The case of Johnson v. Pocono Twp. Zoning Hearing Bd. & Pocono Twp., 1048 C.D. 2021 (Pa. Commw. Ct. Feb 07, 2024) addressed several key legal principles related to Pennsylvania short–term rental (colloquy “Airbnb”) zoning ordinances and property rights. This Pennsylvania Common Pleas Appeals Court case did two important things: First, it weighed in on an important question by deciding that a township’s zoning ordinance prohibiting...
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Pennsylvania Judge Stacy Wallace ruled on October 31, 2022 (Permanent-Injunction-Granted.pdf (ij.org) that state real estate licensing requirements were unconstitutional when applied to Petitioner, Sally Ladd, who manages short-term rentals in the Poconos. Sally Ladd was forced to shut down her short-term rental business in 2017 after the state department began investigating her for practicing real estate without a license. Ladd has been renting out her...
Read MoreBy January 1, 2023, Airbnb and all other short term rental sites will require all Philadelphia hosts to comply with new legislation or their listings will be removed from the platforms. This “crack-down” was set to start in July of 2022, but has since been postponed. An average rental license will no longer be enough to support a listing on a short-term hosting platform. Short-term...
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Understanding and figuring out the zoning of a property can be one of the most elusive feats, especially if you don't know where to look. There are free tools you can utilize to try to decipher the legal use, but it is usually unclear. There can be dozens and even hundreds of documents in the city's zoning archive, incomplete paper trails, and a slew of other...
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Philadelphia Zoning was founded in large part to help new business owners obtain the proper zoning to operate their business. One of the most common types of projects we have worked on throughout the years has been Zoning Variance for Body Art and Tattoo Use. Because this is a controlled use, obtaining a permit always requires special approval by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. In addition to obtaining...
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The Typology of Permits Property development can be complicated. And if you are new to the world of city regulation and permits, it may be difficult to predict exactly what you need in order to successfully, and legally, complete a project. The typology of permits is generally broken down into two categories; Building and Zoning. This is because city regulations are also separated by these terms and...
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Faced with Facade /fəˈsäd/ noun There are many obstacles to overcome when changing anything about buildings in the city of Philadelphia. Chances are, change comes with a permit attached to it. However, facade changes, in particular, may require more attention than your regular Building Permit. To avoid getting those annoying requests for additional information that end up costing time and money, make sure you know whether or not...
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What is a Certificate of Occupancy? EDIT 11/21/19: The City of Philadelphia is now requiring all multifamily properties, even two-families, to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy. The Certificate of Occupancy may be the most elusive of all permits. So we wanted to give everyone the low down on what this document is, how to obtain it, and how to know if you even need it. A Certificate of...
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Earlier this week our expeditors Ashley and Liz hosted an Instagram Live event where they explained the different online resources we use here at Philadelphia Zoning. MVR (Most Valuable Resource) Our favorite and most valued online resource is the City Atlas. The Atlas has five important functions we think you should know about. The first and foremost value of this sacred tool is that it allows...
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Expediting Versus Accelerating Last week we debunked many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding the art of expediting. This week we decided to follow up that conversation with a post specifically dedicated to the differences between expediting and accelerating. Expeditors, as previously explained, can increase the speed and efficiency of obtaining permits by filing paperwork correctly and mitigating setbacks along the way. However, another way to...
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