restricts certain entities from owning residential real estate and mandates a waiting period for purchases by covered investors. The legislation allows the Department of State to dissolve or cancel the registration of an entity that violates these property ownership rules at least 10 times within a three-year period. Additionally, the bill grants municipalities specific powers to enforce these restrictions and creates a private right of action for individuals to sue entities that violate the new ownership prohibitions.

HB 2663 amends the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act to establish specific deadlines for municipalities to review building permit applications and issue decisions. The bill requires that permits for single-family and two-family homes be decided within 15 business days, while other construction permits must be addressed within 30 business days. Additionally, the law mandates that if a permit application is denied, the code administrator must provide a written explanation citing the specific code violations. These changes aim to streamline the permitting process for homeowners, contractors, and local building officials by enforcing consistent review timelines.

SB 1279, known as the Reduce the Red Tape for Housing Act, aims to streamline housing construction permitting in Pennsylvania by requiring executive agencies to set specific processing timelines and adopt digital application systems. The bill introduces a new role called the Commonwealth Housing Regulatory Compliance Officer to coordinate between state agencies, local governments, and developers, while also allowing developers to hire independent third-party reviewers to expedite approvals. Additionally, the Office of Transformation and Opportunity must evaluate ways to improve the building materials supply chain and report on progress in reducing regulatory hurdles for housing projects.

SB 1281 amends Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code to create a new process for faster approval of high-density housing projects. The bill requires the State Planning Board to establish rules allowing municipalities to approve specific residential developments on zoned lots without needing to update their comprehensive plans or land use regulations. These expedited approvals are limited to smaller housing units, such as duplexes, townhouses, and multi-unit buildings with fewer than 50 units, provided they meet existing density limits and are served by public utilities. The legislation also enables the use of pre-approved building plans and typical drawings to streamline the construction permitting process.