PITTSBURGH — Mayor Corey O’Connor says the city’s demolition program is expected to exceed previous years’ numbers by 50-300%.
His administration says the city expects to have over 150 properties under contract for city-funded demolition by the end of the year. They say that’s 50 more than a typical year and three times more than in 2024.
11 Investigates’ Jatara McGee was first to tell you about the progress in tearing down dangerous properties last week.
11 Investigates found the city issued 90 demolition permits in 2021, 108 in 2022 and 109 in 2023.
In 2024, the city issued just 25 permits for city-funded demolitions.
After 11 Investigates exposed the issue, demolitions increased in 2025 but only to 51 permits.
O’Connor credited Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections employees for improving procedures and accelerating processes.
“We’re going to continue building on that progress to remove blight, improve safety and create vibrant neighborhoods that our residents are proud to call home,” O’Connor said.
So far this year, 35 city-funded demolitions have been completed. Currently, there are 72 permits issued for city-funded demolitions (up from 60 in our last report).
O’Connor, before even officially taking office, vowed to figure out why demolitions had slowed down so much in the last two years, then pick up the speed.
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