L&I Newsletter
October 2021
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Improving Construction Quality |
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L&I brings on acclaimed building science expert as advisor
The Department of Licenses and Inspections has for the first time contracted with an expert in the field of building science. Noted professional Christine Williamson toured construction sites, met with inspectors, design professionals, contractors, and others. Williamson’s investigations into residential construction in the city will culminate in recommendations on best practices for raising quality and safety. In addition to consulting, teaching, and speaking, Ms. Williamson hosts the popular Building Science Fight Club Instagram account.
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Philadelphia's building energy performance policy begins in 2022
In 2019, the City of Philadelphia adopted the Building Energy Performance Policy into law, requiring all non-residential buildings with indoor floor space of at least 50,000 square feet to either achieve a high-performance building standard or to assess building energy and water performance and implement corrective actions to address any identified performance issues.
The first compliance period for this regulation begins in 2022 and applies to all commercial buildings with indoor floor space of 100,000 square feet or greater.
The Office of Sustainability and Green Building United are hosting a series of online learning sessions that will run through the end of 2021 to support building owners / managers in understanding and meeting the compliance requirements. To register for education sessions to prepare your building for compliance with the law, click here.
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Focus group summary
You spoke, we listened! The Department held focus groups this past August to gather public feedback on the services we provide. Below is a summary of some of the feedback that we received and our plans to address items gathered.
Feedback:
- Improvements noticed in eCLIPSE and overall integration with technology helpful
- Difficulty contacting the Department for licensing/permitting process issues
- Confusion with maintenance/fire protection vs. permit certifications process
- Inconsistency with permit reviews
- License processing challenges with insurance, document uploads and renewals
- eClipse can be difficult to use for newcomers
- Some eCLIPSE video content is outdated
- Department Newsletter is great about providing information on important topics
Department Action:
- Launch of new L&I chat to support eCLIPSE needs underway
- Improve hold process on permits to allow back and forth communication to resolve
- Expand use of Project functionality for a single examiner when 3 or more parcels are involved
- Implement holds on individual trade permits for clearer permit certification process and clarify website content to distinguish from maintenance/fire protection certification process
- Enhance the license renewal process for bulk renewals
- Increase frequency of eCLIPSE webinars
- Update eCLIPSE instructional videos and create new short videos for specific transactions
We will be working on these initiatives over the several months and look forward to your feedback again next year!
Register for L&I's eCLIPSE webinar
L&I is offering a 2-hour public training session on the basics of filing license and permit applications through the online eCLIPSE system. There will be a Q&A following the presentation. This training session is intended for new users, however all users with outstanding questions are welcome to attend. The webinar will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 via Zoom.
Please register if you are interested in attending this information session.
Customers can also sign-up for this and future webinars online under the “Events” section of the L&I homepage (www.phila.gov/li).
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New floodplain development guide is available
A new floodplain development guide has been created to help developers and design professionals navigate the process for obtaining permits and associated approvals for development in the floodplain.
The following resource was recently added to the L&I website (www.phila.gov/li)
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New requirements for short-term rentals are in effect
If you rent your primary residence for period of less than 30 days, you must possess a zoning permit for limited lodging use. Beginning April 1, 2022, you will also be required to have a new limited lodging license.
If you rent a property that is not your primary residence for less than 30 days, you need a zoning permit for visitor accommodations. Beginning April 1, 2022, you will also be required to have a rental license with a ‘hotel’ designation.
For more information on zoning requirements, refer to our short-term rental FAQ. Refer to Bill No. 210081 for more information on upcoming license changes and look out for more information in future editions of the newsletter.
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Fire suppression worker specialty license and kitchen fire extinguishing systems licenses are now available in eCLIPSE
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Fire Suppression Worker - Specialty License: This license is required for the annual inspection of water-based fire protections. Fire suppression workers can apply for this license now, but it is not required until March 15, 2022.
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Fire Suppression Worker - Kitchen Fire Extinguishing System License: This license is limited to those who only perform work on commercial kitchen fire extinguishing systems. Individuals can apply for this license now, but this license cannot be used to perform this work until March 15, 2022. Note: You can continue to work on commercial kitchen fire extinguishing systems if you possess a Fire Suppression Systems Worker License.
Plastic ban is now in effect
As of October 1, 2021, Philadelphia’s plastic bag ban went into effect to prohibit retail establishments from providing single-use plastic and paper bags that do not meet certain requirements. Visit the city website for more information on the enforcement timeline.
Site violation notice roll-out process begins
L&I inspectors will begin issuing Warning Notices starting in October with the intent to roll-out the Site Violation Notices by April 2022. For more information about these Warning Notices, Site Violation Notices, and other L&I violations please refer to the L&I website.
Tire dealer license
Effective January 1, 2022, any business that buys or sells tires is required to have a Tire Dealer License. This license was created to decrease illegal tire dumping and unsafe tire storage in Philadelphia. The Tire Dealer applications are available online in eCLIPSE. Please visit the city website for more information on the Tire Dealer License.
Correction from August/September 2021 newsletter - Contact information for permit submissions will not be mandatory until January 1, 2022.
Applications for Commercial (CP), Residential (RP) Demolition (DP) and Zoning (ZP) permit applications filed on behalf of an owner who is not a natural person or publicly traded company must include contact information for any individual with more than 49% equity interest in the property. If no individual has such an interest, contact information of two individuals with the largest equity interest in the property must be included with the application.
The new 'supplemental ownership information form' can now be provided / uploaded with your application but is not mandatory until Jan 2022. For more information, refer to Bill #200417. Note: This does not impact Trade permits, Minor permits or General permits.
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Back issues of the L&I Newsletters are available on the L&I website under Resources.
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