Philadelphia County requires vacant lot owners to maintain clean, graded, and secured parcels per Phila. Code 10-720, with grass under 10 inches, no dumping, and fencing required for lots creating a nuisance. CLIP program cleans problem lots at owner expense.
Philadelphia Code 10-720 (Vacant Lot Cleaning) requires owners to keep lots free of weeds, trash, debris, and abandoned materials with vegetation maintained under 10 inches. The Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) in the Managing Directors Office cleans problem vacant lots and places municipal liens on the property for three times the cleaning cost plus administrative fees under Phila. Code 10-720(4). Lots 5,000 square feet or larger in residential zones must be fenced with chain-link or approved material at 4 feet minimum per Phila. Zoning Code 14-803. The PA Horticultural Society LandCare program maintains over 12,000 stabilized lots citywide via contract with the city. Side yard transfers through the Land Bank allow adjacent owners to acquire and maintain nuisance lots.
Overgrown vacant lot: $300 per day plus CLIP cleanup lien (3x cost). Unsecured lot used for dumping: $2,000 per incident. Failure to fence large lots: $500 Code Violation Notice.
See how Philadelphia County's vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
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