Philadelphia · a detailed ordinance on top of Pennsylvania
Bed bug law in Philadelphia. Who’s responsible, and how to report it.
Pennsylvania has no statewide bed bug statute — but Philadelphia’s ordinance is one of the most detailed in the country. Strict deadlines, adjacent-unit inspection in larger buildings, a full year of monitoring, and the landlord pays if it’s found in the first year of your lease. Here is what the city requires, each point sourced. For the state backdrop, see the Pennsylvania page.
What Philadelphia’s ordinance requires
Phila. Code § 9-4802
5 days to acknowledge, 10 to act
A landlord must acknowledge a bed bug complaint within 5 days and provide investigatory and remedial services within 10 days — and in buildings of four or more units, inspect the units adjacent to, above and below the affected one. City of Philadelphia
A year of follow-up
12 months of monitoring & records
The owner must arrange reasonable monitoring for 12 months and keep written records of every complaint and the measures taken. Treatment must use a Pennsylvania-licensed pest professional. City of Philadelphia
Who pays
Landlord pays in year one
The landlord pays the full cost if an infestation is found within the first year of the lease. After 365 days the landlord still must investigate and remediate, but the tenant shares reasonable costs. Plus a 120-day disclosure before you sign. City of Philadelphia
How to report bed bugs in Philadelphia
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Notify your landlord in writing
Report it in writing and keep a copy — the 5-day acknowledgment and 10-day service clocks start from your notice. Start with our what-to-do-tonight guide and log the dates and photos. City of Philadelphia
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If the deadlines pass, report to L&I
File a bed bug law violation with the Department of Licenses & Inspections if the landlord doesn’t respond or doesn’t eliminate the infestation. City of Philadelphia (L&I)
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Know who pays
In year one the landlord pays in full; later it’s shared. The Pennsylvania page covers the habitability backdrop and your remedies before you withhold anything.
Where this comes from
- City of Philadelphia — Report a bed bug law violation; Philadelphia Code § 9-4802 (Bed Bugs and Property Rental, § 9-4500 et seq.). phila.gov
- Philadelphia Code § 9-4802 (full text). codelibrary.amlegal.com
- Pennsylvania habitability law — the state backdrop the ordinance sits on. See the Pennsylvania analysis.
Reviewed against the city’s own guidance on . Ordinances are amended — confirm the current code and deadlines before relying on them. This is sourced guidance, not legal advice.