Housing

HB 1062 creates a statewide system for tracking neighborhood blight by requiring municipalities to collect data on property maintenance violations. It establishes a Property Maintenance Code Serious Violations Registry to list properties with repeated severe maintenance issues and a dedicated funding account to support blight remediation efforts. The bill directly affects Pennsylvania municipalities, property owners, and landlords in areas designated as blighted, providing local governments with standardized data to target enforcement. Key provisions include mandatory data collection by cities/towns, a centralized registry for serious violations, and dedicated funding through the new account to aid property rehabilitation. If enacted, this would standardize blight reporting and funding across Pennsylvania communities.

This bill allows land banks to acquire blighted or abandoned properties under specific conditions. Municipalities must verify properties have been vacant/blighted for 5 years (with exceptions for unimproved land), have building code violations or tax delinquency, and send three certified mail notices to owners. Property owners can appeal by submitting a redevelopment plan with financing, architectural details, or developer contracts; if approved, they get 6-month extensions but must meet redevelopment timelines. Land banks must pay owners the property's appraised value minus fines or liens, directly affecting land banks, municipalities, and owners of distressed properties.

HB 369 amends Pennsylvania's land bank law by updating two key definitions in the property code. It changes "land bank jurisdiction" to allow two or more small municipalities (each with fewer than 10,000 residents) to form a land bank together through an agreement. The bill also expands "municipality" to include home rule, optional plan, and optional charter municipalities. These changes clarify which local governments can establish land banks under current law. The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment.