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WHEREAS, Pennsylvania House Bill 809 preempts any municipal ordinance or regulation that prohibits occupancy of a dwelling based on the number of unrelated occupants; and,
WHEREAS, currently the City of Pittsburgh Municipal Code states that no more than three unrelated persons can live together in a single dwelling unit because of limited resources in a neighborhood such as parking, general welfare of tenants, noise concerns, trash, and refuse buildup; and,
WHEREAS, unfortunately, there are irresponsible landlords in Pittsburgh and across Pennsylvania that take advantage of residents who are looking for affordable housing options by trying to fit as many people as possible into a single apartment or house; and,
WHEREAS, these over occupied units cause visible and tangible safety and nuisance problems in the community, like noise violations, trash buildup, multiple vehicles, and pose threats to the well-being of those living in an over-occupied unit; and,
WHEREAS, to ensure safety and to avoid nuisance violations for residents of Pittsburgh as well as residents of municipalities across the commonwealth, local governments must have the power to make decisions about what is the right for our communities.
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NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh believes that it is critical that municipalities, not state government, should have the power to make decisions regarding occupancy, and strongly opposes House Bill 809 of 2015; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh calls upon the Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to vote against House Bill 809. A copy of this Will of Council shall be circulated to all members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.