Is Airbnb Legal in Pittsburgh? 2026 Rules, Permits & Taxes

Permit

Not required

Taxes on a stay

14%

Fine for breaking the rules

Up to $500

Active Airbnb listings

2,390

Next rule change

Aug 31, 2027

The rules in brief

Issued by

City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI)

Valid for

A registration lasts one year; once a unit passes inspection, its permit is effective for three years.

On listings

No number needed on listings

Platform checks

Pittsburgh has no listing-number rule or platform verification in force. Council Bill 2026-0009 would tie each short-term rental to a license under a proposed Chapter 768.

Fees

Who qualifies

• The owner (legal title holder) registers each rental unit
• A copy of a current valid occupancy permit comes with the first application, unless the structure is exempt
• A named contact can schedule inspections and let city officials in
• The unit passes an inspection against the International Property Maintenance Code

How to apply

1. 1 Submit the rental permit registration through the OneStopPGH portal or at the OneStopPGH counter on the first floor of 412 Boulevard of the Allies.
2. 2 Provide the property address, owner contact details, a photo ID, a copy of the occupancy permit with the first application and a contact for inspections.
3. 3 Schedule the inspection after the provisional permit is issued, and renew the registration at least 30 days before it expires.
4. 4 Register separately with the Allegheny County Special Tax Division for the hotel room rental tax.

Permit rules

City rental permit covers short-term homestays

Chapter 781 of the Pittsburgh Code requires a rental permit for any rental unit in the city and counts an owner's short-term homestay as a rental unit. The Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) issues it.² In force since September 28, 2023

Permit is voluntary until further notice

PLI launched the rental permit program on December 19, 2024, but registration remains voluntary until further notice. PLI does not enforce the program or seek penalties, and it will publish revised rules at least 30 days before full enforcement starts.^9,18 In force since June 6, 2025

30 days' public notice before enforcement

At least 30 days before PLI starts full enforcement, it will publish revised Rules and Regulations on its webpage and send them to City Council.⁹ In force since June 6, 2025

Registration costs $16 per unit

PLI's published 2025 fees are a $16 flat registration fee per rental unit, a $5.50 flat inspection fee per rental unit and a $14 inspection fee per dwelling or sleeping unit. The renewal fee after a passed inspection is $16.⁹

Fees paid early count toward later amounts

Fees collected while registration is voluntary are applied toward amounts due once full enforcement begins; PLI fees are non-refundable except when collected in error.⁹

Owner-occupied units skip the per-unit inspection fee

PLI's rules exempt an owner-occupied dwelling or sleeping unit within a rental unit from the per-unit inspection fee when the owner is an individual; the registration and general inspection fees still apply.¹⁰

One-year registration, three-year permit

A registration lasts one year and is renewed annually; once a unit passes inspection, its permit is effective for three years.² In force since September 28, 2023

Occupancy permit copy with the first application

The first registration includes a copy of a current valid occupancy permit for the property, unless the structure is exempt from that requirement under the zoning and building codes.²

Airbnb collects and remits the taxes

Airbnb collects the 6% state tax, the 1% local sales tax and the locally imposed occupancy tax on Pennsylvania stays of 29 nights and shorter; hosts remain responsible for other tax obligations.¹⁹

Advertised price must show the total

A federal rule covers platforms, resellers and hosts that advertise short-term lodging: the advertised price must disclose the total price, including mandatory fees, with taxes and government charges allowed separately.^4,16 In force since May 12, 2025

The owner of the unit registers

The permit duty falls on the owner, defined as the legal title holder of the rental unit or the premises it sits in.²

No short-term rental category in the zoning code yet

Council Bill 2026-0009 would add short-term rental use regulations to the Pittsburgh Zoning Code, which has no such category today. It has not passed, so the zoning district at the address still decides what a host may do.^3,11

State case law lets cities restrict transient use

Under Pennsylvania Supreme Court decisions, a municipality may prohibit purely transient uses such as short-term rentals in residential zoning districts, and uses not expressly included in an ordinance are treated as excluded.⁷ In force since April 26, 2019

Inspection against the property maintenance code

Each registered unit is inspected against the International Property Maintenance Code and the city's housing and property maintenance standards before a non-provisional permit is issued.² In force since September 28, 2023

Contact for inspections

Registration lists a person with authority to schedule inspections and let city officials into the unit.²

$500 per unit per month, summary offense

Renting a unit without the required permit is a summary offense with a fine of up to $500 per unit per month, but PLI currently seeks no penalties.^2,9

6% state hotel occupancy tax

Lodging for fewer than 30 days to the same person owes the 6% Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax, collected on the listing price including cleaning and guest fees.^5,19

1% local sales tax collected by the state

The Department of Revenue also collects an additional 1% local tax in Allegheny County on stays of 29 nights and shorter.^5,19

7% Allegheny County hotel room rental tax

Allegheny County levies a 7% hotel room rental tax on hotels, motels and short-term rentals; 2 points of it are a temporary add-on that state law ends no later than August 31, 2027.^1,7,8

Operators register with the county even when Airbnb remits

Every short-term rental operator in Allegheny County must register with the County Treasurer's Special Tax Division and report taxable revenue, and must show proof that the booking agent remitted the tax.⁸

Quarterly returns for small operators

Under the county's schedule, establishments with fewer than 15 rooms remit the tax quarterly, with payment due by the 20th day after the quarter ends.⁸

State tax license for direct bookings

A host who books guests directly, without a booking agent, needs a Pennsylvania Sales, Use, and Hotel Occupancy Tax license; a host who books only through a booking agent does not.⁶

City business registration for operators running a business

The Department of Finance requires any entity conducting business in Pittsburgh to be registered with the city and hold a City ID Number.¹⁵

Median nightly rate, booked nights

$175

Taxes on that night (14%)

$25

Guest pays, before Airbnb and cleaning fees

$200

What the host still handles

• Allegheny County Special Tax Division: every short-term rental operator registers with the County Treasurer, reports taxable revenue and shows proof that Airbnb remitted the 7% county tax
• Pennsylvania Sales, Use, and Hotel Occupancy Tax license through the Department of Revenue, only for bookings made directly without a booking agent
• City of Pittsburgh business registration and City ID Number from the Department of Finance, when the rental is run as a business^{1,5,6,8,15,19}

• Renting a unit without the required city rental permit is a summary offense with a fine of up to $500 per unit per month, though PLI does not seek penalties while registration is voluntary.^2,9
• Unpaid Allegheny County hotel tax: the county files a civil complaint in the Court of Common Pleas and enters judgment against the operator, who also pays penalties, interest and court costs.⁸
• The operator is responsible for paying all penalties, interest and court costs on unpaid county hotel tax.⁸

1. August 31, 2027 Upcoming
   Allegheny County's temporary 2% hotel tax add-on ends

   State law ends the 2% add-on to the county hotel tax no later than August 31, 2027, earlier if the convention center bonds are retired; the county rate then reverts to 5%.^1,7

2. September 8, 2026
   Planning Commission postpones its vote

   The Planning Commission held its public hearing on September 8, 2026 and put off a vote until it receives a legal opinion from the city's law department.^12,20

3. June 24, 2026 Not in force
   Council amends the zoning bill and re-refers it

   Council amended Council Bill 2026-0009 by substitute (version 3) and referred it to the Planning Commission for a report and recommendation. The bill has not passed.^3,11

4. January 13, 2026 Not in force
   Council Bill 2026-0009 introduced

   City Council read and referred Council Bill 2026-0009, sponsored by Councilmembers Gross, Coghill and Wilson, which adds Short-Term Rental use regulations to the zoning code.¹¹

5. December 31, 2025 Lapsed
   2025 zoning bill dies with the council session

   File 2025-2082 died on December 31, 2025, when the legislative session expired.¹³

6. July 15, 2025 Not in force
   First short-term rental zoning and licensing bills introduced

   Councilmember Deborah Gross introduced File 2025-2082, a zoning ordinance adding a Short-Term Rental use. File 2025-2081, listed on the same committee agenda on September 10, 2025, would add a new Chapter 768, Short-Term Rental Housing, to the business licensing code.^13,17

7. June 6, 2025
   Registration stays voluntary until further notice

   PLI's rental registration page, published June 6, 2025, says compliance remains voluntary until further notice and that PLI will give at least 30 days' public notice before full enforcement.^9,18

8. December 19, 2024
   Rental permit program launches

   PLI launched the Residential Housing Rental Permit Program, also called the rental registry, on December 19, 2024, with voluntary registration.⁹

9. June 18, 2024
   State Supreme Court vacates the ruling as moot

   The Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated the Commonwealth Court order and dismissed the appeal because the city had replaced the 2015 ordinance with the 2023 version.¹⁴

10. September 28, 2023
    Council replaces Chapter 781

    Ordinance 23-2023 rewrote the Residential Housing Rental Permit Program in Chapter 781 and took effect on September 28, 2023; it names owner short-term homestays as rental units.^2,14

11. March 17, 2023
    Commonwealth Court rules against the 2015 rental ordinance

    The Commonwealth Court found provisions of Pittsburgh's 2015 rental permit ordinance in violation of Section 2962(f) of the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law.¹⁴

Estimate what a Pittsburgh home could earn

1. 1. 16 Pa.C.S. Section 17161 - Increase in rate of hotel tax in central county · Pennsylvania General Assembly
2. 2. Chapter 781: Residential Housing Rental Permit Program · City of Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances
3. 3. File #2026-0009, Version 3: Legislation Details (With Text) · City of Pittsburgh City Council (Legistar)
4. 4. 16 CFR Part 464 - Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
5. 5. Home-sharing/Third-party Broker Rentals · Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
6. 6. Hotel Occupancy Tax - Booking Agents · Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
7. 7. The Short-Term Rental Industry in Pennsylvania: A Staff Study (March 2025) · Joint State Government Commission, Pennsylvania General Assembly
8. 8. Hotel Room Rental Tax · Allegheny County Treasurer
9. 9. Rental Registration (Residential Housing Rental Permit Program) · City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections
10. 10. Residential Housing Rental Permit Program Rules and Regulations (December 19, 2024) · City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections
11. 11. File #2026-0009: zoning ordinance adding Short-Term Rental use regulations (status and history) · City of Pittsburgh City Council (Legistar)
12. 12. Pittsburgh's Zoning Code Amendment HUB · City of Pittsburgh (EngagePGH)
13. 13. File #2025-2082: earlier zoning ordinance adding Short-Term Rental use (died December 31, 2025) · City of Pittsburgh City Council (Legistar)
14. 14. Landlord Service Bureau, Inc. v. City of Pittsburgh, No. 15 WAP 2023 (order of June 18, 2024) · Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
15. 15. Tax Forms · City of Pittsburgh Department of Finance
16. 16. The Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees: Frequently Asked Questions · Federal Trade Commission
17. 17. Standing Committee agenda, September 10, 2025 (files 2025-2081 and 2025-2082) · City of Pittsburgh City Council (Granicus)
18. 18. Residential Housing Rental Permit Program (news item, June 6, 2025) · City of Pittsburgh
19. 19. Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in Pennsylvania · Airbnb Help Center
20. 20. Pittsburgh Planning Commission hears comments on short-term rental regs, delays vote (September 8, 2026) · 90.5 WESA