Garage door repair in Philadelphia: city licenses, permits and historic homes
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Philadelphia homeowners know about garage door repair?
That the city has rules of its own on top of the state's. Philadelphia decides who may do the work, when a permit is needed, and whether the Historical Commission has to approve a new door, and it publishes tools for checking all three. The city also has a large stock of prewar housing and many households with no car, both of which bear on what a technician finds when the door goes up.
Who is allowed to do garage door work in Philadelphia?
It depends on the building. The city's Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) says a Contractor License is required for any business doing construction, demolition or repair work that does not need a specialized license. A business that works only on existing one- or two-family homes is the exception: it does not need the city license, but it must be registered with the state as a home improvement contractor.
For jobs that need a permit, the city adds that the work must be done by a licensed Philadelphia contractor, except on an existing one- or two-family home where no electrical or plumbing permit is involved. There the work may also be done by an owner who lives in the building, or by a registered Pennsylvania home improvement contractor who holds a Philadelphia Commercial Activity License.
You can check both kinds of credential. L&I's lookup tool lists every actively licensed contractor in the city along with any licensing violations, and the city keeps a list of contractors whose licenses have been revoked or suspended. State registrations are in the Attorney General's contractor search.
Does replacing a garage door need a permit in Philadelphia?
Often not, on an ordinary house. The city says a Building Permit is required for a project that changes the exterior of an existing structure or includes major repairs that are not regular maintenance. It then lists projects that often need no permit, as long as the property is not on the historic register, and that list includes repairs related to regular maintenance and replacing doors and windows in one-or-two-family dwellings.
The page says doors and windows; it does not name garage doors. If the job changes the size of the opening, or the building is not a one- or two-family dwelling, do not assume the exemption applies. The city's advice for any question is to call 311, or (215) 686-8686 from outside Philadelphia. Where a permit is needed, L&I's filing fee for a one- or two-family dwelling is $25.
What if the house is on the historic register?
Then the garage door is named in the rules. For a property on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, the city requires a review by the Historical Commission for the construction, installation, alteration, repair, removal, replacement or covering of a list of features that includes doors, storm doors, security doors and garage doors. Standard maintenance, such as scraping and painting wood trim, is exempt.
The process is lighter than it sounds. The city says there is no charge for a review, that the commission's staff approves over 90 percent of building permit applications without sending them to the full commission, and that owners should contact the staff while a project is still being planned, on (215) 686-7660. In a city where the Census Bureau estimates that 39.9 percent of homes were first built in 1939 or earlier, against 25.0 percent statewide, it is worth knowing whether your house is on the register before you order a door.
Does a new opener need an electrician in Philadelphia?
Only if wiring is involved. The city requires an Electrical Permit for the installation, alteration or repair of electrical systems, and says a licensed electrical contractor must perform all electrical work. Among the things it says may not need a permit is connecting approved portable electrical equipment to an approved, permanently installed receptacle. The page does not mention garage door openers.
The federal safety standard for openers points the same way. It requires the manual of a plug-in opener to tell the owner to contact a licensed electrician to install a suitable receptacle if one is not available. So the question to ask an installer in Philadelphia is whether the job includes a new outlet or circuit, and if so who the electrical contractor is.
How do old houses and city winters affect a garage door?
Age brings two cautions. The first is lead: the Environmental Protection Agency requires any firm paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 to be certified in lead-safe practices, and every Philadelphia home that pre-dates 1940 falls in that group. The second is the opener. The federal rule has required a second safety device, such as photo eyes, on openers made since January 1, 1993, and the date of manufacture is marked on the unit.
Winter is the other local factor. The National Weather Service's normals for its Philadelphia station show average lows below freezing in December, January and February, 26 degrees Fahrenheit in January. Fixr warns that a door frozen to the floor should not be forced with the opener, because the motor can burn out.
The Pennsylvania rules guide covers the state registration law, how to choose a garage door repair company lists the checks to make, and businesses that serve the city are on the Philadelphia garage door repair page.
Sources
- Get a Contractor License, City of Philadelphia
- Find a licensed contractor and contractor information, City of Philadelphia
- Get a Building Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Get approval for work to a historic property, City of Philadelphia
- Get an Electrical Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- 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
- 16 CFR Part 1211: Safety Standard for Automatic Residential Garage Door Operators, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Climate Normals for KPHL, National Weather Service
- Garage Door Repair Cost, Fixr