The City of Philadelphia amended their Property Maintenance Code to require that all building Owner’s maintain their buildings in good repair, that they be structurally sound, be sanitary, and not impose a threat to the public. As such, they require separate inspections and reporting for facades per § PM-304.10 and fire escapes per § F-1011.1.

FACADES
For facades of any building six or more stories in height or any building with any appurtenance in excess of 60 feet in height, the Owner shall be responsible for retaining a design professional to conduct periodic inspections of exterior walls and appurtenances and the filing of reports to the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I).

The first inspection required by this Section shall be conducted as shown in the following schedule:

If the date of construction cannot be determined by the Owner, the first inspection must be performed by June 30, 2011. For all other buildings, the first inspection shall be conducted and the required report filed within ten years after the certificate of occupancy was issued. Following the Initial Inspection, Buildings shall be re-inspected, and the required report filed, on a five-year cycle based on the original schedule.

A waiver may be applied if all facades of an affected building have been "substantially restored" within the five-year cycle preceding a required inspection.

Design professionals must prepare a report stating whether the structure is Safe, Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program, or Unsafe.

Safe Structures
If the structure is safe the design professional must send reports to the Owner and a report summary to L&I.

Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program
The Owner of the building is responsible for ensuring that the conditions described in the report as "Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program" are repaired and the actions identified by the design professional are completed within the time frame designated by the professional or by such time necessary to prevent a condition from becoming an Unsafe condition, whichever is sooner.

Unsafe Structures

• Within twenty-four (24) hours of being notified of an Unsafe condition by a Professional, the Owner of a building shall take any actions necessary to protect public safety, such as erecting sidewalk sheds, fences, and/or safety netting. Such actions shall be considered as an effort to remedy an emergency and appropriate permit applications shall be submitted within the next three (3) days to code officials.

• Within ten (10) days of the receipt or filing of a report identifying an Unsafe condition, the Owner of a building shall commence work to correct the condition and work shall continue without interruption until the Unsafe condition has been corrected, unless there has been an unforeseen delay (e.g. weather, labor strike). Within two weeks after the Unsafe condition has been corrected, the Professional shall reinspect the building and file with the code official a detailed amended report stating the condition of the building.

FIRE ESCAPES
Philadelphia’s Fire Code was amended in 2016 to include requirements for the maintenance and inspection of fire escapes. Fire escapes are defined as:

Fire Escape: A system of metal landings, balconies, stairs or ladders attached to a building that are not classified as an exterior stairway and are intended or designed to aid in egress from a building in an emergency.

Fire Escape Balcony: A balcony that projects from the building face and is intended for use in conjunction with a fire escape, an exit stair or an area of refuge.

An initial inspection required by the Code shall be conducted and the required report shall be filed, on or before July 1, 2017. If the construction of the fire escape or fire escape balcony was completed after July 1, 2007, the first inspection shall be conducted within ten years after construction of the fire escape was completed.

Design professionals must prepare a report stating whether the fire escape is Safe, Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program, or Unsafe.

Safe Fire Escapes
A condition of a fire escape or a fire escape balcony that is neither an Unsafe condition nor Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program.

Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program
A condition of a fire escape or a fire escape balcony that is not determined to be Unsafe, at the time of inspection, but that requires maintenance or repair within a time period designated by a Professional in order to prevent further deterioration into an unsafe condition.

Unsafe Fire Escapes
A condition of any part of a fire escape or fire escape balcony that is dangerous to persons or property and requires prompt remedial action.