The case of Johnson v. Pocono Twp. Zoning Hearing Bd. & Pocono Twp., 1048 C.D. 2021 (Pa. Commw. Ct. Feb 07, 2024) addressed several key legal principles related to Pennsylvania short–term rental (colloquy “Airbnb”) zoning ordinances and property rights. This Pennsylvania Common Pleas Appeals Court case did two important things: First, it weighed in on an important question by deciding that a township’s zoning ordinance prohibiting...
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Pennsylvania Judge Stacy Wallace ruled on October 31, 2022 (Permanent-Injunction-Granted.pdf (ij.org) that state real estate licensing requirements were unconstitutional when applied to Petitioner, Sally Ladd, who manages short-term rentals in the Poconos. Sally Ladd was forced to shut down her short-term rental business in 2017 after the state department began investigating her for practicing real estate without a license. Ladd has been renting out her...
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Like most cities, “Streeteries” or accommodations made to restaurants to support outdoor dining, has had a major surge in Philadelphia since the start of the covid pandemic. Not only does outdoor dining provide customers with a more covid-comfortable dining environment, now that the pandemic is waning it can still provide restaurants with a much-needed boost in revenue. For a while, these Streeteries operated in a sort...
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This post is a featured post for our #RCORants series. #RCORants showcases stories about the often harmful actions that take place among RCO's (Registered Community Organizations) in Philadelphia. The goal is to raise awareness about what goes on, stimulate a conversation, and ultimately improve the RCO system to create more accountability, equality, and fairness. "Not in my backyard." That might as well have been the answer that...
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Most of Philadelphia Zoning's offerings are based on providing permit expediting and project coordination services. This has worked very well for over 100 Philadelphia Zoning clients, but there is another option. Maybe you want to actually learn how to do it yourself and do it well because you have interest, or you do so many projects a year that it's more economically feasible for you to...
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Going through the process to relocate lot lines for a lot consolidation or subdivision in Philadelphia has many steps. This post will walk you through the steps that you need to take and the associated estimated costs and timeline you can expect. Step 1: Get a Survey & New Legal Description(s) In order to start the process, you will need to have a civil engineer / land...
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Zoning Board of Adjustment: What Happens After Your Hearing Philadelphia Zoning specializes in Zoning Variance coordination. Whether it is a regulated use registration for a new business or a height bonus for a home addition, in order to get approval from the City to execute a development plan which is not expressly allowed by the Zoning Code, you must obtain letter granting you special approval from...
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Philadelphia Zoning was founded in large part to help new business owners obtain the proper zoning to operate their business. One of the most common types of projects we have worked on throughout the years has been Zoning Variance for Body Art and Tattoo Use. Because this is a controlled use, obtaining a permit always requires special approval by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. In addition to obtaining...
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The Typology of Permits Property development can be complicated. And if you are new to the world of city regulation and permits, it may be difficult to predict exactly what you need in order to successfully, and legally, complete a project. The typology of permits is generally broken down into two categories; Building and Zoning. This is because city regulations are also separated by these terms and...
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Congratulations! If you are wondering what your next steps should be when getting prepared for a Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) hearing, then congratulations! You are almost finished with the zoning permit process. But before you start popping champagne, you have to get ZBA (Zoning Board of Adjustment) approval first. A disclaimer: Just because you follow all of the criteria leading up to and including the...
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