WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia’s building permit application process applies to a wide range of activities, including new construction or erection of a structure; construction of an addition to a structure; altering, modifying, repairing, or improving a structure; demolishing, moving or removing a structure; making certain changes in occupancy; installing, erecting, removing, replacing, converting, repairing or altering any equipment regulated by the Building Code, Fuel Gas Code, Mechanical Code or Residential Code; clearing land in excess of 5,000 square feet; and constructing in the right of way; and
WHEREAS, In addition to building permits, other permits are required in many instances, including, fire permits, electrical permits, plumbing permits, and zoning and use registration permits; and
WHEREAS, Despite the availability of such services as Combination Permit Applications and Accelerated Permit Reviews, and despite continuing reforms in the permitting process implemented by the Department of Licenses and Inspections, the experience of many in the construction industry is that the process of obtaining all of the necessary permits to complete a project is unnecessarily onerous, time-consuming, and costly; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the construction industry, exacerbating and adding to the always present complexities of bringing a project from conception to completion; and
WHEREAS, It is critical to find ways to stimulate Philadelphia’s economy as the City seeks to recover from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, Having a thriving construction industry -- in both the commercial and residential sectors -- will contribute directly to the City’s eventual economic recovery, serving as a source of well-paying jobs and a path to restore our neighborhoods and commercial corridors; and
WHEREAS, This Council seeks to hear from the Administration, from experts in the construction industry, and from the citizens of Philadelphia how best to streamline the permitting process and reduce the time required to begin construction; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes the Committee on Licenses and Inspections to hold hearings to evaluate current permitting procedures and to identify ways to safely simplify the construction permitting process, with the ultimate goal of accelerating the timely completion of commercial and residential projects.
End