• PWD Development Services August 2023 Newsletter

    New! Certificate of Occupancy Holds in eCLIPSE – Procedural Change

    Starting today, August 1, 2023, the Philadelphia Water Department will insert Certificate of Occupancy (CO) holds within eCLIPSE for building permit applications that trigger PWD’s Stormwater Management Review. PWD will resolve this hold after compliance has been confirmed for the project and its associated permit including, though not limited to, the following:

    1. Resolution of all construction violations
    2. Payment of all review and inspection fees
    3. Obtainment of a Post-Constructions Stormwater Management (PCSM) Final Inspection Report
    4. Execution and recording of an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Agreement
    5. Submission and acceptance of a compliant Record Drawing

    The Final CO will not be issued by the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) until PWD’s hold has been resolved. Please note that Temporary COs may also be held for projects that employ stormwater-related zoning bonuses.

    PWD will also continue inserting holds on any issued permits with violation concerns.

    This procedure can be reviewed in the recently revised Stormwater Management Guidance Manual’s new Appendix M. PCSMP Closeout. Any questions about this procedure should be directed to Stormwater Plan Review at PWD.PlanReview@phila.gov.

    Updated Stormwater Management Review Fees

    Beginning September 1, 2023, Development Services is raising certain stormwater management fees and implementing new charges for review and inspection activities. The inspection fee is a one-time charge and will be invoiced with the PCSMP Hourly Review Fee. As adopted by the Water, Sewer, and Storm Water Rate Board on June 21, applicants should expect cost increases for some project-related services provided by PWD. The table below summarizes changes most relevant to the development community. Please refer to the 2023 Rate Determination and current Rates and Charges for more information.

    Charge DescriptionCurrent ChargeChargest Effective September 1, 2023
    1 – Stormwater Plan Review Fees
     Conceptual Stormwater Plan Approval$1,115.00$1,490.00
     Post-Construction Stormwater Plan Approval (hourly review fee)$120.00$170.00
     Active Construction Stormwater Inspection FeeN/A$375.00
    2 – Stormwater Management Fee-in-Lieu
     Exemption to Water Quality Requirement$31.00$36.00
    3 – Stormwater Credit Application Fee Renewal
      App Fee Renewal$200.00$280.00