On October 22, 2026, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato signed amendments to Article XXIV of the Allegheny County Health Department Rules and Regulations after the County Council approved them by an 11-4 vote two days prior. The Amendments to the legislation, now titled “Paid Sick and Parental Leave,” significantly expanded the County’s existing paid sick leave requirements as well as requiring employers to provide workers with up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Allegheny County becomes the first county in the nation to require entirely employer-funded paid parental leave.

The requirement applies to any employer located in or doing business in Allegheny County that employs 15 or more persons. Independent contractors, temporary and seasonal employees, members of a construction labor union covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the federal government, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are excluded from the requirement. Employees who perform at least 80 hours of work within Allegheny County each year (including remote and hybrid workers) are eligible after 180 continuous days of employment and at least 625 hours worked during that period.

Eligible employees are entitled to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for the birth of a child, a stillbirth, an adoption, or the legal permanent placement of a child for adoption or foster care. There is no cap on the number of paid parental leaves an employee can take. Employers may not reduce the amount of paid leave available to the employee, and spouses/domestic partners who work for the same employer are also separately eligible, even if their leave overlaps. The leave must be paid at the employee’s base rate of pay, up to a maximum of $4,200 per week. When the leave ends, the employer must restore the employee to the same or an equivalent position without any change in pay, benefits, seniority, or status.

In addition to the new paid parental leave provisions, the amendments also revise the paid sick leave requirements. Most notably, employers with 15 or more employees must now allow accrual and access to up to 72 hours a year. In addition, the amendments require a designated leave policy, meaning that even if an employer’s general PTO policy would otherwise meet the requirements, the employee must provide designated paid sick leave and designated paid parental leave. Employers that currently rely on a single PTO bank will need to revise their policies.

The enforcement of the amendments is scheduled to start in October 2027; however, employers should begin reviewing and revising their leave policies, handbooks, and collective bargaining agreements, and begin determining how to fund and administer the benefit. Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment attorneys continue to monitor these developments and any potential legal challenges that come. Please contact Marla Presley, Dannielle Cisneros-Ditto, or Sidnee McDonald with any questions about how we can help your organization prepare in advance of the enforcement deadline.