Mayor Jim Kenney today announced an Executive Order detailing the resumption of construction activity in Philadelphia, in light of the Governor’s order allowing resumption statewide on Friday, May 1. Under the order, construction activity may resume in the City on May 1 within strict limitations appropriate to the situation and the need to limit the spread of COVID-19.
These limitations include:
- All projects with currently issued construction permits can resume or start construction on Friday, May 1 at 7:00 am except underpinning, demolition of attached structures, and/or projects that require support of an existing party wall.
- No work is permitted within any occupied dwelling unit, except emergency repairs.
- In multi-family buildings, no work is permitted within any occupied dwelling unit or within any shared common area, except emergency repairs.
- Work can only take place between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for emergency repairs.
- Each Contractor must appoint a Pandemic Safety Officer who must obtain a COVID-19 training certificate. Here are two online training courses:
- Each contractor must maintain a COVID-19 Safety Plan at the work site and comply with all Commonwealth and City orders related to COVID-19, and the Governor’s April 23, 2020 “Guidance for Businesses in the Construction Industry Permitted to Operate During the COVID-19 Disaster Emergency.”
- For permitted work on one and two-family dwellings, no more than four workers are permitted on-site at any time per dwelling unit.
- No more than four workers may work at a commercial site or portion thereof that is enclosed and less than 2,000 square feet; one additional worker is allowed for each additional 500 square feet of enclosed area over 2,000 square feet.
- All construction permit applications filed on or after the Order must be applied for, approved, paid for, and issued online and only those permits issued online may start construction.
- Permits for projects that require ZBA action cannot be issued until further notice.
Concurrent with this order, the Mayor announced that the City’s Board of Health will consider new regulations that increase the fines for violations of such activity. Details will be announced at a later date.
