Effective July 1, 2020, accelerated plan review associated with the issuance of any permits has been increased to $2000 for building or combination permits and $1050 for all other permit types.  Accelerated plan review applications are completed within 5 business days.

Standard reviews are currently reviewed within 15 business days.

 To apply, fill out an accelerated plan review request form and submit with your permit application. The accelerated review fee will not be credited toward your final permit fee.

Under a regulation originally intended to go into effect this month, when an engineer’s inspection finds that a façade is generally safe but in need of repairs, the repairs must be completed within six months. However, after receiving extensive feedback and in light of the pandemic, L&I is deferring enforcement of the six month limit with respect to façade inspections until June 1, 2021.

This means, until June 1, 2021, the required façade inspections must still be performed, but the results should be submitted to L&I on this earlier version of the Summary Report Form and in accordance with the instructions on the form.

Refer to the letter that was recently sent out to Philadelphia homeowners for more details. For step by step instructions on submitting façade inspection reports through our online portal, refer to the how-to guide.

If you have questions, please contact facadereports@phila.gov.

Do you have a complex, multi-phase construction project coming up?  You may be able to have one designated plans examiner assigned to your project to conduct all necessary plan reviews. The project must

• Involve multiple permit applications of the same eligible type;
• Encompass at least 5,000 sq. ft. of floor area.

Projects that may be eligible include residential developments and large commercial buildings that will be fit out for tenants over time.

Request and attend a project scoping meeting  to find out whether you can get a designated plans examiner and work through potential design issues before you submit your permit applications.

Use this table to find help with issues you may have during the pandemic.