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Permit Philly

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We’re a full-service permit acquisition company in Philadelphia dedicated to getting you building and zoning permits as quickly and simply as possible.

10/07/2026

Finishing a basement and creating a separate rental unit are two different projects from a permitting standpoint.

If you’re adding another dwelling unit to a Philadelphia property, start by checking the property’s legal use and zoning. The fact that a basement is already finished, has a kitchen, or may have been rented before doesn’t necessarily mean another dwelling unit was legally established there.

If the additional unit is allowed, the next question is whether the proposed space and construction meet the applicable building requirements. Depending on the work, that can involve building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and other permits.

And if the property isn’t zoned to allow the additional unit by right, zoning approval may involve another process before the construction permits can move forward.

So before designing the new kitchen or deciding where the bedroom goes, confirm whether the property can legally accommodate the unit in the first place.

If you’re considering a basement conversion in Philadelphia, reach out to us. We can help you figure out what approvals you’ll need.

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10/01/2026

Philadelphia’s new construction permit fee schedule is now in effect as of today, October 1.

Most of the amounts listed in the previous construction fee schedule carry over unchanged. One change that stands out is permit reinstatement: the fee listed for other occupancies has increased from $50 to $300. Owner-occupied one-family dwellings remain listed with no reinstatement fee.

The schedule covers building permits as well as electrical, fire suppression, mechanical, plumbing, demolition, and other construction permits.

If you have an application coming up, make sure you’re working from the current L&I fee schedule when calculating permit costs.

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09/30/2026

“Do I need a permit for this?” depends on what exactly is being changed.

Some cosmetic work and minor repairs can be done without a building permit. Structural work, additions, and many plumbing, electrical, or mechanical changes cannot.

The details matter because one part of a project may be exempt while another part still requires a permit. Historic properties can also have additional requirements.

If you’re not sure where your project falls, reach out to us before the work starts.

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09/28/2026

If you have a zoning or building permit application coming up after October 1, add the property’s tax status to the pre-submission checklist.

Starting October 1, L&I will check for outstanding real estate taxes, municipal fees, and liens before issuing certain permits. The rule applies to zoning permits for development, zoning approvals granted through a ZBA variance, and building permits for new construction and additions.
If Revenue confirms an outstanding balance, the permit won’t be issued until the debt is resolved.

That matters even if the balance is being disputed. Sorting out an assessment or other issue with Revenue can take time, and that time becomes part of the project schedule once permit issuance is waiting on it.

Before submitting one of the affected applications, check the property’s status through the Philadelphia Tax Center and deal with any outstanding issues early.

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09/25/2026

We’re starting to see Philly permits for ground-up construction and full demolition held up over new requirements for certificates of insurance (COIs).

These requirements aren't supposed to be new: The Department of Licenses & Inspections technically mandated an additional COI for new construction and demo starting April 1. But a "technical error" (L&I's term) delayed implementation until about August 1. So the rule that was never enforced abruptly became the reason some permits — technically approved permits — weren't issued.

This additional COI doesn't take the place of the COI every contractor is required to keep on file with the City of Philadelphia. The new COI is supposed to demonstrate coverage of adjoining property owners during construction.

Specifically, the COI must show general liability coverage of at least $1 million for new construction and $2 million for complete demolition, in the name of an entity affiliated with the project — like the permit applicant, property owner, or contractor. The COI must also name the neighboring properties and their owners as additionally insured, and the description must include the exact phrase, "Covers operations of the named insured."

This is where insurance brokers might balk.

They might find that an existing policy — even one with the correct amount of liability coverage — isn't designed to cover construction impacts across properties. They might be fine with the concept, but draw the line at listing other parties as additionally insured. No matter the broker or policy, this is most likely not a COI that you can generate online in a few minutes.

If you have a new construction or demolition permit coming up, get your broker involved early. Finding out there’s a problem with the COI when the permit is otherwise ready to issue can add an unnecessary delay.

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09/23/2026

If you're planning to knock down a building in Philly (or start digging foundations for a new one) there's a good chance you need the Health Department to sign off — and if you're starting after October 1st, you need them to sign off ASAP.

Philly's Department of Public Health houses the Air Management Services (AMS) division, and AMS regulates air pollution — which includes the dust kicked up by demolition and excavation.

For a decade, Philadelphia has required an AMS dust control permit for complete demolition of a building over three stories or 40 feet tall, or more than 10,000 square feet in floor area. It also requires this permit for any demolition by implosion, and — since 2019 — for any earth disturbance of 5,000 square feet or more.

AMS isn't terribly well-integrated with L&I's systems. L&I permits are often issued without supposedly required AMS permits, leaving AMS to enforce their regulations on their own. Sometimes projects that were supposed to get AMS approval close up without ever notifying the division.

Starting October 1st, however, L&I is providing an assist. In addition to simply requiring a dust control permit for certain demolition, as they had done, L&I will enforce the dust control rules for building and site permits as well, ensuring that the AMS permit is obtained for all digging, grubbing, or grading work of at least 5,000 SF. This means that no building, site, or demolition permit under AMS purview will be released until the approved dust control permit is provided to L&I.

This can back up paperwork considerably, since AMS doesn't offer an accelerated review option like L&I: if the dust control application goes in after the building application, that building permit will sit around, technically approved, until AMS approves the dust management plan.

The good news: it's easy to get a head start. AMS allows dust control applications a full year before the anticipated start of work, and you don't need a permit-ready set of construction documents to apply: just information about the methods of dust control to be employed on the project.

So if your demo or digging triggers the dust control requirement, make sure to build some time for AMS review into your pre-construction schedule.

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09/21/2026

Every project seems easy to permit until you check the property history.

That's when you find the zoning approval that lapsed, or the easement agreement that was never recorded. Often, you can't start your main permit review until one pre-requisite or another is satisfied. And when you finally do submit your application, your drawings are more likely than not to pick up comments.

It's a complex maze. You might make it through by guessing. But it's a lot easier with a map.

If you’re not sure what approvals your Philadelphia project will need, reach out to us.

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09/18/2026

If you’re working backward from an October or November construction start without permits in review, it might already be too late to make your deadline.

If your drawings are set and your design team really did their homework, you might get technical approval for your CDs in a matter of weeks. But if you're starting ground up, building out site drainage, or even just rearranging parking spaces and curb cuts, that technical approval won't be enough for permits.

For those scopes, you'll also need an okay from Philly Water or Streets or both, to say nothing of zoning or excavation approval. Plus, if the owners of neighboring properties don't explicitly sign off on you digging around old foundations or reinforcing a party wall, you're stuck waiting 60 days for construction permits even if every other department gives you the green light.

After all that, you still might be sitting on your hands while ownership gets the right insurance cert in order, or finalizes the agreement for that easement shown in the latest version of the civil set. And let's not even talk about the revised floor plates the architects are considering after materials costs blew up.

There's no time like the present to confirm what approvals your project actually needs, and in what order.

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09/16/2026

A lot of permit questions have the same frustrating answer: it depends on the project.

Do I need a permit for this renovation? Can I apply myself? Can I change contractors after the permit is issued? Why does another City department suddenly need to review something?

The answers can change based on the scope of work, the property’s legal use, the permit type, and which approvals are required along the way.

We pulled together a few of the questions that come up regularly and the context that usually matters when answering them.

If you have questions about the permitting process for your Philadelphia project, reach out to us. We’ll help you figure out what applies to your project and what needs to happen next.

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09/14/2026

If you use Philadelphia’s EZ Permit standards regularly, it’s worth checking your saved copies.

L&I updated a number of the standards in August, including those for interior alterations, bathroom and kitchen plumbing alterations, interior demolition, limited commercial alterations and repairs, pools and spas, re-roofing, retaining walls, EV chargers, and several others. The deck standard was updated separately on August 21.

EZ Permits allow certain types of work to be permitted without submitting plans, but the work still has to meet the applicable EZ Standard. If it doesn’t, L&I can revoke the permit.

So before using an old PDF from your files for the next application, check the current version on the City’s website.

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100 S Juniper Street
Philadelphia, PA
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http://permitphilly.com/

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