Helpful Philadelphia zoning, tax and owner lookup sites

[Troy Sheets]

I occasionally meet up with a few newer Philly investors and help them get their bearings as best I can. Many aren't familiar with sites like Atlas, OPA, Tax Balance (BRT) and the zoning guide, so I thought I'd put them here in one spot so they can be easily found. There's a ton of good info on these sites and they're my first stop to checking out a property's zoning, its owners and what they paid for it/when they bought it, size of the lot and building square footage, what the taxes are per year, and if they're delinquent. Feel free to ask questions about the sites below but make sure you jump on them first and play around. 

OPA Office of Property Assessment, at least that's what I call it. You can search a specific address, an entire block, or search by the owners name. You can also find the owners mailing address (which is often different from property address if it's not OOC), the property's zoning, lot square footage, building square footage, street map, google street view link, Atlas link, when the property was purchased, and for how much. 

Atlas This is a newer site Philadelphia got up and running recently and it's amazing. I use it mostly to check lot sizes and shapes. It's got a measurement tool that is fantastic for figuring out frontage and depth since many times that will factor into use of a parcel. You can also check zoning, lookup permits, violations, etc. 

Tax Balance Search Pretty self explanatory...

2016 Zoning Guide (There's a 2012 version floating around out there so be careful!) This guide will help you figure out how many units you can fit on a lot by right, what size the lot needs to be (sq footage, frontage, backyard depth, etc.), and what uses are allowed by right. This is the latest and greatest although there are a few changes that have come along since this was introduced. Pay particular attention to the footnotes/asterisks on the diagrams that direct you to Tables on the last few pages. This is where an architect that is based in the city can be very helpful and if your deal hinges on what you're reading in this guide, please do yourself a favor and consult with an experienced local architect. @Daniel Flesher (sorry for the shoutout) can you elaborate on a few changes you're aware of that came about after this zoning guide came out? Infill lot coverage and green roof bonus are a couple that I can think of offhand. Oh and RM1 backyards!!! 

If anyone else has any other helpful Philadelphia RE related sites to share, feel free to drop them in this thread!