Teacher shortages have become increasingly prevalent nationwide, and Pennsylvania's educator shortage presents a significant challenge to its public education system, particularly affecting specific subject areas and certain regions. One consequence of this teacher shortage is an increased reliance on "emergency permits," which are emergency certificates requested from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) when school districts, charter schools, and other Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are unable to fill positions of need with traditionally certified teachers. This brief examines emergency permit data from PDE to provide a deeper understanding of how emergency permits have been and are being used by Pennsylvania LEAs. The analysis focuses on the rising reliance on two specific types of permits (Type 01 and 04) that are used to hire long-term substitutes, or staff who fill teaching positions for up to a full academic year. Because they educate students for extended periods of time and more directly impact student learning, the use of these types of emergency certified teachers warrants closer examination. This brief analyzes emergency permit use over time and across different LEA types, explores emergency permit use by classroom subjects, and highlights LEAs with the highest emergency permit rates and examines their key characteristics. The analysis finds that emergency permit use in Pennsylvania has risen over time, and this statewide increase has been primarily driven by a small number of high-use LEAs. Districts, charters, and career and technical centers all experience concentrated emergency permit use in a small number of LEAs, but district emergency permit use is intensely concentrated, with only 20 of 499 districts using half of all emergency permits in the state. The sharpest increases in emergency permit use have occurred in high-need subjects such as special education and in LEAs that serve historically marginalized student populations and operate under an extreme lack of adequate resources. While emergency certified teachers are stepping up to fill vacancies and provide essential roles across LEAs most impacted by the mounting teacher shortage, these trends are a clear signal of challenges facing the state's teacher workforce.