Tag: special exception
EZ Sign Permit
The City of Philadelphia can be a cruel mistress. When filing permits, it’s common to be told that the thing you’ve done 176 times needs to be laid out a different way the 177th time – but then, on the 178th time, to go back to the regular way. Sometimes, the way the application process…
Philadelphia Overlay Districts
In this space, we’ve explained what zoning districts are, and summarized the three main categories of zoning district: commercial, residential (single-family and multi-family), and industrial. We’ve even reviewed the basics of sign permitting. So you might think that our Philadelphia zoning guide is complete! … you would be wrong. Having a zoning code with detailed…
Parking! Parking! Parking!
Let’s talk about parking rules in Philadelphia. You have to abide by them, even though you may not know what they are, and every living human in the city has a very angry opinion about them. Many RCOs rage against developments without parking. Residents want their curbside parking secured – keep the new people away…
Philadelphia Zoning Guide: Industrial Zoning in Philadelphia
Industrial Zoning = Hipster Zoning Welcome back to Permit Philly’s Philadelphia zoning guide! In this series, we’ve covered commercial zoning in Philadelphia, single-family residential zoning, multi-family residential zoning, and the age-old question, “Yo, can I turn my single-family house into a multi-family house?” But you’re not here for that conventional stuff: you’re into the darker,…
Philadelphia Zoning Guide: RSA Zoning
Welcome to Permit Philly’s RSA Zoning Guide! If you’d like to see the other parts of this series, click here. Hello again! After last week’s discussion of commercial zoning in Philly, it’s time for some lighter reading in our Philadelphia zoning guide: residential zoning! Specifically: RSA zoning districts! I can feel your excitement. But this…
Philadelphia Zoning Guide: CMX Building Overview
Welcome to Permit Philly’s Philadelphia Zoning Guide! I was recently at a neighborhood meeting where a member of the group casually observed that the Philadelphia Code allows for an 8.5-foot-wide garage, but should really allow only a 9.5-foot-wide garage. If you are this person, you might not need this blog post. But for most of…
Philadelphia Building Permits
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Philadelphia Building Permits Whether you’ve just bought your first house or are an experienced contractor, a Philadelphia building permit can be a confusing document. Not the permit itself: the process of getting the permit. Depending on the project, there might be a lot of documents required to successfully…
Zoning or Use Variance
In our last post, we covered the basic terms and ideas of the zoning process in Philly. Now, let’s talk about the most complicated part: The Philadelphia zoning variance and special exception process. In Philly’s zoning rules, property owners or tenants might want to use their space differently than Philly’s zoning code allows. This can…
Zoning Basics
If you’re confused about the Philadelphia Zoning Code, don’t worry! You’re in good company. The law that governs zoning in Philadelphia is quite complex, but the actual process that comes out of it isn’t so bad. Here are the zoning basics of our city.
