A Pennsylvania First? Allegheny County Proposes Paid Parental Leave and Expanded Sick Leave Requirements

Allegheny County may be poised to make history. On May 13, 2026, the Allegheny County Health Department’s Board of Health voted to approve a significant amendment to the County’s existing Paid Sick Leave rules. The proposed amendment would add a new paid parental leave requirement while also expanding existing sick leave obligations. If approved, the proposal would make Allegheny County the first county in Pennsylvania to require private employers to provide paid parental leave.

Proposed Paid Parental Leave

The amendment proposes changes to Article XXVI, which currently outlines Allegheny County’s Paid Sick Leave rules, by adding Chapter II, which details paid parental leave requirements. The proposed amendment would require all employers in Allegheny County to provide their employees with paid parental leave.

Here’s an overview of what the proposed amendment requires:

• Employee Eligibility: An employee is eligible for paid parental leave if they have worked for the employer for at least 30 days.

• Leave Period: Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave.

• Basis for receipt of benefits: Birth, adoption, or the first 18 months after the placement of a child for adoption or in foster care.

• Benefits: Covered employees may receivepaid parental leave of up to 18 weeks.Generally speaking, covered employees are entitled to receive their regular pay and benefits from their employer. The first payment of benefits shall be made to an employee no later than one week after the claim for leave is submitted or from the date the leave is scheduled to commence. Subsequent payments shall be made in the same manner as the employee was compensated prior to taking leave and for the duration of the approved leave.

• Reduced Leave Schedule: Covered employees are entitled to utilize  paid parental leave on a reduced leave schedule rather than taking all 18 weeks of leave sequentially. Non-sequential leave will not result in a deduction of the total amount of paid parental leave a covered employee is entitled to.

• Married/Domestic Partners: Married or domestic partners employed by the same employer are both eligible for paid parental leave, even when the leave runs concurrently.

Since its introduction, the proposed amendment requiring 18 weeks of paid parental leave has drawn substantial support. However, given the scope of the changes it would impose, the proposal has also faced opposition. Most recently, the North Side Chamber of Commerce announced its opposition, raising concerns about the potential impact on businesses and nonprofits throughout Allegheny County.

Proposed Amendments to Existing Sick Leave Rules

The proposed amendment additionally expands Allegheny County’s existing paid sick leave rules.

Allegheny County’s current sick leave rules require employers with 26 or more employees within the geographic scope of the County to provide up to 40 hours of sick time per year. Under the current rules, covered employees accrue sick time at a rate of 1 hour of sick time per 35 hours worked.

If passed, the proposed amendment would amend employer thresholds, increase accrual rates, and increase the amount of sick time that may be accrued.

Specifically, employees would accrue 1 hour of sick time per every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year for employers with fewer than 15 employees, and up to a maximum of 72 hours per year for employers with more than 15 employees.

Other Key Amendments

The proposed amendment would also add several notice and scheduling requirements. Employers would be required to provide written notice of the Article’s requirements at the time of hire and to issue written acknowledgments when employees request leave. Employees, in turn, would be expected to provide at least 30 days’ advance notice when the need for leave is foreseeable and to schedule leave in a way that does not unduly disrupt the employer’s operations.

What’s Next?

While the amendment remains only a proposal at this stage, its potential impact on employers in Allegheny County would be significant. If approved, the changes would substantially expand existing sick leave requirements and introduce new parental leave obligations for covered employers. The proposed amendment is currently subject to a 30-day public comment period, which is scheduled to close on June 16, 2026. Employers should closely monitor developments and proactively review their leave and benefit policies to determine whether their existing policies  meet or exceed the proposed parental leave and expanded sick leave requirements.

Employers with operations in Allegheny County should closely monitor developments related to the proposed amendment and assess their current leave policies for compliance. For questions about how these proposed changes may affect your organization, please contact Margaret Grimm at mgrimm@tuckerlaw.com or (412) 594-5510.