HB 2303 — An Act amending Title 48 (Lodging and Housing) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for temporary lodging at short-term rentals; and imposing penalties.

PRINTER'S NO.   3026

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2303
                                                 Session of
                                                   2026

     INTRODUCED BY POWELL, DALEY, WAXMAN, GALLAGHER, McNEILL,
        SANCHEZ, CIRESI, BRENNAN, WEBSTER, INGLIS, CERRATO, PARKER,
        CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, KINKEAD AND MAYES, MARCH 18, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC
        DEVELOPMENT, MARCH 19, 2026


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 48 (Lodging and Housing) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, providing for temporary lodging at
 3      short-term rentals; and imposing penalties.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6      Section 1.    Title 48 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 7   Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
 8                                  CHAPTER 15
 9                TEMPORARY LODGING AT SHORT-TERM RENTALS
10   Subchapter
11      A.   General Provisions
12      B.   Categories and Regulation
13      C.   Registry and Tracking
14      D.   Safety and Insurance
15      E.   Enforcement and Penalties
16      F.   Transitional Compliance
17                                SUBCHAPTER A
 1                              GENERAL PROVISIONS
 2   Sec.
 3   1501.   Definitions.
 4   1502.   Applicability.
 5   1503.   Property count and attribution.
 6   § 1501.    Definitions.
 7      The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
 8   shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
 9   context clearly indicates otherwise:
10      "Booking service."     An entity that facilitates or collects
11   payment for hotel accommodations on behalf of or for an
12   operator. The term does not include a person who publishes
13   advertisements for accommodations.
14      "Corporate STR operator."     As follows:
15             (1)   an owner, individual or entity that owns or operates
16      10 or more short-term rental properties within this
17      Commonwealth; or
18             (2)   an owner, individual or entity that operates
19      multiple short-term rental properties within this
20      Commonwealth through separate legal entities under common
21      control.
22      "Homestay."     A short-term rental in which:
23             (1)   The property is the primary residence of the owner.
24      The property may be rented while the owner is present or
25      temporarily absent for a cumulative period not exceeding 30
26      days in a calendar year.
27             (2)   The property is owned by an individual who operates
28      no more than one additional short-term rental property in
29      total beyond the individual's primary residence.
30             (3)   No more than one additional property, beyond the

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 1      primary residence, is operated as a short-term rental by the
 2      same owner.
 3      "Operator."        A person operating a hotel.
 4      "Owner."     An individual, partnership, corporation, limited
 5   liability company or other entity holding legal title to a
 6   property or holding an equitable interest under a land contract.
 7      "Person in charge."        As follows:
 8            (1)   An individual or agent with actual authority to
 9      represent the operator for purposes of contact and
10      communication regarding the operator's vacation rental who
11      is:
12                  (i)    Able to be contacted at all times and arrive at
13            the short-term rental unit within one hour of being
14            contacted.
15                  (ii)    Able to respond on-site as necessary and
16            authorized to act as a legal agent.
17            (2)   The county shall be notified in writing within 14
18      days of any change of the identity of the person in charge.
19      "Primary residence."       A dwelling unit in which an owner
20   resides for at least six months in each calendar year.
21      "Short-term rental" or "STR."           A dwelling unit, or portion of
22   a dwelling unit, that is rented for a period of less than 30
23   consecutive days to a temporary guest, whether advertised or
24   offered through an online platform, broker or by other means.
25   The term does not include a lodging establishment as defined in
26   section 1311 (relating to hotelkeepers and campground owners).
27      "Vacation rental."        A short-term rental operated by an owner
28   who:
29            (1)   Owns fewer than 10 short-term rental properties
30      within this Commonwealth.

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 1             (2)   Is not present during guest occupancy.
 2   § 1502.    Applicability.
 3      (a)    Short-term rentals.--This chapter applies to all short-
 4   term rentals located within this Commonwealth, except where
 5   prohibited by municipal zoning ordinances.
 6      (b)    Local authority.--Nothing in this chapter shall be
 7   construed to limit the authority of municipalities to:
 8             (1)   regulate the location and operation of short-term
 9      rentals; or
10             (2)   prohibit short-term rentals in specified zoning
11      districts.
12      (c)    Municipal notice.--A municipality that prohibits or
13   restricts short-term rentals under a zoning ordinance shall
14   provide written notice, including a copy of the applicable
15   zoning ordinance or relevant provisions of the zoning ordinance,
16   of the prohibition or restriction to the county. The county's
17   permitting decisions under this chapter shall be based on the
18   most recent notice received and the county shall not be liable
19   for issuing a permit in the absence of a notice.
20   § 1503.    Property count and attribution.
21      (a)    Aggregation.--For purposes of determining the applicable
22   category of a short-term rental operator under this chapter, all
23   short-term rental properties owned or operated by an individual,
24   entity or group of entities under common ownership or control
25   shall be aggregated.
26      (b)    Attribution.--Ownership or operation of a short-term
27   rental property through a corporation, limited liability
28   company, partnership, trust or other legal arrangement in which
29   the individual or entity holds a controlling interest shall be
30   attributed to the individual or entity for purposes of

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 1   subsection (a).
 2      (c)    Anti-evasion rule.--The Department of Revenue shall
 3   adopt rules to prevent evasion of the requirements of this
 4   section through the creation of multiple legal entities, trusts
 5   or other arrangements in which the operator holds a controlling
 6   interest.
 7                                 SUBCHAPTER B
 8                          CATEGORIES AND REGULATION
 9   Sec.
10   1511.    Regulation of homestays.
11   1512.    Regulation of vacation rentals.
12   1513.    Regulation of corporate STR operators.
13   1514.    Permit fees and local authority.
14   § 1511.    Regulation of homestays.
15      (a)    Permit required.--A person may not operate a homestay
16   without obtaining an annual permit from the county in which the
17   property is located.
18      (b)    Requirements.--An applicant for a homestay permit shall
19   provide two forms of documentation verifying that the property
20   is the applicant's primary residence, as determined by the
21   county and documentation of an annual safety inspection.
22   § 1512.    Regulation of vacation rentals.
23      (a)    Permit and licensing.--An owner of a vacation rental
24   shall obtain:
25             (1)   A county permit for each property to be renewed
26      annually.
27             (2)   Proof of liability insurance as required by section
28      1531 (relating to minimum insurance coverage).
29      (b)    Operational standards.--A vacation rental shall comply
30   with:

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 1             (1)   Local nuisance ordinances.
 2             (2)   Occupancy limits.
 3             (3)   Requirements for a designated person in charge.
 4   § 1513.    Regulation of corporate STR operators.
 5      (a)    Enhanced residential safety standards.--A corporate STR
 6   operator shall comply with the following safety and operational
 7   standards:
 8             (1)   Requirements for a designated person in charge.
 9             (2)   Proof of liability insurance as required by section
10      1531 (relating to minimum insurance coverage).
11             (3)   Installation and maintenance of:
12                   (i)    Smoke detection devices.
13                   (ii)    Carbon monoxide detection devices, which are
14             either remote-capable or connected to a system capable of
15             remotely monitoring the activation of such alarms.
16                   (iii)    Noise monitoring devices that measure decibel
17             levels.
18                   (iv)    Exterior-only video surveillance of building
19             entrances.
20             (4)   Any additional safety measures required by the
21      county by regulation consistent with applicable building and
22      fire codes.
23             (5)   A monitoring device required under this subsection
24      may not record audio or video within the interior of a
25      dwelling unit.
26      (b)    Sanitation.--A corporate STR operator shall:
27             (1)   Ensure that each dwelling unit is cleaned and
28      sanitized between rental occupancies in a manner consistent
29      with generally accepted public health practices.
30             (2)   Provide freshly laundered linens and towels for each

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 1      occupancy and maintain sanitary handling and storage
 2      practices.
 3             (3)   Maintain written cleaning protocols and records of
 4      unit turnover.
 5             (4)   Comply with applicable public health requirements
 6      issued by the Department of Health.
 7      (c)    Workforce standards.--A corporate STR operator shall
 8   provide training to employees consistent with applicable
 9   occupational health and safety standards and maintain
10   documentation of the training.
11   § 1514.    Permit fees and local authority.
12      (a)    County authority.--A county may establish permit fees
13   for short-term rentals regulated under this chapter.
14      (b)    Municipal authority preserved.--Nothing in this section
15   shall be construed to limit the authority of a municipality to
16   require a permit, license or approval for short-term rentals
17   under applicable local ordinance.
18      (c)    Use of fees.--Fees imposed by a county or municipality
19   under this section shall be used solely to administer and
20   enforce this chapter, including permitting, inspections and
21   registry operations under section 1521 (relating to municipal
22   registries and data sharing) and compliance enforcement.
23      (d)    Reasonableness.--Fees imposed by a county or
24   municipality under this section shall be reasonably related to
25   the actual administrative and enforcement expenses and may not
26   be used as a general revenue source.
27                                 SUBCHAPTER C
28                            REGISTRY AND TRACKING
29   Sec.
30   1521.    Municipal registries and data sharing.

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 1   § 1521.    Municipal registries and data sharing.
 2      (a)    Local registry required.--A county that permits the
 3   operation of short-term rentals shall establish and maintain a
 4   registry of all permitted short-term rental units and all hotels
 5   and other lodging establishments subject to the hotel occupancy
 6   tax within the county's jurisdiction. Each county shall transmit
 7   to the Department of Community and Economic Development an
 8   annual report of all short-term rentals registered within the
 9   county's jurisdiction.
10      (b)    Interagency sharing.--The Department of Community and
11   Economic Development shall transmit registry and booking-service
12   data collected under this chapter to the Department of Revenue
13   for the limited purpose of ensuring proper administration,
14   collection and enforcement of State and local hotel occupancy
15   taxes.
16      (c)    Required host information.--Registration with a county
17   shall, at a minimum, include the following information for each
18   permitted short-term rental unit and each hotel or other lodging
19   establishment subject to the hotel occupancy tax:
20             (1)   The name, mailing address, telephone number and
21      email address of the operator.
22             (2)   The street address of the short-term rental unit,
23      hotel or lodging establishment, including a unit number if
24      applicable.
25             (3)   The total number of bedrooms.
26             (4)   The maximum number of overnight guests permitted
27      under applicable municipal occupancy limits or building and
28      fire code requirements.
29             (5)   If located in a multiunit structure, the number of
30      dwelling units within that structure being used as short-term

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 1      rentals.
 2            (6)    If different from the owner, the name and 24-hour
 3      contact information of a designated person in charge.
 4            (7)    The short-term rental category under this chapter,
 5      if applicable.
 6            (8)    The municipal permit or license number.
 7            (9)    An attestation that liability insurance meeting
 8      section 1531 (relating to minimum insurance coverage) is in
 9      force, with proof made available to the county or
10      municipality upon request.
11            (10)    The date and result of the most recent required
12      safety inspection, if applicable.
13      (d)   County tax administration authority.--In addition to the
14   registration information required under subsection (c), a county
15   may, by ordinance, require an operator or booking service to
16   provide supplementary information necessary to administer or
17   audit the collection of county-imposed hotel occupancy taxes.
18   The following shall apply:
19            (1)    A county ordinance adopted under this subsection may
20      require the inclusion of the following data with each monthly
21      or periodic report:
22                   (i)    The accommodation fee.
23                   (ii)    The discount room rate.
24                   (iii)    The amount of taxes collected on behalf of the
25            operator.
26            (2)    Records or information received by a county under
27      this subsection shall be used solely for the purpose of
28      administering and auditing county hotel-occupancy tax
29      collections and shall not be accessible for inspection and
30      duplication under the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3),

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 1    known as the Right-to-Know Law.
 2    (e)   Booking service accountability.--
 3          (1)   A booking service facilitating the listing,
 4    advertisement or rental of short-term rentals located in this
 5    Commonwealth shall, on a monthly basis, provide to the
 6    Department of Community and Economic Development and each
 7    county in which listings are located an electronic report, in
 8    a form and manner determined by the Department of Community
 9    and Economic Development, identifying for the applicable
10    reporting period:
11                (i)    A registered short-term rental's address and
12          permit number issued in a form and manner determined by
13          the Department of Community and Economic Development.
14                (ii)    Whether the listing is for a full dwelling unit
15          or a portion of the dwelling.
16                (iii)    The total number of nights the unit was booked
17          or occupied.
18          (2)   The Department of Community and Economic Development
19    shall maintain and publish a current list of county contacts
20    designated to receive reports under this subsection, and each
21    county shall provide the Department of Community and Economic
22    Development with updated contact information as necessary.
23          (3)   The Department of Community and Economic Development
24    shall make available to booking services an electronic
25    verification system to confirm the registration status and
26    permit number of a short-term rental. A booking service shall
27    not collect or receive a fee, list, advertise, process a
28    reservation for or otherwise facilitate the rental of a
29    property that lacks a current, valid municipal permit or
30    registration under this chapter.

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 1        (4)   A booking service shall collect and remit all State
 2    and local hotel occupancy taxes on short-term rental
 3    transactions unless the owner demonstrates direct remittance.
 4    If a booking service, acting for an operator, collects
 5    payment for rent, the booking service shall collect and
 6    remit:
 7              (i)    The taxes imposed under section 210(a) of the
 8        act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax
 9        Reform Code of 1971.
10              (ii)    Any additional or optional hotel taxes
11        authorized under any of the following:
12                     (A)   the act of July 28, 1953 (P.L.723, No.230),
13              known as the Second Class County Code;
14                     (B)   the act of June 5, 1991 (P.L.9, No.6), known
15              as the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation
16              Authority Act for Cities of the First Class;
17                     (C)   the act of December 21, 1998 (P.L.1307,
18              No.174), known as the Community and Economic
19              Improvement Act;
20                     (D)   16 Pa.C.S. Chs. 173 (relating to third class
21              county convention center authorities) and 175
22              (relating to hotel tax); or
23                     (E)   64 Pa.C.S. Ch. 60 (relating to Pennsylvania
24              Convention Center Authority).
25        (5)   Reports and records provided under this subsection
26    shall be published on an official municipal website or in
27    another publicly accessible format. Personally identifiable
28    contact information of the operator, including telephone
29    number and email address, shall be redacted or excluded from
30    public display, provided that the redacted information shall

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 1      remain available to enforcement officials upon request. The
 2      publication requirement under this paragraph shall not apply
 3      to homestay rentals, provided that complete registry
 4      information remains available to municipal and State
 5      enforcement officials.
 6      (f)    Public safety use.--Registry and booking-service reports
 7   collected under this section may be shared by the Department of
 8   Community and Economic Development and by counties with State,
 9   county and municipal agencies for emergency response, disaster
10   recovery, public health investigations and code enforcement
11   purposes.
12      (g)    Confidentiality of tax-related data.--Information shared
13   with the Department of Revenue under subsection (b) shall be
14   considered taxpayer information and subject to all applicable
15   confidentiality protections under State law.
16                                  SUBCHAPTER D
17                             SAFETY AND INSURANCE
18   Sec.
19   1531.    Minimum insurance coverage.
20   1532.    Safety standards.
21   1533.    Inspections.
22   § 1531.    Minimum insurance coverage.
23      (a)    Requirement.--All short-term rentals, except homestays,
24   shall maintain liability insurance coverage in an amount not
25   less than $500,000 per occurrence.
26      (b)    Proof.--Proof of coverage shall be provided at the time
27   of permit application and upon renewal.
28   § 1532.    Safety standards.
29      (a)    Requirements.--A short-term rental shall:
30             (1)   Provide functioning smoke and carbon monoxide

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 1      detectors.
 2             (2)   Provide accessible fire extinguishers.
 3             (3)   Maintain safe and unobstructed means of egress.
 4             (4)   Comply with maximum occupancy limits established by
 5      local ordinance or applicable building or fire code
 6      standards.
 7             (5)   Have an evacuation map posted in a conspicuous
 8      location within the short-term rental unit that identifies
 9      emergency exits and egress routes.
10      (b)    Human trafficking prevention.--An operator of a short-
11   term rental shall complete human trafficking awareness training
12   approved by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
13   and shall post information on the National Human Trafficking
14   Hotline in a conspicuous location within the short-term rental
15   unit. Compliance with this subsection shall be a condition of
16   permitting under this chapter.
17      (c)    Enforcement.--Compliance with this section shall be
18   verified through the permitting, inspection or attestation
19   processes established under this chapter and may be enforced by
20   municipalities or counties as provided under this chapter.
21   Counties shall establish a process to receive and investigate
22   complaints alleging noncompliance with this chapter and may take
23   enforcement action consistent with this chapter, including
24   issuance of notices of violation, civil penalties or suspension
25   or revocation of permits, subject to notice and an opportunity
26   to cure or be heard.
27   § 1533.    Inspections.
28      Documentation verifying compliance and applicable fire,
29   safety and housing codes shall be provided by the owner or
30   operator as part of the permitting process under this chapter.

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 1   Documentation shall consist of one of the following:
 2             (1)   an inspection conducted by the municipality;
 3             (2)   an inspection conducted by a licensed third party;
 4      or
 5             (3)   except for corporate STR operators, an attestation
 6      by the owner or operator that the property complies with
 7      applicable codes, subject to verification or inspection by
 8      the municipality or the Department of Community and Economic
 9      Development.
10                                 SUBCHAPTER E
11                           ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES
12   Sec.
13   1541.    Enforcement.
14   1542.    Penalties.
15   § 1541.    Enforcement.
16      (a)     Primary enforcement.--The Department of Community and
17   Economic Development shall have primary authority to enforce the
18   requirements of this chapter.
19      (b)     Local authority preserved.--Nothing in this chapter
20   shall be construed to limit the authority of a municipality or
21   county to enforce zoning, building, fire, nuisance, licensing or
22   other applicable local ordinances, or to enforce compliance with
23   permit or registration requirements established under this
24   chapter.
25   § 1542.    Penalties.
26      (a)     Civil penalty.--A violation of this chapter shall be
27   subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $2,000 per violation.
28      (b)     Injunctive relief.--A court of competent jurisdiction
29   may enjoin the continued operation of a noncompliant short-term
30   rental.

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 1      (c)     Suspension or revocation of permits.--A county shall
 2   enforce permitting requirements and take enforcement actions
 3   consistent with applicable local ordinances, including
 4   suspension or revocation of permits.
 5                                 SUBCHAPTER F
 6                           TRANSITIONAL COMPLIANCE
 7   Sec.
 8   1551.    Time period for compliance.
 9   § 1551.    Time period for compliance.
10      An operator of a short-term rental unit in operation prior to
11   the effective date of this section shall be required to be in
12   compliance with all applicable provisions of this chapter as
13   follows:
14             (1)   Homestay operators, 12 months after the effective
15      date of this paragraph.
16             (2)   Vacation rental operators, six months after the
17      effective date of this paragraph.
18             (3)   Corporate STR operators, six months after the
19      effective date of this paragraph.
20      Section 2.     This act shall take effect in 180 days.




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