Permit Philly

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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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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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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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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The 2021 building codes brought more changes to Philadelphia construction than most project teams have had time to go through in detail. Here are seven worth knowing about, from a new structural building type to escape rooms getting their own section in the code.

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Your building permit was approved under the 2018 codes. Your trade permits are being submitted now.

Philadelphia's L&I does not allow mixing code editions within a single plan set. Trade permits submitted after July 1 must comply with the 2021 codes, even if the building permit was approved under the 2018 codes. If the 2021 requirements conflict with the original building design, the building permit will need to be amended before trade permits can move forward.

The same rule applies to Planned Unit Developments. If the Master Plan was approved under the 2018 codes but not all related permits were filed before July 1, any remaining applications must be submitted under the 2021 codes regardless of when the Master Plan was originally approved.

Read more at permitphilly.com/2026/07/21/philadelphia-2021-building-codes/

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Starting October 1, Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections will withhold certain permits for properties with outstanding real estate taxes, municipal fees, or liens.

Affected permit types: zoning for development (not just new construction but additions and lot adjustments too), zoning granted under ZBA variance, and building for new construction or additions.

During permit intake, L&I will run a property tax check. Starting 10/1, If the Department of Revenue confirms outstanding debts, those affected permit types won't be issued until all balances are paid up.

For developers with upcoming projects in Philadelphia — or even homeowners planning an addition — it's worth checking property tax status before submitting an application: an outstanding balance could add weeks to a project timeline.

Check your property's tax status at the Philadelphia Tax Center before your next application.

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Philadelphia's eCLIPSE licensing platform went through a significant redesign on July 13. If you manage business licenses, rental licenses, or permits in the city, here is what changed and what to know now.

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