New Law: Submitting Floor Plans for Permits (Oct. 1st 2019)

[Gerren Ferguson]

Havent seen a discussion on this yet, but back on Oct. 1st, it appears that the law changed a bit for the city of Philly. All investors must have Floor plans (blueprints) for any renovation work done on a property to secure Permits. This will add additional cost and time to those quick flips and renovations. The only way to get around this new law is to have your drivers license show that you live at the property that you are renovating. I havent been able to get down to L&I just yet to speak to them face to face about this just yet, but wondering if anyone has gone through the new process since this new law has gone into affect and what has been your experience so far? 

[David Edwards]

@Gerren Ferguson it will be worth getting some more clarification from the building department on who is able to submit the plans. I imagine if you stop in to the office you could get a pretty quick answer on this sort of thing.

I would generally recommend an architect for projects with the argument that the things we take into consideration due to their experience and material knowledge even on small jobs will help to avoid missteps and leave you with a better finished product. Small local firms are the typical scale that handle these projects. That said, I recognize that some people are looking to reduce upfront costs and have the experience from similar projects to navigate the process independently. In these situations a draftsman or even the contractor may be able to produce these plans. For small projects the fees shouldn't be that crazy whichever route you decide to go. 

On a side note, this requirement will make the next owners / renovators life a heck of a lot easier.