Certain structures in the city need to have specialized inspections. These include:

• Private bridges.
• Facades, if a building is:
  • Six or more stories tall.
  • Has any appurtenance more than 60 ft. in height.
• Fire escapes and fire escape balconies.
• Piers and other waterfront structures that extend below the waterline of the Delaware River, Schuykill River, or their estuaries.

The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) audits a random sample of these inspections.

Property owners must get inspections within 10 years after the structure is finished. They must get inspections every 5 years after that.

• Private piers must be inspected every 3 years, and immediately after being hit by a ship or damaged.

Inspections must be conducted by a licensed structural engineer.

• Facades may be inspected by a licensed registered architect knowledgeable in the design, construction, and inspection of facades.
• Piers must be inspected by a team that includes licensed engineers experienced in marine structure construction and design, and commercial divers trained in structural inspections.

For recent renovations, property owners can submit a written request to the Department for a waiver or extension of the inspection requirements for the current inspection cycle. The request must include copies of any construction permit related to the restoration work.

• If the private bridge was substantially restored within the past five (5) years, you must submit the waiver request to privatebridgereports@phila.gov.
• If the façade was substantially restored within the past five (5) years, you must submit the waiver request to facadereport@phila.gov.
• If the fire escape was substantially restored within the past one (1) year, you must submit the extension request to fireescapereports@phila.gov.
• Piers are not eligible for waivers or extensions.

Appeals

Appeals based on particular building configurations or conditions of facades and private bridges can be filed to the Board of Building Standards. Appeals based on particular conditions of fire escapes can be filed to the Board of Safety and Fire Prevention.

Engineers must prepare a report stating whether the structure is safe, unsafe, or safe with a repair and maintenance program.

Safe structures

A structure is safe if one or more of the following conditions are observed:

• No visible damage.
• Only minor to moderate defects or deterioration is observed, but no overstressing is observed.
• Structural elements may show very minor deterioration, but no overstressing is observed.
• No repairs are required.

If the engineer finds that the structure is safe, the engineer must:

• Post a weather-resistant reflective tag identifying the date of inspection, date of next required inspection, and inspector contact information (Fire Escape and Fire Escape Balconies Only).
• Submit the Summary Inspection Form through eCLIPSE.

Safe with a repair & maintenance program

A structure is safe with repair if one or more of the following conditions are observed:

• All primary structural elements are sound, but minor to moderate defects or deteriorations are observed.
• Areas of moderate to advanced deterioration may be present, but do not significantly reduce the capacity of the structure for a period of at least six months (180 days) from the date of the inspection.

If the engineer finds that the structure is safe but requires repair, the engineer must:

• Post a weather-resistant reflective tag identifying the date of inspection, date of next required inspection, and inspector contact information (Fire Escape and Fire Escape Balconies Only).
• Submit a report detailing repairs with the Summary Inspection Form through eCLIPSE.
• Upon completion of the repairs and no later than 6 months after initial inspection, complete a post-repair inspection and submit a new Summary Inspection Form.

The owner must:

• Make all repairs described in the engineer’s report within 6 months of initial inspection.
• Ensure that the required re-inspection is performed.

Unsafe structures

If the engineer finds that the structure is unsafe, engineers and owners must both take action.

The engineer must:

• Immediately notify the owner.
• Notify L&I within 12 hours of inspection.
• File the full report with L&I within 24 hours of completion.
• Reinspect the structure once repairs are completed and report back to L&I.

The owner must:

• Close off the structure or take other actions that will protect public safety within 24 hours of being notified.
• Apply for necessary permits within 3 days. Before repairing a historic building, the owner must contact the Philadelphia Historical Commission at (215) 686-7660.
• Begin work to correct the condition within 10 days and continue working until the unsafe condition is fixed.

Submit reports online using eCLIPSE.

All reports must use the legal address established by the Office of Property Assessment (OPA). You must have a design professional registration in order to submit any building certifications or reports.

Visit Help using eCLIPSE for step-by-step instructions on how to submit a maintenance inspection certification.

• From the Philadelphia Code:
  • PM 316 (bridges)
  • PM 315 (facades)
  • F-1104.16.5.1.1 to F-1104.16.5.1.10 and PM-702.5 (fire escapes)
  • PM 314 (piers)
• Help using eCLIPSE
• Facades, fire escapes/balconies, and private bridge inspections

Call Audits and Investigations at (215) 686-2499 or email:

• privatebridgereports@phila.gov
• facadereports@phila.gov
• fireescapereports@phila.gov
• pierreports@phila.gov