Heating and air conditioning in Philadelphia: city permits, licenses and old houses
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What is different about HVAC work in Philadelphia?
The city sets its own rules. Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) issues the permits for heating and air conditioning work, licenses the trade workers who do it, and runs a public lookup of licensed contractors. The housing is different too: the Census Bureau estimates that 39.9 percent of the city's 748,270 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, against 25.0 percent statewide, and gas heats 71.3 percent of occupied homes, the highest share of the five counties.
| Main heating fuel | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | 71.3% | 56.4% |
| Electricity | 24.7% | 25.3% |
| Fuel oil or kerosene | 2.7% | 14.0% |
| Other fuels | 0.6% | 3.8% |
Figures are from the Census Bureau's Philadelphia County profile. Oil, at 2.7 percent, is rarer here than anywhere else in the region.
When do you need a city permit?
To install heating, cooling or ventilation equipment, ductwork, or gas-fired equipment and piping. L&I's Mechanical Permit page says no permit is needed for small appliances or for ordinary repairs and maintenance. Replacing an appliance in a one- or two-family home qualifies for an EZ permit, which needs no plans.
The details worth knowing as a homeowner:
- Who applies. Any owner or authorized agent, which includes the contractor. Before the permit is issued, the contractor has to be identified and confirm it is working on the job.
- Who does the work. The permit page says a licensed contractor must perform all of it, with an active license, current city taxes and insurance on file with L&I.
- What it costs. A $100 filing fee, credited toward the permit. In a one- or two-family home, an appliance submitted separately is $69, and fuel gas work is 2 percent of the contract cost, with a $189 minimum.
- What the inspector sees. For one- and two-family homes the city's forms include an HVAC Equipment Design Form with the application and, for the inspector, an HVAC Equipment Certificate and a Duct and Envelope Testing Certificate.
- When it is done. A Certificate of Approval is issued once every required inspection is passed. Inspections can be booked through eCLIPSE or at (215) 255-4040.
If your house was built before January 1, 1981 and the work costs more than $50,000, the city also requires an asbestos inspection report by a licensed inspector.
Which licenses apply to HVAC workers?
The city says trade workers must carry Philadelphia licenses specific to their work. Its list has no separate heating or air conditioning license. What it does have is a Sheet Metal Technician license for anyone who installs, maintains or services sheet metal in HVAC systems, and the permit page requires sheet metal work to be done by a licensed technician or apprentice employed by the contractor. The technician license requires a registered apprenticeship of at least 8,000 hours of practical work and 800 hours of instruction, and is renewed every three years. It does not let the holder run a business.
For the business itself, the city requires a Contractor License for construction and repair work that needs no specialized license. A business that works only on existing one- or two-family homes, and does no work needing a special trade license, registers with the state as a home improvement contractor instead. The pages do not say outright which route applies to a furnace replacement in a rowhouse, so if a company tells you it needs no city license, ask 311 to confirm.
How do you check a Philadelphia contractor?
L&I's lookup tool lists every actively licensed contractor in the city and any licensing violations. The city tells property owners to make sure contractors have the right licenses and registrations, a good reputation and the required permits before work starts. For questions, call 311, or (215) 686-8686 from outside the city. The state's registration check works here too; it is described in what Pennsylvania requires of HVAC contractors.
What should you do if you smell gas?
Leave first, then call. With seven homes in ten on gas heat, this is the safety rule most Philadelphians will need. Philadelphia Gas Works says to leave the area immediately and call its 24-hour emergency line, 215-235-1212, from a safe place. Do not use phones or other electrical devices nearby, do not look for the leak and do not try to shut off valves or appliances. PGW also inspects the meter and service line at each property every 3 years at no charge.
Can an old rowhouse get air conditioning without ducts?
Ductless systems are one route. ENERGY STAR lists older homes with radiators or baseboard heat that have never had central air among the places where ductless mini-split heat pumps are used, with indoor units mounted on walls or ceilings and refrigerant lines to an outdoor unit. Prices from the national surveys are in the cost guide.
What if you rent?
With 48.2 percent of the city's occupied homes rented, many residents are not the ones hiring. The state's utility rules still protect income-eligible households: between December 1 and March 31, utilities regulated by the PUC cannot shut off electric or natural gas service to income-eligible households for non-payment without the commission's permission. Businesses serving the city are on the Philadelphia HVAC contractors page.
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
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Get a Mechanical Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Get a Sheet Metal Technician License, City of Philadelphia
- Trade licenses, City of Philadelphia
- Find a licensed contractor and contractor information, City of Philadelphia
- Get a Contractor License, City of Philadelphia
- Natural Gas Safety, Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW)
- Ductless Heating & Cooling, ENERGY STAR
- #CallUtilitiesNow – PUC Urges Consumers to Contact Utilities About Payment of Past-Due or High Bills as Annual Winter Utility Termination Moratorium Ends on March 31, 2023, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission