Pennsylvania Statutes Title 16 Pa.C.S.A. Counties § 17502. Authorization of five percent hotel tax for a county of the third class

(a) Imposition.--The county commissioners of any county of the third class having a population under the 1990 Federal Decennial Census in excess of 237,000 residents, but less than 240,000 residents, may impose a hotel tax not to exceed 5% of the consideration received by each operator of a hotel within the county from each transaction of renting a room or rooms to transients. The tax shall be collected by the operator from the patron of the room or rooms and paid over to the county as herein provided.

(b) Records.--The county commissioners may by ordinance impose requirements for the keeping of records, the filing of tax returns and the time and manner of collection and payment of tax. The county commissioners may also impose by ordinance penalties and interest for failure to comply with recordkeeping, filing, collection and payment requirements.

(c) Disposition of first two percent of tax revenue.--The county commissioners of each county shall designate the entity or agency responsible to collect and to enforce the collection of the tax on their behalf. All revenues received from the tax shall be deposited into a special fund, which is to be established by the county's treasurer. The disposition of the revenues from the special fund attributable to the levy of the first 2% of the tax shall be as follows:

(d) Disposition of the third one percent of the tax revenue.--The disposition of the revenues from the special fund attributable to the levy of the third percent of the tax, if levied, shall be distributed at the discretion of the county commissioners and used solely for tourism and regional promotion purposes.

(e) Disposition of remaining two percent of tax revenue.--The disposition of the revenues from the special fund attributable to the levy of the remaining 2% of the tax shall be distributed by the treasurer as follows:

(f) Collection and deposit.--The treasurer of each county electing to impose the tax authorized under this section shall collect the tax from the entity or agency designated by the county commissioners to collect and to enforce the collection of the tax and shall deposit the revenues received from the tax in a special fund established for that purpose.

(g) Concurrent tax years.--The tax year for a tax imposed under this section shall run concurrently with the calendar year.

(h) Audit.--An audited report on the income and expenditures incurred by a tourist promotion agency receiving any revenues from the tax authorized under this section shall be submitted annually by the tourist promotion agency to the county commissioners.

(i) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:

“Consideration.” Receipts, fees, charges, rentals, leases, cash, credits, property of any kind or nature or other payment received by operators in exchange for or in consideration of the use or occupancy by a transient of a room or rooms in a hotel for any temporary period.

“Debt service on bonds.”Any cost related to the issuance, refinancing, refunding or payment or any other costs associated with the issuance and maintenance of bonds or notes by an authority or a city of the third class.

“Hotel.” A hotel, motel, inn, guest house or other structure which holds itself out by any means, including advertising, license, registration with an innkeepers' group, convention listing association, travel publication or similar association or with a government agency, as being available to provide overnight lodging or the use of facility space for consideration to persons seeking temporary accommodation; any place which advertises to the public at large or any segment thereof that it will provide beds, sanitary facilities or other space for a temporary period to members of the public at large; or any place recognized as a hostelry. The term does not include any portion of a facility that is devoted to persons who have an established permanent residence or a college or university student residence hall.

“Occupancy.” The use or possession or the right to the use or possession by any person other than a permanent resident of any room in a hotel for any purpose or the right to the use or possession of the furnishings or to the services accompanying the use and possession of the room.

“Operator.” An individual, partnership, nonprofit or profit-making association or corporation or other person or group of persons who maintains, operates, manages, owns, has custody of or otherwise possesses the right to rent or lease overnight accommodations in a hotel to the public for consideration.

“Patron.” A person who pays the consideration for the occupancy of a room or rooms in a hotel.

“Permanent resident.”A person who has occupied or has the right to occupancy of a room or rooms in a hotel as a patron or otherwise for a period exceeding 30 consecutive days.

“Room.” A space in a hotel set aside for use and occupancy by patrons, or otherwise, for consideration, having at least one bed or other sleeping accommodation in a room or group of rooms.

“Tourist Promotion Agency (TPA).” An organization, agency or corporation designated to be such by the board of commissioners of the county in which the tax is imposed. The TPA shall be duly established, designated and recognized as the county's TPA in accordance with and pursuant to the former act of April 28, 1961 (P.L. 111, No. 50),  4 known as the Tourist Promotion Law.

“Transaction.” The activity involving the obtaining by a transient or patron of the use or occupancy of a hotel room from which consideration is payable to the operator under an express or implied contract.

“Transient.” An individual who obtains accommodation in a hotel by means of registering at the facility for the temporary occupancy of a room for the personal use of the individual by paying a fee to the operator.