Façade Ordinance in Philadelphia
In 2009, the City of Philadelphia took steps toward ensuring the safety of its residents by amending Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “The Philadelphia Building Construction and Occupancy Code.” The change in Code requires the periodic inspection façades (exterior walls) and appurtenances of certain buildings, filing reports of the inspections, and repair and maintenance of certain conditions discovered during those inspections.
Philadelphia’s façade ordinance is applicable to:
buildings six or more stories in height
OR
buildings with any appurtenance in excess of 60 feet in height
OR
building, other than one- or two-family dwellings, greater than two stories located in specific areas.
The exact language states:
PM-304.10.2.1 – The owner of each Affected Building shall be responsible for retaining a Professional to conduct periodic inspections of exterior walls and any appurtenances thereto, except for those parts of any exterior wall which are less than twelve inches from the exterior wall of an adjacent building, and to prepare and file a report on such inspection as required by this Section.
Inspection, filing, and repairs are required every five years per the schedule below.
CONSTRUCTION DATE Prior to and including 1950 | ORIGINAL REPORTS NO LATER THAN June 30, 2013 June 30, 2014 June 30, 2015 June 30, 2016 June 30, 2017 10 Years from the CO | CYCLE 2 REPORTS NO LATER THAN June 30, 2018 June 30, 2019 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2022 10 Years from the CO |
Joseph B. Callaghan,Inc. has performed multiple inspections in our 50 year history. View some of our projects here. If you find you’re building is in need of inspection, our team can help. Please call 215.665.0497 or email Diane Goschler at dgoschler@jbciengineers.com.
