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City Cast Pittsburgh

Fall in Pittsburgh is a major rental season — it’s the start of the school year, after all. But how do you know if an apartment will be your ideal home or a regretful mistake? Adam DiBuo, managing attorney at 

, joined us on the City Cast Pittsburgh podcast to share what you should look for 

. Here are six tips from his essential checklist:

Never rent an apartment without seeing it first. Listings sometimes use old pictures or photos of a similar unit and don't show you the full story. Although this may be difficult if you're moving to Pittsburgh from somewhere else, DiBuo recommends doing a walk-through to identify problems, ask questions, and make an informed decision.

Ask the landlord about costs in addition to rent, such as utilities and late fees. Also consider talking to current tenants about their gas bills, so you get a sense of how much costs go up in the winter. If you’re planning to move into an older apartment or home, ask about the insulation and how that might affect your electric bill, or how the air conditioning unit functions during the summer.

We’ve all heard the horror stories about landlords who make life a living hell. Don’t become one of those stories! DiBuo says to Google your landlord and the property address early on to see what kind of reviews previous tenants left.

When you’re touring the new place, envision your future life for a bit to ensure it’s a good match. Plan out how your furniture will fit in the space. Are you close to the things that matter to you, like a coffee shop, park, or bus line? Is there a safe space to store your bike? Can you actually handle a fourth-floor walkup?

Don’t sign anything before reading it. Ask for a copy of the lease, and review it to confirm what rights you have and what rights could be enforced against you. DiBuo says this is another great step in sussing out what your landlord is like and how easy (or hard) they’ll be to work with.

Pay attention to red flags and avoid agreeing to terms that let your landlord shirk responsibility — like if they say you're responsible for all repairs. If the red flags pile up, or you just don't feel excited or confident about moving into the place, move on and look for another spot.

“There’s enough housing to not have to accept a place that you shouldn’t have to settle for,” says DiBuo.

🚩 More red flags

6 Things Renters Should Know Before Signing a Lease in Pittsburgh

Tips and tricks for living your best Pittsburgh life, by locals, for locals.

Pittsburgh Life Hacks

Backyards in the Burgh are like urban sanctuaries — if you’re lucky enough to have one. But just because it’s your property doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. We dug into the 

 for growing, building, and entertaining so you can enjoy outdoor living while keeping the peace with your neighbors.

Yes. There are limits, and it depends how big your yard is. For chickens, ducks, bees, and goats, you need at least 2,000 square feet. That can get you up to five chickens or ducks, two beehives, and two miniature goats — IF you don’t also have chickens and ducks. Full size goats are allowed on lots over 10,000 square feet. For other farm animals, you need at least two acres and an 

In small quantities, yes. City residents follow 

, so you can set off consumer grade fireworks as long as you’re 150 feet from a building or vehicle and have permission to be there. Large displays require fees, permits, and inspections. The county governs rules for burning other things, like in a campfire, burn barrel, homemade pit, Solo Stove, etc. Small fires under 3’×3’×2’ must be at least 15 feet from structures, and permits may be required. If you want to burn bigger things for “destruction,” you need an open burn permit.

You can run a small business (like an Etsy shop) from home if there’s no customer traffic. No signs advertising your business are allowed. But living in a business or working from home may require a special license — check what your property is zoned for (residential, commercial, or both) to be sure.

Yes, according to the city, you’re safe as long as you’re out of public view. Pennsylvania law bans indecent exposure in public places, or if you are intentionally exposing yourself where others can see you. Maybe suss out the neighborhood vibe first.

Flower and vegetable gardens are allowed, no permission needed. However, growing plants that you’re knowingly cultivating to eventually process into scheduled drugs is a federal crime. This includes cannabis, poppies, and more. Trees or landscaping in a curbed area requires a city forestry department permit. Look for their 

 if you’re planning to play loud music, sell food or alcohol, or need to close a street. Noise and parking laws still apply.

(Note: The person who submitted this question didn’t explicitly ask about pets, but that’s what we’re choosing to believe they meant.)

 City code doesn’t explicitly address pet burial, since it’s generally a private, non-commercial activity — so we hear it’s OK to proceed.

Yes. Sheds, lean-tos, garages, carports, pools, patios, decks, playhouses, and similar small buildings are all allowed as accessory structures under Pittsburgh’s zoning code. So are fences, chicken coops, and permanent saunas. There are a ton of sizing and placement rules, and you probably need a permit. Exceptions (no permit required!) include basic interior renovations, painting, swing sets and small playgrounds, small above-ground pools, and sheds less than 200 square feet.

It depends on your space. Driveways are obviously fair game, and so is the area in front of your street as long as you follow relevant signage. City code doesn’t expressly prohibit parking on dirt or grass, but it does require any off-street parking be on an approved hard surface (for example, concrete or asphalt), and meet certain standards. Spoiler: grass probably won’t pass muster. If you choose to install a parking pad, you’ll need (wait for it…) a permit.

Pittsburgh’s rules for raising animals, building structures, and entertaining in your city backyard.

A Guide to Backyard Rules in Pittsburgh

What You Can (And Can’t) Do in Your Pittsburgh Backyard

In Mayor Ed Gainey’s State of the City address, he said that he wanted Pittsburgh to be the safest, most welcoming city in America with opportunity for all.

City Cast Pittsburgh host Megan Harris sat down with him at the City-County Building to talk about what the administration is doing to accomplish that, plus 

his wish list for the second half of his term

Nearly 40 city-owned bridges have been rated as poor, and the city is repairing at least a dozen through the new Bridge Asset Management Program.

The bridges are so expensive, and you got $86 million plus some federal money? Is that enough?

Well, it's never enough, but it's the beginning, right? We went decades without a bridge management program. I mean, think about that. We're the city of bridges, and we don't have a bridge asset management program. So, I can't be upset about what we didn't have because we were not here yet. What I can do is begin to plan, talk about how we look at this crisis, and turn it into an opportunity so we have a promise of a better tomorrow.

Boosting Traffic Calming & Sidewalk Repairs

Vision Zero is a plan that “starts with the premise that all traffic fatalities and serious injuries are preventable” and works with multiple city departments to develop holistic solutions, 

Last year, the city launched a pilot to help homeowners repair critical sidewalks identified through the 

 The sidewalks are really complicated too just because in Pittsburgh it's unique that a lot of homeowners are in charge of sidewalks.

Sure, but we’ve also reached out to them and said ‘listen, it’s better to do business with us. We can offset the costs’ … So if it benefits people, it benefits the city. And those are the things that we're doing right now that don't get a lot of attention because they're not sexy, right?

Yeah, I think they are! Because here’s the reality: We're talking about mobility on so many different issues. That's why a part of it was moving [The City-County Task Force on Disabilities] out of City Planning and into the mayor's office so that we could have more of an understanding of exactly what's needed and get them involved at an earlier stage in development… We don’t want a city that grows old, we want a city that grows up.

 I saw you also threw in your support recently, 

, about the NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh. Why make that a big priority?

 I think it's exciting to me because a lot of people's left this city. And wherever I go, you have what I call “Stiller bars.” We're all over. And a lot of them still love this city… We want people to come back to see the new city, the new Pittsburgh. We want them to come back and experience that we're not the smoky town we used to be. We're tech. We're meds. We're eds. We're inclusive. We're diverse. We're culture. We're sports. We're everything. Come on home and see why you miss home so much.

more than 170 children died from gun violence

 in Pittsburgh in the last five years; 30 of them were in 2023.

Mayor Gainey’s first concern is with legislation: 

We got more guns on the streets than we got children, and legislatively, we have to change that, because at the end of the day it's not how we protect guns, it's how we protect our children.

And that's why you hear us reach out to these parents and everybody else in the community. If you see something, say something. And we've seen a return on that. We've probably got more information and evidence from neighbors, from the communities, from people in the city than ever before.

Mayor Ed Gainey on budgets, bridges, and why he thinks sidewalks are sexy.

Mayor Ed Gainey’s Hopes and Concerns for Pittsburgh

What Pittsburghers have been wondering. We break down why things in Pittsburgh are the way they are and how they work.

Pittsburgh, Explained

Pittsburgh is facing some big issues and great possibilities in 2024. City Cast Pittsburgh host Megan Harris sat down with Managing Editor at 

 Monica Ruiz to talk about what Pittsburgh needs to take a hard look at this year.

The country is always watching the swing state of Pennsylvania during national elections – like this year’s on November 5.

“This [election year] seems to be tinted by the lack of confidence in democracy that unfortunately exists in so many corners. And I think it's going to be as much about whether democracy functions and how it functions and whether we can trust in the result. There will be a lot of people saying we can't trust the result, potentially including one of the presidential candidates, and that'll be as much of an issue as the policy differences.”

Voting officials are worried Pa. isn’t prepared for misinformation

“We have to stop thinking about voting every four years and just remind people that elections happen every single year … And we cannot forget to target our youth. We shouldn't start targeting 18-year-olds about voting when they're 18. Right? We should have these conversations and do a little bit of movement with them prior to so that they're excited and educated once they start voting.”

The city’s school district has a lot of bright spots, but it has a lot of problems too: funding is 

, and there are racial disparities creating 

“[These issues] have existed for quite a long time, but they've existed in an atmosphere that has not been considered a crisis because it's kind of been papered over with federal funds for the last three years since the pandemic. Now the federal funds are running out and all of a sudden you get a crisis that could be crippling, but it could also be an opportunity to address issues if there's leadership and public input and potentially, hopefully, consensus at some point.”

Lawmakers want to invest $5.4 billion to 

Pittsburgh is working to scale up its affordable units, but the immediate issues prevail: homeless shelters often 

 “Everybody wants to live in a nice neighborhood, right? But there's a big difference between revitalization and gentrification. If we're going to revitalize these communities, we have to do it in a way where we're including the people that are there and keeping them there… But more and more, we're seeing people moving outside of the city because they no longer can afford to live here. And they're living in areas where there are food deserts, no pharmacies, nowhere for them to get preventative health care.”

 “We're really struggling with the right balance of building new stuff, rehabilitating and preserving existing units, coming up with new models and new transitional housing options. It’s really kind of THE struggle, I think, for 2024 for this region.”

. Shuman, Pittsburgh’s juvenile detention facility, has been closed since 2021, but it is 

 “I think that we have to start thinking about the root causes of how people end up in jail. Right? So if we start funding better mental health services, better housing, which are many of the reasons why people end up in these places, we can avoid people going into [incarceration]. It's just such a complex situation, where it's not just one thing. People need to stop dying in the Allegheny County Jail. There's so many things that need to change… And the fact that we have juveniles in the Allegheny County Jail is so unfathomable.”

“Our country, including our region, incarcerates at a rate that just doesn't have other precedent in the developed world. Locally, we've had problems with healthcare and mental healthcare at the county jail. We've really struggled to figure out how to best deal with youth who are charged with offenses. And the impending reopening of Schuman is going to bring all that to a head where we have a contractor, Adelphoi, that has faced problems and accusations in some markets.”

Pittsburgh elections, public school problems, affordable housing, and challenges for incarceration facilities.

The Biggest Issues Facing Pittsburgh in 2024

Welcome to your Hey Pittsburgh bulletin board: A virtual space to share volunteer opportunities, fundraisers, workshops, and other ways to help your neighbors.

January is National Radon Action Month, and you can protect yourself from this cancer-causing gas with free tests 

. If no tests are available for your area, try the 

 for at-home tests you can check out and return.

free, four-week online program with ROCIS

 to learn how to use low-cost air monitors to track radon, particle pollution, and carbon dioxide. The next webinar is January 18.

 benefiting Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania on January 21 with food from ShadoBeni and SCOTUS trivia. 

 on today’s City Cast Pittsburgh podcast, but you can also sign up for a 

 with The Open Road on January 24. Tickets are $10.

If you’re attending the Prime Stage Theatre’s 

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

 January 20-21 or 27-28, you can go to the nearby MuseumLab and get a behind-the-scenes look at how theater sets and costumes are made.

Plus, brunch for a cause, Dry January tips, and how to see the behind-the-scenes of theater design in Pittsburgh.

How to Get Free Radon Testing in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

How to Get Free Radon Testing in Pennsylvania

Make Pittsburgh better, one neighbor at a time. Find volunteering opportunities, ways to get involved and give back, and more.

Help Your Pittsburgh Neighbors

Help Your Neighbors

Global Links and Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank are hosting a 

 on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2-4 p.m. at McKeesport High School.

Bethlehem Haven is transforming its Uptown supportive housing for the women who call it home. Contribute to its 

Allegheny County is offering COVID, influenza, and RSV vaccines at the county’s 

Here’s what to know before getting a COVID booster

If you live in the Mexican War Streets on the North Side, participate in the first annual Halloween decorating contest! If not, take a stroll before the trick-or-treaters take over the neighborhood — the War Streets typically get 700+ kids. 

Share Something to Help Your Neighbors!

Plus, a free diaper distribution, county vaccine clinic, and a Halloween decorating contest on the North Side.

Help Unhoused Women Feel at Home in Pittsburgh

Sometimes you don’t even realize how “Pittsburgh” something is until an out-of-towner points it out. I came across 

 about how many working-class folks in Pittsburgh have land outside of the city where they go to breathe some fresh air, hunt, fish, or sit around a fire and look at the stars.

Growing up, my family didn’t really go on vacations, but you bet we spent summers at our family camp just about an hour north of the city. It was a peaceful place for dirt road bike rides, tasty mountain pies, and swimming in the Allegheny River.

That was my upbringing in Western Pennsylvania, but judging from these Reddit comments, I bet it was many of yours, too. Here are a few favorites:

“Part of the reason this may be more common in Pittsburgh than elsewhere (besides having plenty of woods available nearby) is that for a long time the city was so polluted that if you could afford to leave for the weekend, you did.” — @Bethskw

“Think of it like a middle class summer home without the beach.” — @I_am_cam8

“Yinz gone up camp piss weekenn?” — @31coupe, getting the pronunciation jussst right

“People also like to name their camps/cabins, similar to how one might name a boat.” — @Excelius (I can attest to this! Ours was named Camp NuNu after my great grandmother.)

“LOL. My wife and I make this joke every time we pass those trailer parks on the sides of the turnpike. We even sing Upcamp Girl to the tune of Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl.’” — @BurghPuppies

These responses reminded me of a joke by comedian 

🌳 Learn More About PA Nature!

Sometimes you don’t even realize how “Pittsburgh” something is until an out-of-towner points it out.

Why Are Pittsburghers Always Going 'Up Camp'?

Brighton Heights is close to beautiful trails in Riverview Park — and the green space will soon be even more accessible. 

Engineering is underway to reconstruct the Davis Avenue bridge

 that used to connect Brighton Heights and Riverview Park.

 is a cute, little (and I mean LITTLE) shop for vintage, handmade, and local goods.

, established in 1955, is one of the last stores in Pittsburgh carrying fresh hanging meat that’s 

 is a charming spot to grab coffee, tea, smoothies, sandwiches, and soups.

 (meaning “snack” in Spanish) is a cozy hangout for small bites, sandwiches, and craft cocktails.

Explore unique architecture and landscapes at the 

 on Sep. 16, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees get to tour historic homes and lush gardens. There will also be an artist market and food trucks in Legion Park, plus a Molly's Trolley to take you around the neighborhood. Tickets are $25.

Keep an eye out for events, workshops, and more popping up at the mixed-use creative space, 

, on Brighton Road. I went to a handbuilding pottery class there and had a blast!

Brighton Heights is close to beautiful trails in Riverview Park — and the green space will soon be even more accessible. Engineering is underway to reconstruct the bridge that used to connect Brighton Heights and Riverview Park on Davis Avenue.

Pittsburgh's Brighton Heights Neighborhood Guide

Get to Know Brighton Heights

Everything to know about Pittsburgh neighborhoods: Where to go, eat, shop, drink, and more.

housing

6 Things Renters Should Know Before Signing a Lease in Pittsburgh

What You Can (And Can’t) Do in Your Pittsburgh Backyard

Mayor Ed Gainey’s Hopes and Concerns for Pittsburgh

Latest articles

6 Things Renters Should Know Before Signing a Lease in Pittsburgh

What You Can (And Can’t) Do in Your Pittsburgh Backyard

Mayor Ed Gainey’s Hopes and Concerns for Pittsburgh

The Biggest Issues Facing Pittsburgh in 2024

How to Get Free Radon Testing in Pennsylvania

Help Unhoused Women Feel at Home in Pittsburgh

Why Are Pittsburghers Always Going 'Up Camp'?

Latest articles

The Biggest Issues Facing Pittsburgh in 2024

How to Get Free Radon Testing in Pennsylvania

Help Unhoused Women Feel at Home in Pittsburgh

Why Are Pittsburghers Always Going 'Up Camp'?

Get to Know Brighton Heights