On May 13, 2026, the Allegheny County Health Department’s (“ACHD”) Board of Health voted unanimously to advance a sweeping proposed amendment to its Paid Sick Leave Ordinance — one that would require every employer doing business within the county to provide up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave to eligible employees. If adopted, Allegheny County would become the first county in Pennsylvania to impose a paid parental leave mandate on private employers of any size.
With the public comment period recently extended through July 16, 2026, and a final Board vote potentially coming as early as this summer, employers throughout the Pittsburgh region should be paying close attention.
What the Proposed Amendment Would Require
The proposed amendment builds on the County’s 2021 Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, adding an entirely new paid parental leave chapter to the County’s existing regulations. The key provisions include:
- Who Is Covered. The mandate applies to all employers situated or doing business within the geographical boundaries of Allegheny County, with no carve-out for small businesses. This means your brick and mortar can be outside of the County, but if you deploy crews to jobs within the County you should be tracking in-County work hours for compliance.
- Employee Eligibility. An employee qualifies if they have worked for the employer for at least 30 days and file a leave claim based on the birth, adoption, or legal placement of a child. The proposal extends eligibility broadly to co-parents of any gender, legal guardians, foster parents, and those who adopt.
- Duration and Timing. Eligible employees may take up to 18 weeks of paid, job-protected parental leave, to be used anytime within 18 months of the qualifying event. Notably, two employees meeting the requirements of domestic partnership may divide or stagger the 18 weeks if leave is requested within the first 12 months of becoming parents or guardians.
- Concurrent Leave. Both spouses or domestic partners employed by the same employer are eligible to take the leave concurrently.
Expanded Paid Sick Leave
The amendment also significantly strengthens the County’s existing paid sick leave requirements:
- Coverage Expanded to Small Employers. Employers with fewer than 15 employees – previously unregulated – would now be subject to the paid sick leave law.
- Faster Accrual. Employees would accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up from the prior rate of one hour per 35 hours worked.
- Higher Annual Caps. For employers with fewer than 15 employees, the annual cap would be 48 hours. For employers with 15 or more employees, the cap would rise to 72 hours.
- Carryover Rules Updated. Unused sick leave may be carried over to the following year unless leave is “front-loaded,” i.e., provided in full at the start of the year.
Independent contractors, seasonal workers, and similar categories of workers remain excluded. Employers bound by a collective bargaining agreement that provides sufficient sick leave under equivalent terms are not required to provide additional leave.
The Broader Legislative Landscape
Pennsylvania currently has no statewide paid parental leave law, but the General Assembly is actively considering two competing proposals. The Pennsylvania House passed the Family Care Act (HB 200) in March by a 107–92 vote, which would require employers statewide to provide 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave at the employer’s expense. HB 200 is now with the Senate Labor & Industry Committee. A competing Senate bill (SB 906), which passed the Senate Labor & Industry Committee by a 9-2 vote, would provide up to 20 weeks funded entirely through employee payroll deductions.
Although neither proposal has been enacted, Employers with operations statewide should be watching both tracks closely, as the interplay between county, state, and federal requirements could create a complex patchwork of obligations.
What Employers Should Be Doing Now
Employers with employees working within Allegheny County should not wait for final adoption to begin preparing. Consider the following steps:
- Assess your workforce footprint. Identify which employees work within the geographical boundaries of Allegheny County and may be covered by the proposal. The regulation reaches employers who are merely “doing business” within the county – not just those headquartered there.
- Audit your existing leave policies. Review your current parental leave, PTO, FMLA compliance, paid sick leave, and benefits continuation practices against the proposed requirements. Identify gaps that would need to be closed.
- Model the financial impact. An 18-week paid leave obligation is substantial. Larger employers should begin estimating the operational and financial implications, including potential staffing and coverage challenges during extended leaves.
- Engage in the process. The public comment period remains open through July 16, 2026. Employers with concerns about the proposal’s scope, the absence of a small-employer exemption, or other implementation questions have the opportunity to make their voices heard in writing or at the upcoming Board meeting.
- Stay current. Monitor the Board’s July meeting and any subsequent revisions. The final adopted text may differ from the current proposal based on public feedback.
Conclusion
Allegheny County’s proposed amendment represents one of the most significant expansions of employer-mandated leave obligations in the Pittsburgh region in years. The 18-week paid parental leave requirement, combined with enhanced paid sick leave protections, would impose new obligations on virtually every employer in the county – from small businesses to large corporations. With a final vote possible in late summer and a 180-day implementation window to follow, the clock is already running.
For more information on this and other employment compliance issues, please contact Neva Stotler or Anna Truckley.
