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Council introduced bill to protect homeowners from liens on property under installment payment agreements.

Official:Amending Chapter 19-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Real Estate Taxes,” by providing that if a taxpayer enters into an installment payment agreement authorized by Section 19-1305, the City shall not place a lien on such property unless and until the taxpayer has fallen into material non-compliance with the agreement; and further providing for the removal of any lien that has been placed on such property in connection with an installment payment agreement, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Council President Clarke

Introduced: June 25, 2020

: Committee on Finance

finance housing taxation

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2020–2023 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 protects homeowners from having a lien placed on their property if they enter into an installment payment agreement with the city to pay back taxes or penalties. The city can't put a lien on the property unless the homeowner misses payments. If the homeowner refinances their mortgage, the city will remove any existing lien.

What This Bill Does

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

The City cannot place a lien on a property if the owner enters into an installment payment agreement with the city to pay back taxes or penalties, unless the owner falls into material non-compliance with the agreement.
If a homeowner refinances their mortgage, the City will remove any existing lien on the property.
The City will not place a lien on a property unless the taxpayer has fallen into material non-compliance with the installment payment agreement.
The City is required to remove any lien that has been placed on a property in connection with an installment payment agreement.