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Council sought to strengthen Philadelphia's food licensing requirements with new health codes.

Official:Amending Title 6 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Health Code," by amending Section 6-503, entitled "Licenses and Permits," to provide for additional requirements relating to food establishments, under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Bass

Introduced: October 30, 2014

: Committee on Public Health and Human Services

food safety procurement public health

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 amends the Philadelphia Health Code to require that food establishments must meet certain conditions before receiving a license, including having no outstanding health or safety violations and not being denied a license in the past year.

What This Bill Does

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

The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) cannot issue a food establishment license if there are any outstanding, uncorrected violations at the premises related to health, safety, or zoning codes.
L&I cannot issue a food establishment license if the Department certifies that the applicant or any related party has had multiple violations of the Health Code, Zoning Code, or safety-related provisions of The Philadelphia Code at the premises in the preceding 12 months, and issuing the license would pose a significant risk to public health, safety, or welfare.
A food establishment license cannot be issued if it was denied to the applicant or a related party in the preceding 12 months due to multiple violations. 4.