Zoning Process

An additional information request is sent by Licenses and Inspections whenever one of their plans examiners wants to know more about your project.  Getting this letter is not an indication of failure, it is actually considered a standard response as requirements for permits can be as unpredictable as the weather. However, in the off chance you do not receive a request for additional information, you deserve...

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Getting Signed Up   Putting up a sign is one of the most fundamental forms of advertising. If you own a business, you want people to be able to find you, to know who you are, etc. This is what a good sign conveys. However, in order to post a sign over your business in the City of Philadelphia, you must first get permission.   Most signs require...

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By Right Development   Projects which are allowed by the zoning code are known as by-right developments. Every parcel and property in the city of Philadelphia falls into a distinct category of the zoning code which can be found by searching the address in the City Atlas. This tool allows users to see the zoning classification, relevant overlays, registered neighborhood associations, past appeals, and more. The value...

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add-info-zoning-permit

Previously in this blog, we’ve mentioned the City of Philadelphia’s requests for additional information.  Since we see a lot of these, we are going to create a catalogue of the requests as a reference guide.  We hope that this will help our clients, design partners, and contractors better understand what information is most commonly missing from an application.  (If you haven’t seen it before, it’s...

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Structural-Design

Previously in this blog, we’ve mentioned the City of Philadelphia’s requests for additional information.  Since we see a lot of these, we are going to create a catalogue of the requests as a reference guide.  We hope that this will help our clients, design partners, and contractors better understand what information is most commonly missing from an application.  (If you haven’t seen it before, it’s...

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permit-tracker

When we started out at Philly Zoning, we got a version the same question every week:  Where's my permit?  Once someone gets started on a permitting project, they want to know how far along the permit is, and how they can check its progress.   We give our clients weekly updates to answer that question, but we also think it might be helpful to provide an overview...

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Right-of-Way-Streets

Previously in this blog, we've mentioned the City of Philadelphia's requests for additional information.  Since we see a lot of these, we are going to create a catalogue of the requests as a reference guide.  We hope that this will help our clients, design partners, and contractors better understand what information is most commonly missing from an application.  (If you haven't seen it before, it's...

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Reference Guide

Happy holidays from Philadelphia Zoning!   We've had quite a year here, thanks to our clients, legal partners, and design partners.  To thank everyone, we're offering this present:  A handy reference guide for our most common permitting projects.  Enjoy!     General Zoning and Permitting Information   The source:  The Philadelphia Zoning Code The Philadelphia Code can be found here.  Title 14 (what those of us not in the legal profession would simply...

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One of the most sensible and also counter-intuitive parts of the zoning process in Philly is the community review.   Any time you want to use your property for something that the zoning code doesn't allow, you must seek a variance from the City of Philadelphia (as we've discussed).  When you seek a variance, a community organization in Philadelphia gets to review the proposal before the City...

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Wait, I have to get approval from what?   Ah, prerequisite approvals!  Who doesn't love that giddy sensation?  You know the one:  You walk up to the desk at Licenses and Inspections, submit your carefully prepared application, and are told in a dead monotone, "This needs approval from Streets before we'll look at it."   There's no way around it: Prerequisite approvals are rough.  In this story, you need...

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