HB 316 — An Act amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in neighborhood blight reclamation and revitalization, further providing for municipal permit denial.

PRINTER'S NO.    269

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                             HOUSE BILL
                             No. 316
                                                    Session of
                                                      2025

     INTRODUCED BY D. WILLIAMS, PIELLI, SANCHEZ, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS,
        KENYATTA, KHAN, CIRESI, DONAHUE, DALEY, GREEN, MADDEN AND
        CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, JANUARY 23, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
        JANUARY 23, 2025


                                         AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in neighborhood blight reclamation and
 3      revitalization, further providing for municipal permit
 4      denial.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.         Section 6131(a) of Title 53 of the Pennsylvania
 8   Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
 9   § 6131.    Municipal permit denial.
10      (a)    Denial.--
11             (1)   A municipality or a board under subsection (c) may
12      deny issuing to an applicant a municipal permit if the
13      applicant owns real property in any municipality for which
14      there exists on the real property:
15                   (i)    a final and unappealable tax, water, sewer or
16             refuse collection delinquency on account of the actions
17             of the owner; [or]
18                   (ii)    a serious violation of State law or a code and
 1        the owner has taken no substantial steps to correct the
 2        violation within six months following notification of the
 3        violation and for which fines or other penalties or a
 4        judgment to abate or correct were imposed by a
 5        magisterial district judge or municipal court, or a
 6        judgment at law or in equity was imposed by a court of
 7        common pleas. However, no denial shall be permitted on
 8        the basis of a property for which the judgment, order or
 9        decree is subject to a stay or supersedeas by an order of
10        a court of competent jurisdiction or automatically
11        allowed by statute or rule of court until the stay or
12        supersedeas is lifted by the court or a higher court or
13        the stay or supersedeas expires as otherwise provided by
14        law. Where a stay or supersedeas is in effect, the
15        property owner shall so advise the municipality seeking
16        to deny a municipal permit[.]; or
17              (iii)   a delinquency in real property taxes or
18        municipal charges, or an unabated serious violation of
19        State law or a municipality code, and the real property
20        is owned by a corporation or limited liability
21        corporation or a principal of a limited liability
22        corporation, incorporated inside or outside of this
23        Commonwealth.
24        (2)   A municipality or board shall not deny a municipal
25    permit to an applicant if the municipal permit is necessary
26    to correct a violation of State law or a code.
27        (3)   The municipal permit denial shall not apply to an
28    applicant's delinquency on taxes, water, sewer or refuse
29    collection charges that are under appeal or otherwise
30    contested through a court or administrative process.

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 1        (4)   In issuing a denial of a permit based on an
 2    applicant's delinquency in real property taxes or municipal
 3    charges or for failure to abate a serious violation of State
 4    law or a code on real property that the applicant owns in
 5    this Commonwealth, the municipality or board shall indicate
 6    the street address, municipal corporation and county in which
 7    the property is located and the court and docket number for
 8    each parcel cited as a basis for the denial. The denial shall
 9    also state that the applicant may request a letter of
10    compliance from the appropriate State agency, municipality or
11    school district, in a form specified by such entity as
12    provided in this section.
13        (5)   A corporation or limited liability corporation or a
14    principal of a limited liability corporation or their agent
15    shall disclose in writing at the submission of an application
16    any delinquencies in real property taxes or municipal charges
17    or unabated serious violation of State law or a municipality
18    code on any real property owned by the applicant within any
19    municipality. Failure to disclose under this paragraph shall
20    result in the imposition of a $1,000 fine payable to the
21    municipality.
22    * * *
23    Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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