Handyman services in Philadelphia: city licenses, permit exemptions and repair programs
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
Does a handyman need a Philadelphia license?
Not for most work on a one- or two-family home. The city says a business that does home improvement work only on one- or two-family dwellings, leaving out electrical, plumbing and fire suppression, does not need a Philadelphia Contractor License. Instead it must register with the state as a home improvement contractor and use that registration to apply for city permits. To do so it also needs a Business Income and Receipts Tax number, a Commercial Activity License, current city taxes and insurance of at least $500,000 general liability per occurrence, $300,000 automobile and workers' compensation.
The city says plumbers, electricians, fire suppression contractors and complete demolition contractors must hold a city trade license. Those are where a handyman's work stops in this city.
Which small jobs need no building permit?
The city's building permit page lists work that often needs no permit, as long as the property is not on the Philadelphia Historic Registry:
- repairs related to regular maintenance;
- painting, papering and similar finishes;
- paneling or drywall installed over existing walls, and ceiling material applied to existing ceilings, in one- or two-family homes;
- cabinets and countertops, and conventional floor coverings;
- replacing doors and windows in one- or two-family homes;
- pointing masonry;
- fencing up to six feet, and retaining walls up to two feet;
- sheds and similar detached structures of 200 square feet or less.
Some of these are tighter than the state's limits. The state exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet and leaves sheds under 1,000 square feet outside its code; the city's figures are two feet and 200 square feet.
When a building permit is needed on an existing one- or two-family home and no electrical or plumbing permit is involved, the work may be done by a licensed Philadelphia contractor, by an owner who lives in the building, or by a registered state home improvement contractor who holds a Commercial Activity License.
What electrical and plumbing work can a handyman touch?
Very little. Philadelphia says you need an Electrical Contractor License to do electrical work in the city, including low-voltage wiring. Its electrical permit page lists minor repairs and maintenance that may need no permit, such as replacing lamps, fuses and breakers, repairing or replacing switches and receptacles, and replacing light fixtures to existing conditions, but the license rule applies to electrical work either way.
Plumbing works the same way. The city's plumbing permit page exempts minor repairs with the same material, such as replacing faucets and valves, removing and resetting a toilet when no pipes move, and stopping leaks or clearing stoppages. It also says a licensed master plumber must oversee plumbing work. Gas appliances and piping fall under the city's mechanical permit, and all work under that permit must be done by a licensed contractor.
The practical test: if the job is an electrical or plumbing job at all, ask the person quoting it for their city trade license number.
Why do Philadelphia houses need extra care?
Their age. The Census Bureau's survey puts 39.9 percent of the city's 748,270 homes, about four in ten, in the "first built in 1939 or earlier" group, the highest share of the five counties in this directory. Every one predates 1978, so a paid job that disturbs more than six square feet of paint per room falls under the EPA's lead-safe rule. Old materials can also hold asbestos; the city requires notice at least 24 hours before removing even small amounts, and a permit, which only a licensed abatement contractor can get, for larger ones. The city's asbestos information line is (215) 685-7576.
Nearly half of occupied homes, 48.2 percent, are rented. The EPA's lead rule names residential rental owners and managers among the firms it covers, so work that disturbs paint in a pre-1978 rental falls under it too.
Is there help paying for repairs?
Yes, through several city-backed programs, each with income limits.
- Basic Systems Repair Program. Free emergency repairs to electrical, plumbing, heating, roofing and limited structural and carpentry problems for owner-occupants. Income limit $85,900 for one person; call 215-448-2160.
- Heater Hotline. Free emergency heater repairs for eligible households; 215-568-7190.
- Adaptive Modifications Program. Free railings, ramps, lifts, accessible bathrooms and similar changes for low-income residents with permanent physical disabilities.
- Senior Housing Assistance Repair Program. Minor repairs and modifications for homeowners 60 and older, run by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging; (215) 765-9040.
How do you check a contractor in Philadelphia?
Use the city's contractor lookup, which lists actively licensed contractors and their licensing violations, and the Attorney General's search for state registration. Before work that needs a permit begins, the city says the contractor should have the permit and post it on the property. Questions go to 311, or (215) 686-8686 from outside the city. More checks are in how to choose a handyman, and handymen serving the city are on the Philadelphia handyman services page.
Sources
- Get an Electrical Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Get a Mechanical Permit, City of Philadelphia
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Apply for an asbestos project permit, City of Philadelphia (Department of Public Health)
- Basic Systems Repair Program, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation
- Adaptive Modifications Program, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation
- Get home repairs and modifications for seniors, City of Philadelphia
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.1. Scope., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Submit as a PA Home Improvement Contractor to get construction permits, City of Philadelphia
- Get a Building Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Get an Electrical Contractor License, City of Philadelphia
- Get a Plumbing Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Find a licensed contractor and contractor information, City of Philadelphia