— how Philadelphia politics, government, unions & institutions work

Land Use, Streets and Utilities

From the Philadelphia Civic Wiki, the free guide to how the city works

Permits, zoning, inspections, streets, water, parks, libraries, airport and gas.

Articles (15)

  • Department of Licenses and Inspections — Philadelphia's code-enforcement agency: building, zoning and trade permits, inspections, licenses, violations and the appeal boards that review them.
  • Department of Planning and Development — The Philadelphia city cluster that houses the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Historical Commission and housing agencies, and leads the mayor's housing plan.
  • Philadelphia City Planning Commission — The charter-created commission that writes the city's comprehensive plan and capital program, runs Civic Design Review and registers community organizations.
  • Zoning Board of Adjustment — The seven-member Philadelphia board that hears appeals of zoning permit refusals, grants variances and special exceptions, and is itself appealable to the Court of Common Pleas.
  • Philadelphia Zoning Code — Title 14 of the Philadelphia Code, the 2012 rewrite of the city's zoning rules, its districts, overlays, approval paths and community-notice requirements.
  • Philadelphia Historical Commission — The city body that designates historic buildings and districts, maintains the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places and reviews permits for work on registered properties.
  • Registered Community Organizations — Neighborhood groups registered with the Planning Commission that must be notified of, and can comment on, Philadelphia zoning and design-review cases.
  • Streets Department — Philadelphia's department for trash and recycling collection, street paving, street cleaning, snow removal, traffic signals and the public right of way.
  • Philadelphia Water Department — The city utility that supplies drinking water, treats wastewater and manages stormwater, with rates set by an independent Water Rate Board and assistance through TAP.
  • Parks and Recreation — Philadelphia's department managing city parks, recreation centers, playgrounds, pools, trails and the urban forest, including Fairmount Park.
  • Free Library of Philadelphia — Philadelphia's public library system of 54 libraries, funded mainly by the city and led by President and Director Kelly Richards.
  • Office of Sustainability — The Philadelphia city office that leads climate action, carbon-neutrality goals, energy efficiency and resilience planning, including the Climate Action Playbook.
  • Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (OTIS) — The Philadelphia mayoral office that coordinates streets, transit, water and climate policy; it traces to the Kenney-era Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems.
  • Philadelphia International Airport — PHL, the city-owned airport run by the Division of Aviation, a major American Airlines hub that has served more than 30 million passengers a year.
  • Philadelphia Gas Works — The nation's largest municipally owned natural gas utility, now regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission rather than the Philadelphia Gas Commission.

See also the Department Directory, the full index and the Main Page.