For a Philadelphia stormwater closeout, start with the project tracking number and permit phase, then name the exact missing step. An inspection finding, a completed Post-Construction Stormwater Management (PCSM) report, a signed Construction Certification Package (CCP), a compliant Record Drawing and release of a stormwater certificate-of-occupancy hold are separate records or decisions. Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections (L&I) issues the CO separately.
PWD inspection reports versus the PCSM, CCP and Record Drawing
PWD's construction-inspection guidance describes regular inspection findings and deficiencies sent by email. The PCSM final report is updated during construction and completed at the end, but the guidance treats its conclusions as preliminary. Final site compliance depends on the Record Drawing and CCP rather than the field report alone.
The construction-documentation guidance gives each item a different job. A CCP records phase-specific measurements and is dated and signed. A Record Drawing shows the as-built work and field changes. The compliance review comes from the submitted documents, beyond the preliminary field report. Keep each document's own date, phase and plan version.
That distinction prevents a common filing error: treating the newest document as the terminal one. A later PCSM report may summarize construction while an earlier deficiency still needs a response, or a drawing may remain under review after the report is complete.
Which Philadelphia stormwater closeout step is missing
Use this decision branch with the records you actually hold:
- An inspection item is unresolved. Identify the dated deficiency message, the affected stormwater measure and the response or correction that is missing. The field item's disposition is its own record, separate from any later plan sheet.
- The PCSM report is complete, but certification is missing. Ask for the signed CCP for the relevant permit phase and the Record Drawing version that represents the constructed work.
- The online status shows a review phase. Record the tracking number exactly, including its dashes, the displayed phase and the date observed. The status page reports a review milestone; the closeout file and the PWD compliance decision are separate.
- A stormwater CO hold remains. Ask which named closeout item or permit phase remains incomplete. The CO-hold page separates PWD's stormwater signoff from the CO that L&I may issue.
PWD says the stormwater CO-hold process applies to projects that require signoff on or after August 1, 2023; an earlier project enters that process only after written PWD notice. Its closeout criteria include resolved construction violations, paid review fees, a complete PCSM final report, an executed and recorded operations-and-maintenance agreement that reflects constructed conditions, and a compliant Record Drawing. Those criteria help name the missing item. A dashboard phase still differs from a hold release or an issued CO.
Match the Record Drawing to the PWD permit phase
PWD's construction page tells users to reference the tracking number and identify the individual stormwater measure or permit phase in the CCP. It routes signed Record Drawings through the project Dashboard. If the original submission predates 2015, it gives PWD.PlanReview@phila.gov as the route instead. That date describes the submission route only.
The Plan Review home page documents a login Dashboard and a Check Status path for review milestones. The public status page shows a tracking-number input and phase of review, so search it by tracking number.
A fictional PWD project with a complete PCSM report and an open drawing review
Consider a wholly fictional project folder. Its PCSM final report is marked complete for one permit phase, but the status page still shows the Record Drawing under review. The folder also contains a signed CCP tied to an earlier plan version.
The completed report answers only the report question. The open drawing review leaves the acceptance question unresolved, and the older CCP must be matched to the constructed phase before it can fill the gap. Request the reviewed Record Drawing or returned comments, the CCP for that phase and any PWD hold-release record. “Report complete,” “closeout complete” and an L&I CO are three different statuses.
Our Philadelphia CO guide explains how to verify the separately issued occupancy record. The final-inspection status guide helps distinguish a scheduled or completed field event from a terminal approval.
Build a precise missing-record packet
Give the custodian the tracking number, project address if known, permit phase or individual stormwater measure, the dated plan version, and one exact missing item. Useful requests name a signed CCP, a particular Record Drawing revision, a deficiency disposition, a PCSM final report, or the PWD stormwater hold-release record. Include the date and wording of the last status you observed and label it as a status.
Use PWD.PlanReview@phila.gov for help documented on the construction page and for the pre-2015 submission route. If an older named file is still missing, the City's Open Records Policy directs a written, specific request on the standard statewide form to PWD's listed open-records officer, with the requester's name and contact information. That formal records route is separate from the drawing-submission email.
A missing online result doesn’t prove that work was unpermitted or that stormwater closeout failed, so ask PWD for the named record. Philadelphia Water Department guidance checked October 8, 2026.