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City to Levy Fee on Property Deals to Fund Wrecking of Blighted Buildings Across Philly

Official:Amending Section 19-1403 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Imposition of Tax," by creating a Philadelphia County Demolition Fund to increase and encourage economic development by demolishing blighted properties within the City, imposing a fee when a deed or mortgage is recorded, and related items; all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Greenlee

Introduced: October 5, 2017

: Committee on Finance

housing planning zoning

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 creates a Philadelphia County Demolition Fund to tear down blighted properties and promote economic development by imposing a fee on property transactions.

What This Bill Does

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

Creates a Philadelphia County Demolition Fund to tear down blighted properties and promote economic development.
Imposes a fee on property transactions, including the transfer of ownership of real estate and the recording of deeds or mortgages.
The fee will be based on the value of the real estate represented by the document, and will be payable at the time the document is presented for recording or within 30 days of acceptance.
The revenue generated from the fee will be deposited into the Philadelphia County Demolition Fund to support the demolition of blighted properties.