Allegheny County has become the nation’s first county to mandate an employer-funded paid parental leave program. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato signed the legislation into law on October 22, 2026. The amendments take effect 180 days after passage, with employers receiving an additional 180-day implementation period, meaning employers will have approximately one year after enactment to comply with the new requirements.

Paid Parental Leave at a Glance
Employers with 15 or more employees must provide eligible employees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave at their base pay, capped at $4,200 per week.

• The 15-employee threshold counts employees regardless of work location. A business with 15 employees in central Pennsylvania and one remote employee in Allegheny County, for example, is covered. But only the employee working in Allegheny is eligible for the benefit.
• Employees must have been employed for at least 180 days and worked at least 80 hours per year in Allegheny County.
  • Part-time employees must have worked at least 625 hours in the prior 180 days.
  • Some employees may be exempt, including temporary or seasonal workers and employees covered by certain collective bargaining agreements.

Specifics of Paid Parental Leave
Employees may use paid parental leave following a child’s birth, adoption, or placement, or a stillbirth or fetal death. Leave need not begin immediately; employees may use it within 12 months of the qualifying event. Pay is generally calculated by multiplying base pay by average weekly hours worked. Benefit eligibility must continue during leave.

Employees initiate leave by providing notice to their employer. For foreseeable leave, they are expected to give at least 30 days’ notice; for unforeseeable leave, notice should be given as soon as possible.

Employers may require supporting documentation, including a child’s birth certificate; confirmation of the child’s birth date from the child’s or birthing person’s health care provider; a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity; a confirmation of adoption from the child’s health care provider or an adoption agency involved in the adoption; or other permitted documentation. Within 10 business days after receiving a claim and the required documentation, employers must determine eligibility and notify the employee.

Paid parental leave runs concurrently with leave provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when applicable. Employers should note that employees may become eligible for paid parental leave sooner than for FMLA leave. Upon returning from paid parental leave, employees must be restored to the position they held prior to leave or to an equivalent position with similar seniority, status, employment benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment. 

Employers must provide written notice of leave rights at hire and annually thereafter, refrain from retaliating against employees for taking protected leave, and annually certify compliance to the Allegheny County Health Department. Violations subject businesses to penalties of $100 per day per violation and civil actions by employees. Prevailing employees are also entitled to reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. 

Changes to Paid Sick Leave
Allegheny County also amended its paid sick leave laws. Under the existing requirements, employers with 26 or more employees must provide eligible employees one hour of paid sick leave for every 35 hours worked, with employees entitled to accrue and use up to 40 hours annually.

Under the amendments, employers with 15 or more employees must provide eligible employees one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, with employees entitled to accrue and use up to 72 hours annually. Employers with fewer than 15 employees must provide the same accrual rate, with employees entitled to accrue and use up to 48 hours annually.

Next Steps
Employers with on-site or remote employees in Allegheny County should review their policies and procedures now. With approximately one year before the new requirements become operative, employers should use the implementation period to review parental leave, paid sick leave, and handbook policies for necessary revisions and train responsible staff on the new requirements.

Barley Snyder will continue to monitor developments involving the new paid parental leave requirements and changes to Allegheny County’s paid sick leave laws. For further guidance on the regulation and how it could impact employers, please contact Caleb Setlock, Michael Votano, or any attorney in Barley Snyder’s Employment Practice Group