Landlord Entry Notice Requirements in Pennsylvania
At a glance
| Governing law | No general landlord-entry or entry-notice section in the current Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, including 68 P.S. §§ 250.101–250.602 |
|---|---|
| Advance notice required | None set by state statute for ordinary landlord entry; check the lease and other applicable law |
| Reasons a landlord may enter | No statewide statutory list for ordinary entry; repairs, inspections, and showings depend on the lease and other applicable law |
| Permitted hours | None set by state statute for ordinary landlord entry |
| When no notice is needed | No general statutory entry-exception list in the current Act |
| Form and delivery of the notice | None prescribed by state statute for ordinary landlord entry. Section 250.501's written notice is a notice to quit for repossession, not an entry notice |
| Special rules for showings | No statewide statutory showing procedure or notice period in the current Act |
| Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry | No entry-specific statutory remedy in the current Act. Repossession instead follows §§ 250.501–250.504 notice, hearing, judgment, and writ procedures |
Requirements one by one
Pennsylvania supplies no general statutory entry rule
The current Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 begins at 68 P.S. § 250.101. The provisions cited as 68 P.S. §§ 250.101–250.602 cover lease creation, rent and distress, recovery of possession, security-deposit rules, duties in tenement and multiple-dwelling buildings, cable access, and miscellaneous provisions. The Act contains no section prescribing ordinary landlord entry into an occupied rental.
The state statute therefore supplies no general advance-notice number, list of entry purposes, time-of-day limit, notice form or delivery method, showing rule, emergency-entry exception, or entry-specific remedy. An ordinary repair, inspection, or showing requires review of the lease and other applicable law.
A notice to quit is not an entry notice
Under 68 P.S. § 250.501(a), a landlord seeking to repossess the property may give the tenant a written notice to remove after the tenancy ends, a lease forfeiture, or unpaid rent. Subsection (f) supplies personal, building, and posting service routes for that notice.
That is part of Article V's recovery-of-possession process. It does not create an ordinary right to enter for a repair, inspection, or showing, and its timing rules should not be reused as entry-notice periods. Sections 250.502 through 250.504 continue with summons, hearing, judgment, writ, service, and officer- return procedures.
What trips people up
- Assuming a 24-hour state rule. Pennsylvania's current Act states no fixed ordinary entry-notice period.
- Using eviction notice as entry notice. Section 250.501 concerns a written notice to quit before repossession, not notice that the landlord plans to inspect or repair the unit.
- Treating statutory silence as a complete answer. The lease and other applicable law still require review before an ordinary entry.
Common questions
Does a Pennsylvania landlord always owe 24 hours' notice?
Not under a general state statute. The current Landlord and Tenant Act states no fixed notice period for ordinary entry. Check the lease and other applicable law.
Does state law list when a landlord may inspect or show the unit?
No general list appears in the current Act. The lease and other applicable law must supply the answer for an inspection or showing.
Is a notice to quit permission to enter the unit?
No. Section 250.501 begins the statutory process for repossessing the property. It is not an ordinary repair, inspection, or showing notice.
Statutes and sources
- 68 P.S. § 250.101 and the complete Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 — the current statutory scheme, with no ordinary landlord-entry section. Official General Assembly text (accessed 2026-08-11).
- 68 P.S. § 250.501(a), (f) — written notice to quit and its service routes for repossession, distinct from routine entry notice. Official General Assembly text (accessed 2026-08-11).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
What does Pennsylvania law mean for your facts?
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