Start with the year the use was established, not the building’s construction year. Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections’ Certificate of Occupancy information sheet groups possible occupancy evidence into pre-1969, 1969–2000, and 2000-to-present periods. It also keeps zoning authorization, Property Certification, and a Certificate of Occupancy as different records.
The two printed headings both include 2000. Do not invent a boundary rule. For a use established in 2000, give L&I the exact date and ask which period and evidence standard it applies.
Choose the evidence lane by use date
- Use established before 1969: assemble the relevant historical zoning or permit record and any available archive, microfilm, imagery, or original-plan support.
- Use established from 1969 through the printed 1969–2000 period: look for the named occupancy record, including a CO or Statement of Occupancy, and any applicable historical L&I certification or license.
- Use established under the 2000-to-present heading: the information sheet identifies the CO as the occupancy evidence.
- Use established during 2000: preserve the exact date and ask L&I to resolve the overlap between the printed headings.
These are evidence routes, not automatic acceptance. The City may require more proof about when a use began and whether it continued. Historical material can contribute to that review without becoming a newly issued CO or a current property determination.
Keep zoning and occupancy objects separate
A zoning permit documents zoning authorization in its own scope. Property Certification reflects approved zoning records. A CO documents occupancy in the scope shown on that certificate. One should not be relabeled as another.
Use the CO-versus-building-permit guide when the file also contains a building permit. Permit issuance can identify authorized work without answering which occupancy document applies to a particular use or era.
Reconcile a fictional 1920 building with a later use
Imagine a fictional building constructed in 1920 that changed to a different use in 1980. The building age points to historic construction records, but the occupancy evidence lane is keyed to the 1980 use date. Search the 1969–2000 group for the relevant occupancy record and supporting L&I material.
Now imagine the file says only that the use changed in 2000. Preserve any month, day, permit number, license, or occupancy reference that narrows the event. Ask L&I how the overlapping headings apply before describing one document as sufficient.
If the historic permit proves work occurred but no occupancy record is found, keep that gap open. A construction record, photograph, directory, or plan can support chronology without deciding what occupancy evidence the City will accept.
Use the Archives for a named historical record
The Philadelphia City Archives lists Philadelphia building permits and selected building plans from 1889–1986 among its holdings. “Selected” matters: the range does not promise a complete property file or surviving plan for every permit.
Prepare a narrow archive request:
- Property address and documented historic address variant.
- Year the use was established, if known, separate from the construction year.
- Permit, zoning, license, occupancy, or Property Certification identifier already found.
- Approximate project or use-change date.
- Exact missing object, such as a permit, selected plan, historical occupancy record, or supporting archive item.
- Sources already checked and the remaining date or identity conflict.
What each office can hand you, and what it costs
L&I and the City Archives cover different years, so the use date also tells you where to ask. L&I's copy-service page says Atlas shows permits from 2006 to the present and certificates of occupancy from 1969 to 2006 inside the zoning file. It also says L&I did not keep plans processed before 2004 unless they were tied to a building variance or a major project.
- L&I copies: $15 for a permit, license or certificate; $50 per plan file. Card payments carry a surcharge.
- L&I building files: only the owner or the owner's agent can request plans, with a letter of authorization for anyone else. Viewing is by appointment, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, and you bring a flash drive.
- City Archives: 548 Spring Garden Street, open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, (215) 685-9401. The Department of Records fee page lists copies at $1 a page ($2 minimum), certification at $2 a document and staff searches at $35 an hour.
Put together, a use that began in 1980 points first to the CO inside the L&I zoning file, while plans for that era are more likely to survive, if at all, among the Archives' selected plans than at L&I. Anything outside these services needs a Right to Know request.
Route a current evidence or copy question to L&I
The City’s copy-service page separates CO-copy retrieval periods from the information sheet’s use-establishment periods. Copy availability does not answer which evidence lane applies.
The published Philadelphia CO records guide covers the detailed copy path for older and newer certificates. Use that process after identifying the record you need. For an evidence question, give L&I the use date, address, known record numbers, and the exact conflict. The City service page lists 311 for questions, or 215-686-8686 from outside Philadelphia.
A missing historical file does not prove that a current occupancy record exists, and a zoning record does not replace a CO. Preserve the City’s response and the evidence it evaluated rather than turning one archival clue into a conclusion about another record.
Official Philadelphia L&I and Department of Records pages checked October 5 and October 20, 2026.