Localmedium impact · 5/10substantive220912

City Introduces Revised Civil Service Residence Rule

Official:Amending Section 20-101 of The Philadelphia Code (“Residence Requirements”) to revise the residence requirement for appointment to civil service City employment, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Gym

Introduced: November 17, 2022

civil service residency requirements

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 changes the rule for city employees hired through civil service to live in Philadelphia. Instead of needing to have lived here for at least a year before getting hired, new employees will need to establish their residence in the city within six months of starting work.

What This Bill Does

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

The bill changes the following: * The residence requirement for appointment to civil service City employment from living in Philadelphia for at least one year to establishing residence in the city within six months of starting work. * The timeframe for new employees to establish residence in the city from within a year of appointment to within six months of appointment. * The City Controller's ability to require proof of residence from any employee in the civil service. * The Civil Service Commission's authority to waive the residence requirement at the request of the Personnel Director, with discretion to waive the requirement when circumstances warrant it.