Transaction Coordinator in Pittsburgh, PA.

Every City sale needs an Evidence of Compliance Certificate from Pittsburgh Water

Pittsburgh Water states that all property owners who wish to sell a property in the City of Pittsburgh must be in compliance with the Dye Testing Ordinance before the property can be sold, and that an Evidence of Compliance Certificate Application must be submitted before any City property is sold, whether or not the property sits in an identified sanitary sewer area. The ordinance is Chapter 433 of the Pittsburgh Code, Illegal Surface Stormwater Connections, adopted as Ordinance 3 of 2006 and amended in 2007.

The application decides whether a dye test is needed. In a combined sewer area no dye test is required and the certificate issues from the application. In a sanitary sewer area a certified plumber or general contractor must perform the test and submit the Dye Testing Results Form. A condominium with its own parcel number needs a certificate, and so does a vacant lot with its own parcel number in a sanitary sewer area.

Timing is the trap. Section 433.04 requires any person selling real property in the City to apply at least 14 days before the date of closing and to pay the fee the authority sets, and it gives a certificate a life of three years from issuance. Pittsburgh Water's current practice is slower than 14 days allows: it replies to the application within 10 business days and replies to dye test results within another 10 business days, and a failed test adds repair time and a second test. We order this at ratification, not after the mortgage commitment.

• Who applies: The property owner, the real estate agent, or the title company. Pittsburgh Water asks that duplicate requests not be submitted.
• How: Online only, through the Pittsburgh Water Permitting Portal. Paper applications are not accepted.
• Fee: $20.00 processing fee, due when the request is submitted.
• Validity: Three years. A certificate issued within the last three years can be re-obtained by submitting the application.
• Questions: Dye Testing Team, 412-255-2443, or permitinfo@pgh2o.com.

A failed dye test can still close, with a Temporary Evidence of Compliance

A failed test means corrective work by a certified plumber or general contractor, then a second dye test, before Pittsburgh Water issues the certificate. Pittsburgh Water also instructs that no action be taken until it has reviewed the results.

Where correcting the connection before the date of closing would be an undue hardship, section 433.05 of the Pittsburgh Code provides for a Temporary Evidence of Compliance, on the authority's form and for a fee it sets. The applicant must supply an executed contract with a Registered Plumber for the remedial work, cash security equal to 120 percent of the cost of that work, and a written, notarized agreement in which the purchaser accepts responsibility for cost overruns and allows the authority onto the property to finish the work if the contractor or the applicant defaults. The temporary document is effective for no more than 60 days.

That means three things to line up before the table: the plumber's signed contract, the security funds, and the buyer's notarized agreement. Pittsburgh Water's public page does not describe the temporary process, so call the Dye Testing Team at 412-255-2443 for the current procedure as soon as a test fails.

The City lien letter depends on the dye test paperwork

Section 433.07 of the Pittsburgh Code states that a request to the City for a City Lien Verification Letter must be accompanied by a valid Evidence of Compliance Certificate or a valid Temporary Evidence of Compliance certificate. Pittsburgh Water says the same thing from the other direction: a refinance that requires tax lien letters generally needs the certificate as well.

Tax balances sit in more than one place. The City states that prior year delinquent City, Library and Parks real estate taxes remain with the City Department of Finance at 412-255-2525, while prior year delinquent School real estate taxes have been turned over to Jordan Tax Service, Inc. at 412-345-7960. County real estate tax is a separate bill from the Allegheny County Treasurer at 412-350-4100.

Water and sewer balances are a fourth item. Pittsburgh Water states that unpaid water and wastewater charges are a lien on the property whether service was in the owner's name or a tenant's, and that a filed lien, with interest and fees, has to be paid before the owner sells or refinances. Lien payoff questions go to lienpayoffs@pgh2o.com.

Pittsburgh Water needs a Final Bill Application 10 working days before closing

All owners selling a property with a Pittsburgh Water billing account must submit a Final Bill Application. The application page says it must be returned no less than 10 working days before the closing date. The authority's general buying and selling page says seven to ten working days, so we work to the longer figure.

Requests are not taken by phone. Submit the webform, or mail or email the form to finalbills@pgh2o.com, with the seller's account number (or the ward, block and lot), a meter reading from the water meter, and the address for the bill. Only one application per account is accepted, and incomplete forms are returned. A $20.00 service fee is added to each final bill and is payable at closing.

Two things to remember. If the closing date moves or the sale cancels, Pittsburgh Water asks to be told immediately. And Pittsburgh Water states that it does not provide drinking water to everyone in the City, although it provides sewer conveyance and stormwater service to all City properties, so confirm who bills the water before assuming one final bill covers everything.

Three tax bills on two calendars

County records show three millage rates on a City parcel for 2026: Allegheny County 6.43 mills, City of Pittsburgh 9.67 mills, and Pittsburgh School District 10.457 mills. The City rate was 8.06 mills in 2024 and 2025, so prior year tax figures on a listing sheet understate the 2026 City bill. The City also bills a Carnegie Library tax and a parks tax.

The City mails its bills in the middle of January. A 2 percent discount applies if paid by February 10. The City's tax FAQ gives the gross due date as the last day of February, and its real estate tax page lists February 27 for the first installment or the annual amount at gross, so treat the earlier date as the deadline. The City also allows three installments, with the second due April 30 and the third due July 31.

The county bill runs on a different calendar: 2 percent discount through March 31, gross through April 30, and from May 1 a penalty of 5 percent of the gross tax plus interest of 1 percent of the gross tax per month. Prorations on a City file need both calendars, and the seller's paid receipts for each bill.

• City Real Estate Division: 414 Grant Street, 412-255-2525, RealEstateTaxInfo@pittsburghpa.gov.
• Allegheny County Treasurer: Courthouse Room 108, 436 Grant Street, 412-350-4100.

The seller's homestead exclusion comes off automatically

Allegheny County states that removal of the Act 50 homestead exclusion happens automatically when a property sale is processed through the Division of Real Estate, and takes effect on January 1 of the calendar year following the recorded sale. The county application must be submitted by March 1 for the exclusion to be in effect for the current and future tax years. The county exclusion is the first $18,000 of assessed value.

The City states that its homestead reduction, and the Carnegie Library's, is $15,000 of assessed value, that the property must be owner occupied, and that taxpayers who have applied for the Allegheny County homestead program automatically receive the City, School District and Carnegie Library exemption without a separate application. One county application by an owner-occupant buyer therefore covers every bill, but someone has to tell the buyer to file it.

Senior relief under Act 77 is personal to the applicant. The City describes it as a 40 percent reduction of assessment, and the county as a 30 percent discount on county tax for qualifying owners, with applications through the County Treasurer at 412-350-4100. A buyer should not budget from a seller's bill that carries either reduction. Allegheny County assessments use a 2012 base year, and the appeal window for tax year 2027 ran from July 1 to September 1, 2026.

A registered rental must be re-registered within 60 days of transfer

Chapter 781 of the Pittsburgh Code, the Residential Housing Rental Permit Program, provides that no person shall rent a unit in the City without a currently valid rental permit, and section 781.03 requires the new owner of a registered rental unit to re-register within 60 calendar days following the transfer. The Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI) rules say the same: a new permit registration within 60 calendar days, with all requirements and fees applying again.

The current status matters. PLI launched the program on December 19, 2024, and its page states that rental registry compliance remains voluntary until further notice and that PLI does not enforce the program or seek penalties for non-compliance until then. PLI commits to at least 30 days of public notice before full enforcement begins, and fees paid during the voluntary period will be credited. The published 2025 registration fee is a flat $16.00 per rental unit, with inspection fees on top. Under section 781.03 a registration runs for one year.

For pre-1978 rentals, Chapter 782, Lead Safety, ties lead inspection (visual assessment and dust wipe sampling) to the rental inspections under section 781.04. On an investor file we flag both chapters and send the buyer to PLI's rental registration page for the status on the day of closing, because the 30 day enforcement notice can land between contract and settlement.

Older single-family homes may have no certificate of occupancy on file

PLI's online occupancy search states that existing single-family homes may not have a Certificate of Occupancy because past regulations did not require one. A lender or buyer who asks for the certificate on an older house may be asking for a document that never existed, and that is worth knowing in week one rather than week five.

Where the legal use is the question, such as a house sold as a duplex or a building with a storefront, search PLI's Certificate of Occupancy records by address, parcel ID, ward or permit number. Records questions go to plirecords@pittsburghpa.gov, and PLI states it responds within 5 business days. PLI's Occupancy Only Permit certifies a new use or occupancy for an existing building, so mismatches between the listing and the certificate need to surface early.

PLI's customer service hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 3 pm, at 412-255-2175, and its OneStopPGH counter is at 412 Boulevard of the Allies.

City historic designation follows the property to the buyer

The City's Historic Review Commission issues a Certificate of Appropriateness for new construction, demolition, exterior alterations or change of location of a designated historic structure, a structure located within a City historic district, or a historic site or object. The City's general design guidelines for historic districts are marked adopted November 2025.

Nothing here is a closing document. It is a disclosure and expectations item: a buyer planning new windows, a porch rebuild or exterior changes on a designated property needs to know that the work goes through review first. Questions go to historicpreservation@pittsburghpa.gov.