Siding, windows and decks in Philadelphia: city permits, historic review and old row houses
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What is different about exterior work in Philadelphia?
Three things. The city runs its own permit system, with a fast track for windows, doors, wall covering and small decks. It decides who may do the work, and on a one- or two-family home that can be a state-registered contractor with a city business license. And a property on the city's historic register needs the Historical Commission's approval for nearly any exterior change, down to storm doors and trim.
How old is the housing?
Older than anywhere else in the region. The Census Bureau estimates that 39.9 percent of Philadelphia's homes were first built in 1939 or earlier, against 25.0 percent statewide. The city has 748,270 housing units, and 64.1 percent of them are single-family houses, a figure the Census counts together for detached and attached homes, so it includes the row houses. The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia describes the row house as the form that defines the city's vernacular architecture, notes that brick quickly became the standard material for building them, and points out that in tightly packed rows the problems of one house, structural failures among them, can spread to the neighbors.
Age matters here because of paint. The EPA says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint and requires any firm paid to disturb paint in them to be lead-safe certified. Its rule treats window replacement as covered at any size. In a city where four homes in ten pre-date 1940, assume the rule applies to your windows, doors and trim unless a certified inspector or risk assessor has found the paint free of lead.
Do you need a permit to replace windows or doors?
On most homes, no. The city's EZ permit page says one- or two-family dwellings do not need a permit for exterior window and door replacement with no change in size, unless the property is historic. Enlarging an opening, or working on a larger building, does need one. The city's building permit page adds that, off the historic register, you often need no permit for regular maintenance repairs or for pointing masonry.
Wall covering replacement and residential decks up to 216 square feet (not roof decks) can get EZ permits, which need no plans as long as the work follows the city's EZ Standard; if it does not, the permit is revoked. Most no-plan applications are processed within 5 business days, and a contractor with a current license, insurance and tax account may get a permit for windows, doors or wall covering at once. Each permit carries a $3 city surcharge and a $4.50 state surcharge. Inspections follow, and the city issues a Certificate of Approval when they pass.
Who is allowed to do the work?
On a building permit or EZ permit, the city requires a licensed Philadelphia contractor, with one exception. On an existing one- or two-family home that needs no electrical or plumbing permit, the work may also be done by an owner who lives there, or by a registered Pennsylvania home improvement contractor who holds a Philadelphia Commercial Activity License. The city's contractor licence page confirms that a business working only on such homes registers with the state instead of taking the city license. Either way, the contractor must be current on city taxes and have insurance on file with Licenses and Inspections.
You can check a firm with the city's licensed contractor lookup, which shows active licenses and any licensing violations, and with the Attorney General's state registration search. For questions, the city says to call 311, or (215) 686-8686 from outside Philadelphia.
What if your house is historic?
Then the Philadelphia Historical Commission reviews the work as part of the permit, and its list is long. For properties on the register, review is required to install, alter, repair, replace or cover windows, storm windows, doors and storm doors, shutters, porches, steps, stoops, decks, balconies, cornices, trim and railings. That includes the one-for-one window replacement that needs no permit elsewhere. Standard maintenance, such as scraping and painting wood trim and replacing clear window glass, needs no review.
Review is free. The commission's staff approve more than 90% of permit applications without sending them to the full commission, and they ask owners to get in touch during planning, at preservation@phila.gov or (215) 686-7660. Ask your contractor whether the house is on the register before any order is placed.
What does a recent case show?
In August 2026 the Attorney General announced a settlement with a Philadelphia-area contractor who must pay the Commonwealth $200,000, dissolve his companies and stop owning a home improvement business. The lawsuit, filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, alleged that in one job a consumer paid almost $40,000 and the contractor failed to obtain required permits, violated building codes and improperly installed a door frame and windows before abandoning the project. A settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing, but the allegations line up with the checks above: permit, license or registration, and payments that track the work.
Where can you look further?
The city's own pages are the authority on permits and licenses. Businesses serving the city are on the Philadelphia exterior remodeling page, and the state rules every contractor must follow are in what Pennsylvania requires.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Get permits without plans (EZ permits), City of Philadelphia
- Get a Building Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Get approval for work to a historic property, City of Philadelphia
- Get a Contractor License, City of Philadelphia
- Find a licensed contractor and contractor information, City of Philadelphia
- Row Houses, Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
- Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program: Consumers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- AG Sunday's Bureau of Consumer Protection Secures $200K Settlement, Lifetime Ban Against Philadelphia-Area Home Improvement Contractor, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General