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Pennsylvania Statutes Title 68 P.S. Real and Personal Property § 1083. Compliance requirement

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) General rule.--Within 12 months of the date of purchase, the purchaser of a property known to be in violation or substantial violation of a municipal code or ordinance shall, at his option, either:

(1) bring the property into compliance with municipal codes or ordinances; or

(2) demolish the building or structure in accordance with law.

(a.1) Negotiation of longer time periods.--At the request of the property owner, the municipality may negotiate, at its discretion, longer time periods for maintenance and repair of the structure under a temporary certificate, but the time periods stated in subsection (a) may not be shortened.

(a.2) Reinspection of property.--

(1) At the expiration of the time period set forth in subsection (a) or before that time, if requested by the property owner, the municipality shall reinspect the property for the purpose of determining compliance with the cited violations.

(2) If a temporary access certificate has been issued and reinspection indicates that the noted substantial violations have been corrected and no other substantial violations that make the property unfit for human habitation are noticed but other cited violations have not yet been corrected, the municipality shall issue a temporary use and occupancy certificate to be valid for the time remaining on the original temporary access certificate.

(3) If the reinspection indicates that all noted violations have been corrected, the municipality shall issue a use and occupancy certificate for the property.

(b) Penalty.--

(1) Failure to comply with the requirements of subsection (a) shall result in:

(i) Revocation of the temporary certificate.

(ii) The purchaser being subject to any existing municipal ordinances or codes relating to the occupation of a property without a use and occupancy certificate.

(iii) The purchaser being personally liable for the costs of maintenance, repairs or demolition sufficient to correct the cited violations, and a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $10,000.

(2) Fines shall be remitted to the municipality in which the building, structure or part of a building or structure is located.

(3) In municipalities with low-income housing, not less than one-third of the fine imposed specifically for code violations shall be used by the municipality for low-income housing in a manner determined by the municipality.

(c) to (e) Deleted by 2016, Nov. 3, P.L. 1047, No. 133, § 3, effective in 60 days [Jan. 3, 2017].

(f) Exception.--A violation of a municipal code or ordinance, for which a fine, other penalty or a judgment to abate or correct was imposed by a magisterial district judge or municipal court, or a judgment at law or in equity was imposed by a court of common pleas prior to purchase, shall not be subject to the requirements of this section.

(g) Nonapplicability.--This section shall not apply where the municipality denies the certificate or permit pursuant to 53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 61 (relating to neighborhood blight reclamation and revitalization).

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Pennsylvania Statutes Title 68 P.S. Real and Personal Property § 1083. Compliance requirement - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-68-ps-real-and-personal-property/pa-st-sect-68-1083/

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