Locallow impact · 4/10substantive050794

Garages in Residential Areas Would Need Certificate for Construction on Certain Blocks

Official:Amending Section 14-1402 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Parking in Residential Districts," by restricting the installation, construction or erection of garages in residential districts, under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember DiCicco

Introduced: September 22, 2005

: Committee on Rules

housing parking zoning

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2004–2007 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill restricts the installation of garages in residential districts, requiring a Zoning Board certificate for construction on certain blocks where most homes do not already have lawfully permitted garages.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Restricts the installation, construction, or erection of garages in residential districts.
Requires a Zoning Board of Adjustment Certificate for the construction, installation, or erection of garages on certain blockfaces.
Defines a "covered blockface" as a blockface in a Residential District on which 80% or more of the lots on which dwellings sit do not have a lawfully permitted garage.
Imposes a condition on the construction, installation, or erection of garages, requiring a permit from the Zoning Board of Adjustment for blockfaces meeting the above criteria.