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Council proposed five-year deferral of property tax payments for primary residence owners.

Official:Amending Title 19 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Finance, Taxes and Collections," by amending Chapter 19-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," by providing for certain deferrals of payment of a certain portion of Real Estate Taxes due the City of Philadelphia or the Philadelphia School District, for owner-occupied properties that are the owner's primary residence, with a limitation of five years.

Sponsor: Councilmember Oh

Introduced: March 7, 2013

: Committee of the Whole

homeowners housing taxation

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2012–2015 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 allows homeowners to defer payment of a portion of their real estate taxes for up to five years if they own and occupy their primary residence. The goal is to help homeowners manage unexpected tax increases due to changes in property assessments.

What This Bill Does

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

Allows homeowners to defer payment of a portion of their real estate taxes for up to five years.
Applies to owner-occupied properties that are the owner's primary residence.
Covers properties that experience unexpected tax increases due to changes in property assessments.
The deferral applies to payments due to the City of Philadelphia or the Philadelphia School District.