Allegheny County PA Passes Paid Parental Leave Requirement for Employers of 15 or More; Paid Sick Days Changes to All Sizes of Employers

Allegheny County Council passed and County Executive signed into law its paid parental leave regulation and updated paid sick leave requirements (Article XXIV of the Allegheny County Health Department Rules and Regulations, Paid Sick and Parental Leave) on October 22, 2026 and employers have until October 22, 2027 to comply (compliance date applies to both the parental leave requirements and updated paid sick leave requirements, but employers must already comply with existing sick leave requirements). It requires all employers with 15 or more eligible employees to provide employees who work in the county with up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, which may be used by both parents within one year following the birth, stillbirth (fetal death), adoption, or legal permanent placement of a child. 

The regulation (which you can read here) applies to all full- and part-time employees (but not seasonal or temporary) who perform at least 80 hours of work a year within the geographic boundaries of the County of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, including remote workers whose companies are based in other states.Under the policy, employees must receive their standard pay (whether that is their salary or an average of their weekly hourly pay for the last six months), as well as any other benefits of their positions, such as health, dental, vision, etc.; however, if any employee makes more than $4,200 per week, the employer may cap the paid leave at this rate. 

An employer may impose eligibility requirements that employees work for at least six months for full-time employees or six months AND at least 625 hours for part-time employees to qualify for the benefit. Married or domestic partners (as defined in the regulation) who are employed by the same employer are both eligible for benefits, even when the leave runs concurrently. Employers may also require documentation to support the request for leave, which are outlined in the regulation, including birth certificate, adoption document, court order, etc.

Employers may provide more time off or provide benefits sooner than this initial eligibility period; this is just the minimum requirement. Once an employee requests the benefit, the employer must approve it within 10 days, or the employee can file a complaint with the County.  

The regulation imposes civil penalties for failure to comply as much as $100 per day, per violation. Employers must also certify to the county each year that they have complied with the regulation. 

Paid Sick Time Changes Affecting All Employer Sizes

The updates concerning Paid Sick Time affect ALL employers in Allegheny County. This regulation, which previously required employers of 26 or more employees to provide a certain threshold accrual of 1 sick hour for every 35 hours worked up to 40 hours in a year (read our previous resource here), now places obligations on all employer sizes, which matches the obligations described in the City of Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act (read our blogpost about this here). Employers in Pittsburgh already had to comply with the stricter requirements but they are now expanding county-wide. Under the updated policy, employers of fewer than 15 employees must provide employees 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked in the county up to 48 hours in a year, and employers of 15 or more employees must provide employees with 1 hour for every 30 hours worked within the county up to 72 hours in a year. 

Again, employers can designate a higher amount or more relaxed eligibility. 

How Are These Paid For? 

As the Act is written, the county is not providing any sort of additional funding to assist employers in these paid leave policies. The employer may pay for such out of pocket or employ the use of a private insurance plan that provides the same rights, protections, and benefits provided to employees under the regulation. Companies like Parento offer options and are specifically highlighting Allegheny County’s provisions, and it is expected there will be other providers as well. The county does plan to provide some technical assistance to help small employers without HR departments with implementation, but this will not include funding for leave. More information will be provided by the county as the services are developed. 

Reach out if you have employees in Allegheny County and would like to understand your company or organization’s specific obligations and requirements.

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute specific legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Readers should discuss their specific situation and considerations with an attorney.