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City Unveils Plan to Speed Up Vacant Property Sales with New Acquisition Rules in Place

Official:Amending Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Philadelphia Land Bank,” to amend standards for the acquisition and disposition of vacant and underutilized property; and to further provide for certain powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Philadelphia Land Bank; all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez

Introduced: January 24, 2019

landbanktaxsalesvacantproperties

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 amends Philadelphia's Land Bank policy to allow the city to acquire vacant and underutilized properties more efficiently through tax sales, and streamlines communication between the Land Bank and City of Philadelphia.

What This Bill Does

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The Philadelphia Land Bank is authorized to enter into agreements with the City of Philadelphia and other entities to acquire and assign liens and pre-judgment claims on vacant and underutilized properties.
The Land Bank can request the City of Philadelphia to certify a property for tax sale if it is vacant and delinquent on municipal taxes or claims, with a response time of 90 days or less.
The bill restricts the Land Bank from accepting assignments of liens or pre-judgment claims against owner-occupied properties.
The bill streamlines communication between the Land Bank and the City of Philadelphia, allowing for more efficient acquisition and disposition of vacant and underutilized properties.