Campaign Finance

• CANDIDATES. All candidates for Mayor, City Council, and Controller must file campaign finance reports for every election they appear on the ballot. A "Candidate" is someone who has publicly announced their candidacy or filed nomination documents with the County. Note, some candidates, such as third-party candidates, may not appear on the primary ballot. Candidates need to file a form based on the amount of their campaign activity as well as an Unsworn Declaration if you do not use a notary. Use the Campaign Finance Statement, a one-page form, for activity of $0 to $250. Use the longer Campaign Finance Report to detail activity of $250 and above. 
  
  
• CANDIDATE COMMITTEES. In addition to the filing required of candidates, if the candidate has a committee, that committee must also file to disclose their activity. If the Candidate operates through the Committee, the Candidate's personal activity may be $0, thus requiring the Candidate to file the Campaign Finance Statement (which is the one-page form for activity under $250), and the Committee would likely file the more detailed Campaign Finance Report (a detailed form which is required for activity over $250). Again, even if the Candidate's activity is $0, they must file to verify this fact to the public. Committees must also file an Unsworn Declaration form if you do not use a notary.
  
  
• POLITICAL COMMITTEES, INDPENDENT SPENDERS, and BALLOT ISSUES. If you spend $100 or more "to encourage or defeat an election outcome" you may need to file. "Election outcomes" encompasses everything you can vote on -  both candidates and ballot issues. The requirement to file applies regardless of whether you are individual, a group of persons, organization, political party, corporation, political committee, etc. The form used to file will vary based on whether you meet the legal definition of a "person" or a "political committee." Political committees operate with the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election, including but not limited to covered elections. The deadlines to file are the same deadlines set out for candidates. Individuals complete the state's Independent Expenditure form. Committees use the Campaign Finance Report, (or the Campaign Finance Statement if the activity is from $100 to $250). Both individuals and Committees must also file an Unsworn Declaration form if you do not use a notary.

• Donors: See our FAQ below "Donor or Independent Spender?"

Filing Instructions

The deadline for campaign finance reports due with the Ethics Hearing Board is Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The reporting period covers June 10 to September 15, 2025, and is the only report due with the Ethics Hearing Board for the 2025 General Election.  

FORMS: Candidates, candidate committees, and political committees must file the Campaign Finance Report (DSEB-502). If you choose to not use a notary, you must complete the Unsworn Declaration for Campaign Finance Reports (DSEB – 502R).  If you need the independent expenditure or waiver form, please contact the office directly.  

INSTRUCTIONS:  

Complete the forms and sign by hand. Electronic signatures are not accepted.  

Scan and save as pdf with a file name that identifies you/your committee and the type of filing. For example, “Moreno-January-Candidate-Filing-and-Unsworn-Declaration.pdf” is correct. Candidate and committee campaign finance reports are separate filings. Libraries offer scanning and are open 10am to 5pm, or up to 8pm some days.   

Email the filings to leanne.davis@pittsburghpa.gov.   

Donors and Independent Expenditures:

• When you donate to a campaign, that candidate or committee handles the required reporting for you.  (That is, unless you're a candidate, committee, etc., with disclosure responsibilities)

• When you spend $100 or more independently of a campaign donation, you may have made an independent expenditure and need to file with the Ethics Hearing Board. The requirement to file public reports for independent expenditures applies to both ballot issues and candidate races. Learn more in the "Who Needs to File" FAQ above. 

• • Note, while both local and state law define "independent expenditures" the same way, the type of activity which triggers reporting differs. State law requires "express advocacy" to trigger reporting, whereas the City of Pittsburgh law (and, as of 2023, Allegheny County) does not require express advocacy. Instead, our local law requires reporting when the spending is made merely "to encourage or defeat an election outcome."

• To know whether you are a donor or an independent spender, please contact the Ethics Hearing Board's staff to discuss the elements of "coordinated activity." You can also learn more by reviewing the Board's advisory on this topic, 24-A-001 (link to be added soon)

• The Ethics Hearing Board is an administrative body which serves to help interpret the law. You can request free advice as to how the law might apply to you and your particular circumstances at https://pittsburghpa.gov/ehb/advice.

There’s a $50 daily fine for failing to file correctly and on time. A failure to file list will be published on this website. Additional reports required with the County and Controller noted in the table below. Keep all required receipts for audits.

Self-pay late fees as soon as possible to avoid additional penalties. Payment Options Below:  

Submit payments to the City of Pittsburgh Dept. of Finance Cashier’s Office.

While paying, remember to identify that your payment relates to an Ethics Hearing Board matter.

You can pay online, through the same way the City collects real estate taxes. Pay Online With a Credit Card or eCheck

You may also be able to pay at the Cashier’s window walk-in hours during the times available for payment of real estate taxes. The Cashier’s Office may be reached at 412-255-2525.

Remember to email Ethics Hearing Board staff of your payment.

The City Code provides a $50 per day late fee for each required filing.

Example: If a candidate fails to file their report in March, or if they file a deficient report, they will be fined $50 each and every day that goes by until the required reports are received (with potential additional fines assessed by the board or courts if the matter is not timely corrected). If the same candidate also fails to file in April, they will then owe $100 per day: $50/day for the March filing and $50/day for the April filing.

In calculating the amount due, do not include the date of the filing deadline. Count every day it is late from the day after the deadline. If the filing was due on the 7th, and you file on the 8th, you are one day late and need to pay $50. 

A contribution includes:

• Any payment, donation, gift, subscription, assessment, contract, payment for services, dues, loan, forgiveness of a loan, advance or deposit of money or any valuable thing, to a candidate or political committee made for the purpose of influencing any election in this Commonwealth;
• Paying debts incurred by or for a candidate or committee before or after an election;
• Purchasing tickets for events such as dinners, luncheons, rallies and all other fundraising events;
• Granting discounts or rebates not available to the general public;
• Granting discounts or rebates by television and radio stations and newspapers not extended on an equal basis to all candidates for the same office;
• Any payments for the benefit of any candidate;
• Any payments for the services of any person serving as an agent of a candidate or committee by a third party;
• Any receipt or use of anything of value received by a political committee from another political committee; and
• Any return on investments by a political committee.
• Note: Limitations related to contributions do not apply to volunteer labor hours. 

Limits: 

Contributions come in many forms beyond monetary donations, including but not limited to: a comped ticket, special discount from a vendor, or even someone else's spending to a third party based on the circumstances. There are additional restrictions on cash donations under state law.

AMOUNT: City of Pittsburgh (and as of 2023, Allegheny County) align campaign contribution limits with the FEC. As of late January, these limits increased and are now $3,500 for Individuals and $5,000 for Committees. A candidate or committee can follow up with applicable donors and request the difference between the old limit and new. Note a lower limit applies to subordinate City employees/contractors, as detailed below.

TIMING: Contribution limits relating to the public (non-City employees and contractors) are tied to the election cycle. Each election cycle starts the date after the last covered election for the desired seat. For 2025 City of Pittsburgh races, the last covered election is the general election, because no special election occurred. The election cycle will conclude on the date of the primary election. Then, a new election cycle begins for the few months between the primary and general elections. 

INCUMBENTS: Additionally, City of Pittsburgh employees/contractors may be limited to contributing $100 (or $200 for department heads) depending on the elected office. This limit only applies to incumbents and their subordinates - for example, employees/contractors of the Controller are subordinates of the Controller and their restriction would not apply to contributions for Council or Mayor; similarly, DPW is part of the executive branch, therefore subordinates of the Mayor and their restriction would not apply to the Controller or Council. The contribution limit extends for the prior four-year consecutive period, as detailed in § 197.04. A recent advisory opinion issued by the Board found that the limit of $100/200 also applies to City of Pittsburgh professional service contractors who are acting as employees. 

To learn more, or for questions about whether something is a contribution or independent expenditure, please request advice at https://pittsburghpa.gov/ehb/advice.

Who can receive Ethics Advice?

Anyone covered by the Board’s jurisdiction can receive free advice, and includes candidates, campaign staff, those who make independent expenditures, contributors to campaigns for City elected office, and more.

Benefits of Ethics Advice 

Advice is a critical function of any governmental ethics office. The Ethics Hearing Board's formal advice can serve as a legal defense. The Board, and its Ethics Officer, provide free guidance to help you recognize and avoid ethics problems. To learn more about the different types of ethics advice, or to see examples of advisories on campaign finance topics, visit https://pittsburghpa.gov/ehb/advice.

Laws 

It is recommended that you request ethics advice especially because of the interaction of multiple laws and regulations, which the Ethics Hearing Board is charged to interpret, administer and enforce. The City of Pittsburgh Code Ordinances Chapter 198 on Campaign Finance is your guiding document.

Parts of Chapter 198 reference external standards set out by the Pennsylvania Department of State as administered by the Allegheny County Bureau of Elections. Many common questions may be addressed on the State’s resource page. The Board also works with rules and guidance from the Federal Election Commission.