On March 19, 2020, Governor Wolf ordered “non-life-sustaining” businesses, including construction companies, to shut down indefinitely in the attempt to rein in the spread of the coronavirus. Construction activity has been categorized as a “non-life-sustaining activity”. The original deadline for construction work to stop was March 21 ^st.   Over the past few days there have been adjustments to the order. The Governor extended the deadline to March 23 ^rd and added two exceptions to the cease order. Construction work on health care facilities is permitted to continue with strict procedures to protect the public and emergency repairs are permitted. B usinesses seeking a waiver are encouraged to email a narrative describing the life safety impact to   [email protected] .

Pursuant to the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections’ website, construction work may continue until Friday, March 27, 2020 at 5 p.m. This time period allows contractors to secure construction sites and avoid unnecessary property damage while taking into consideration public safety. 

What will happen to permits and licenses with impending deadlines? Back in 2010, the legislature responded to the state of the economy and passed the Pennsylvania Permit Extension Act (amended in 2013) which granted an extension of time for developers and property owners to act under certain land development permits. It is yet to be seen how the legislature will respond to the coronavirus shutdown.

For applicants in the midst of obtaining zoning approvals, the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment has recognized the coronavirus situation as an unprecedented event. The top priority is the safety of Philadelphians. “The deadline for filing appeals from refusals, referrals, and the deadline for filing appeals against actions of the Department of Licenses and Inspections for all filing deadlines falling between March 13, 2020 and March 31, 2020 shall be suspended.” The time for filing is extended two weeks and may even be extended further.  Similarly, the extension of time to file appeals applies to appeals to the Philadelphia License and Inspection Review Board. All pending appeals are stayed, though there is a process to request a hearing in the event of an emergency.