Localmedium impact · 6/10substantive190459

Philadelphia Tightens Rules on Junk Dealers, Waste Facilities Amid Growing Concerns Over Neighborhood Blight

Official:Amending Chapter 9-600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Service and Other Businesses,” by amending Section 9-612, entitled “Fences Around Automobile Wrecking Yards and Junk Yards and Buildings,” and Section 9-613, entitled “Junk Dealers,” to change the section titles, add definitions, update requirements for waste handling facilities, licenses and salvage transactions; and modify penalties; all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez

Introduced: May 23, 2019

: Committee on Licenses and Inspections

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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 regulations for waste handling facilities, junk dealers, and vehicle salvage yards in Philadelphia, including fencing requirements and licensing procedures.

What This Bill Does

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

Changes the title of Section 9-612 from "Fences Around Automobile Wrecking Yards and Junk Yards and Buildings" to "Fences Around Waste Handling Facilities".
Adds a definition of "Vehicle Salvage and Wrecking Yard" in Section 9-612, which includes any property where vehicles are wrecked, dismantled, salvaged, or converted to scrap.
Updates the requirements for waste handling facilities, including those related to fencing, licenses, and salvage transactions.
Modifies penalties related to junk dealers, although the specifics of these changes are not detailed in the provided text.