Localmedium impact · 5/10substantive170429

Philadelphia Health Board Gains Power to Tighten Food Establishment Regulations Citywide Immediately

Official:Amending Title 6 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Health Code," by authorizing the Board of Health of the City of Philadelphia to regulate the operation and maintenance of food establishments, under certain terms and conditions, and by providing that applicants for certain licenses and permits must submit an attestation of compliance to the Department of Licenses & Inspections, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez

Introduced: May 4, 2017

: Committee on Public Health and Human Services

food safety government public health

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2016–2019 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 updates the Philadelphia Health Code to give the Board of Health more power to regulate food establishments in the city. It requires applicants for licenses and permits to attest that they comply with health regulations.

What This Bill Does

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

Authorizes the Board of Health to regulate the operation and maintenance of food establishments in Philadelphia, under certain terms and conditions.
Requires applicants for certain licenses and permits to submit an attestation of compliance with health regulations to the Department of Licenses & Inspections.
Gives the Board of Health the authority to prescribe additional requirements for food establishments to protect the health of consumers, including requirements for building structure, sanitation, lighting, ventilation, and cleanliness.
Requires food establishments to meet regulations for the preparation, composition, service, display, storage, refrigeration, sale, and packaging of food.