Announcements

Building Safety Month

May is Building Safety Month! The International Code Council (ICC) has designated every week in May to focus on different topics in order to promote adherence to the international standard they have set forth.  

Online resources are available to anyone who is looking for ideas on how to engage with their team or supplement their own knowledge of building safety!  

You can also view events offered through our local ICC Chapter at www.theliberychapter.com

New Payment System

The City of Philadelphia is transitioning to a new electronic payment system, KUBRA. Beginning the week of May 5th, payments made through eCLIPSE will utilize this new system. The only major changes to be expected are a decrease in credit card surcharges and a flat fee for debit card transactions. The table below shows a detailed breakdown of the new fees:

Informational Training Sessions

The following informational webinars and training courses are being offered to the public to assist stakeholders in navigating city processes and keeping them informed of code changes. Some training courses, as noted below, are being offered with continuing education credits. Customers can also sign-up for this and future webinars under the “Events” section of the L&I homepage (www.phila.gov/li). 

• Zoning Series Part 3 (Zoning Research) webinar - In this webinar, L&I will provide detailed instructions for using tools available to the public to conduct research for determining the legal use of a property. This session will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, via Zoom. Please register if you are interested in attending this information session. **Attendees can receive 1.5 hours of continuing education credits for this course. **

• Annual Certification Submission webinar – The Department will present a 90-minute webinar on the instructional information for Annual Maintenance Certifications. The presentation will include property maintenance, fire protection, façade integrity, and fire escape certifications. This session will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, via Zoom. Please register if you are interested in attending this information session. ** Attendees can receive 1.5 hours of continuing education credits for this course. ** 

• Administrative Code webinar part 1 - This is the first in a two-part series to review the department’s administration of the technical codes. During this session we will review the origin and limits of associated laws and Chapters 1-3 of the Philadelphia Administrative Code, to include permit requirements and permit issuance. Chapters 4-11 will be reviewed during part 2, to be held in June. This session will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, via Zoom. Please register if you are interested in attending this information session. ** Attendees can receive 2 hours of continuing education credits for this course. ** 

• Future Sessions – Thank you for your recommendations on additional webinar topics thus far. We want to know additional topics you would like us to cover in the future. If you have a suggestion, please complete this online form. 

Note: Capacity is limited and to accommodate all stakeholders, we ask that you only register if you plan on attending the session and, if your circumstances change, please cancel your registration.

L&I Job Announcement

The Department of Licenses and Inspections is looking for qualified candidates to fill the following vacancies:

• Building Plan Engineers - The City is hiring Graduate Civil Engineers, which is the entry level position for L&I Building Plan Engineers. Employees in this position examine plans for the construction, reconstruction or renovation of building structures to ensure conformance with sound engineering principles and with existing ordinances and regulations. Employees may progress to the full performance position of Building Plans Examiner Engineer 1 within four years, through the Department’s training and mentoring program. For more information or to submit an application, click here.

Eclipse Enhancements

Beginning in May, a document that provides review/plan reviewer information and a summary of review comments will be generated for each permit review. The document will be available on the “Review” tab of the permit job. A sample is provided below:

Please note that this document is only generated under a plan review and a separate document will be generated for each review type (building, electrical, plumbing) on a permit application.  

This change is a direct result of your feedback, and we hope that it improves your eCLIPSE experience.  

Permitting

New Plumbing Code Changes Go Into Effect in April

The Plumbing Code amendments adopted under Bill No. 230653 apply to all plumbing permit applications filed on or after April 1, 2024.  

Refer to Title 4 – Subcode P on the American Legal website for current laws and the 2024 Plumbing Code Changes FAQ for a summary of the recent changes. Updates to the 2018 IPC hosted on the ICC website are underway. 

The Following Permit Resources Were Recently Updated/Added to the Website (www.phila.gov/li):

• Solar panel installation – The service page has been updated to clarify the electrical and building permit requirements. 

Zoning Part 2 Training Webinar Slides

The Department presented a second training course focusing on zoning in the City of Philadelphia. This part of the zoning training course covered use classifications found in the zoning code as well as an overview of nonconforming uses, accessory uses, the relationship between zoning and ownership, and documenting historic uses. The slides used during the webinar are posted on the website.  

Licensing

We Need Your Help in Improving the Business License Application

If you have used the online eCLIPSE portal to obtain a business license (rental, food, daycare, vending, high-rise, etc.), we’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can improve the application. You can help us better serve you by completing this short survey.

Audits & Investigation

Enforcement Priorities

AIU would like to call your attention to the following enforcement priorities:

• Contractors and Subcontractors Information - In accordance with the Philadelphia Code Title 9-1004, contractors who hire a subcontractor to perform work authorized by their permit, must list the subcontractor on the permit in eCLIPSE within 3 days of the commencement of any work authorized by that permit, unless that permit is for a residential building of two dwelling units or less. If the Department establishes that a contractor has failed to do this, the contractor will be cited with a violation of 9-1004(8). That citation is accompanied by a $2,000 fine.  

• Subcontracting - Subcontractors must always be licensed. They must carry a valid contractor or trade license (for trade work) whenever they are working. A subcontractor is any person or business hired to perform work authorized by a permit, who is not identified on that permit’s application as the prime (or responsible) contractor.

• Worker Certification - Every worker at a Philadelphia construction site must have OSHA-10 training and carry their card with them when they’re on the job. If a building more than 3 stories or 40 feet tall is being constructed or demolished, an OSHA-30 trained site safety supervisor must be on site whenever the site is active.

Violation Data Report

The Department issued $85,000 in license violation fines in March of 2024. Of that total, $58,000 in fines were issued for the use of unlicensed subcontractors or failure to adequately disclose subcontractor usage and $12,000 in fines were issued to contractors for using workers without the required OSHA training. 

Regulations

New L&I Regulation

The Department issued the below regulation which has been advertised and posted to the City’s website. This regulation shall become law after 30 days of filing should no public hearing be requested:

• Electrical Inspection Agency License - This regulation includes additional conditions for the agencies to maintain licensure. 

Reminders

Building Certification Update

Certain life safety systems, building components and structures are subject to periodic testing and inspection requirements, as outline in Code Bulletin A-2204 and on our website.

Beginning April 1, 2023, all certifications were to be submitted to the City by the licensed inspector through http://eclipse.phila.gov. Building owners and licensed inspectors may be subject to enforcement action if required certifications are not submitted by May 31, 2024.

You may verify that certifications have been successfully submitted to the City through atlas.phila.gov. Search for your property address and click on the “Licenses and Inspections” tab to find all Building Certifications submitted for the property.

Landlord Gateway Educational Series Training

The Landlord Gateway Program centralizes resources to help both current and prospective landlords navigate the City’s processes, requirements, and guidance through a single location. To help educate landlords and renters through these processes, the city is providing a landlord gateway education training series each month.

 For more information and to register for one or more of these sessions, click here.

Free OSHA Safety Consultation

Employers can receive no-cost safety, health, and industrial hygiene evaluations by signing up for a program run by IUP’s Safety Sciences Department.



Through the PA OSHA Consultation Program, IUP consultants conduct occupational safety and health evaluations and work with business owners to address issues. The on-site visits are confidential since the program operates independently from OSHA's regulation enforcement.

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