I​n light of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, Private Development Services has made a number of programmatic changes. For a complete list of these changes please see the homepage alert as well as our newsfeed.  Although our staff continues to work remotely we are making every effort to expand services. New for 2021: Limited In-Person Drop-Offs, Virtual Walk-Ins, and the Reg Finder. 

In-Person Drop-Offs (Pre-Registration Required)

Since March 2020, we have continued efforts to make the review process accessible via remote conditions. However, applicants must still pay review fees by check and provide an executed hard copy of the O&M Agreement. To better facilitate this process, an In-Person Drop-off option is being provided. Beginning February 16, 2021, applicants who pre-register will be able to drop-off documents (review fee payments and O&M Agreements only) to PWD Headquarters.  

In-Person Drop-Offs will ONLY be available as follows: 

Tuesdays & Thursdays

8:30am – 10am & 1pm – 3:30pm

1101 Market Street
5th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107

To pre-register, applicants must email pwd.planreview@phila.gov by 4pm the day prior and confirm the requested drop off date, project tracking number, items to be delivered, and the name of the person and company who will be delivering the documents. Visitors must wear a face covering at all times when in the building and bring photo ID for security purposes. To obtain a stamped receipt, you must bring a copy of the PWD invoice.  

Note that drop-offs will be handled entirely by administrative staff. Review staff will not be available to discuss project specifics or issue approval letters in person. To accelerate the approval process, you may email your reviewer a copy of the stamped invoice receipt.

Reg Finder Now Live! 

To aid in the project planning process, PWD has released a new a new GIS-based tool: Reg Finder. The Reg Finder is a GIS application that allows applicants to determine site-specific regulatory requirements prior to submitting an ERSA application. In addition, information can be downloaded as a PDF for easy sharing. 

Review Timelines 

Review times are approaching normal for most stormwater reviews: 5 -10 days for conceptual reviews, 15 days for Post Construction Stormwater Management Plan (PCSMP) Reviews, and 5 days for expediated PCSMP Reviews. 

Check your Application Status

Most projects undergo multiple rounds of review at both the Conceptual and PCSMP review stages prior to obtaining approval. The average length of time from initial ERSA Submission to PCSMP Approval is 8 months. This includes time spent with PWD for review, but the majority of time is spent with the applicant for revisions. Most projects obtain Conceptual Approval within 1 month and PCSMP Approval within 4 months, with an average of 3 months between the two review steps. Applicants are encouraged to use these timelines when planning their projects especially if they have critical funding or tax abatement deadlines.