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PHILADELPHIA HOME RULE CHARTER
THE PHILADELPHIA CODE
TITLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
TITLE 2. CITY-COUNTY CONSOLIDATION
TITLE 3. AIR MANAGEMENT CODE
TITLE 4. THE PHILADELPHIA BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND OCCUPANCY CODE
TITLE 4.1. ELECTRICAL CODE
TITLE 4.2. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE
TITLE 5. FIRE PREVENTION CODE
TITLE 6. HEALTH CODE
TITLE 7. HOUSING CODE
TITLE 8. PLUMBING CODE
TITLE 9. REGULATION OF BUSINESSES, TRADES AND PROFESSIONS
TITLE 10. REGULATION OF INDIVIDUAL CONDUCT AND ACTIVITY
TITLE 11. STREETS
TITLE 12. TRAFFIC CODE
CHAPTER 12-100. GENERAL PROVISIONS
CHAPTER 12-200. ADMINISTRATION
CHAPTER 12-300. SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS UPON USE OF VEHICLES AROUND WHEELCHAIR LIFT EQUIPPED VEHICLES
CHAPTER 12-400. RIGHT-OF-WAY REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES
CHAPTER 12-500. TURNING REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES
CHAPTER 12-600. STREET DIRECTION REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES
CHAPTER 12-700. BICYCLE LANES
CHAPTER 12-800. BICYCLE REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES
CHAPTER 12-900. PARKING REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES
CHAPTER 12-1000. PARKING METER REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES
CHAPTER 12-1100. MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES
CHAPTER 12-1200. TRAFFIC-CONTROL DEVICES
CHAPTER 12-1300. ENFORCEMENT AND OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC REGULATIONS
CHAPTER 12-1400. PENALTIES AND PROCEDURE FOR VIOLATIONS
CHAPTER 12-1500. EFFECT OF TITLE
CHAPTER 12-1600. SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS UPON USE OF VEHICLES IN AREAS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE FAIRMOUNT PARK COMMISSION
CHAPTER 12-1700. ACHIEVING DRIVING EQUALITY
CHAPTERS 12-1800 TO 12-2300. RESERVED
CHAPTER 12-2400. TOWING AND IMMOBILIZING OF PARKED OR ABANDONED VEHICLES
CHAPTER 12-2500. SNOW EMERGENCIES
CHAPTER 12-2600. CHESTNUT STREET TRANSITWAY
CHAPTER 12-2700. PERMIT PARKING DISTRICTS
CHAPTER 12-2800. ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUDICATION OF PARKING VIOLATIONS
CHAPTER 12-2900. CONTRACTOR PARKING
CHAPTER 12-3000. USE OF AN AUTOMATED RED LIGHT ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM TO PREVENT RED LIGHT VIOLATIONS
CHAPTER 12-3100. SELLING, LEASING, OR RESERVING OF PARKING SPACES ON PUBLIC STREETS PROHIBITED
CHAPTER 12-3200. FEE FOR LOCAL USE
CHAPTER 12-3300. SELF-PROPELLED MOBILITY DEVICES
CHAPTER 12-3400. USE OF AN AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM TO IMPROVE SAFETY
CHAPTER 12-3500. PERSONAL DELIVERY DEVICES
CHAPTER 12-3600. CAMERA-BASED ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM FOR PARKING, STOPPING, AND STANDING VIOLATIONS THAT INTERFERE WITH MASS TRANSIT
TITLE 13. WATER AND SEWER
TITLE 14. ZONING AND PLANNING
TITLE 15. PARKS AND RECREATION
TITLE 16. PUBLIC PROPERTY
TITLE 17. CONTRACTS AND PROCUREMENT
TITLE 18. COMMERCE AND AVIATION
TITLE 19. FINANCE, TAXES AND COLLECTIONS
TITLE 20. OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES
TITLE 21. MISCELLANEOUS
TITLE 22. PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT CODE
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§ 12-901. Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited at Certain Places.
   (1)   When signs are erected giving notice thereof, no operator shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any of the following places:
      (a)   Upon any bridge or viaduct, in any tunnel or underpass, or upon any approach to any bridge, viaduct, tunnel, or underpass;
      (b)   In a designated bus stop;
      (c)   Within 200 feet of any school property when such stopping, standing or parking would interfere with traffic or create a hazardous condition;
      (d)   Upon any street where stopping, standing, or parking would create a hazardous condition, or would cause serious delay to traffic, for a distance not exceeding 250 feet in length.
   (2)   No person shall move or push a vehicle into any prohibited area, or away from a curb such distance as is unlawful.
   (3)   No person shall park a commercial vehicle on any street within one hundred feet of any property used partially or completely for residential purposes between the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., except for the purpose of loading or unloading vehicles in the usual course of business with the occupiers of the residential property, or while carrying passengers for hire. This subsection shall not apply to any commercial vehicles having a capacity not in excess of one-half ton which has not been materially changed from the original manufacturer's design, nor to the following locations: 69
      Souder street, between Unruh street and Knorr street, both sides, Edgewood street, between Elmwood and Buist avenues, both sides, and Godfrey avenue between 17th street and Ogontz avenue, both sides. 70
      Regent street, between Sixty-fifth street and Sixty-sixth street, both sides. 71
      3400 block of Vaux street, both sides. 72
      Oregon avenue, between Thirteenth street and Juniper street, north side. 73
      8500 block of Bergen place, both sides. 74
      700 block of South Eighth street, both sides. 75
      2200 block of Earp street, both sides. 76
      3100 block of South Broad street. 77
      600 block of Cheswick Road, both sides. 78
      South 11th Street, from Catherine Street to Webster Street, west side. 79
   The above exemption shall not apply to any vehicle which is loaded with debris, waste or recyclable materials. 80

 

Notes

69
   Added, 1964 Ordinances, p. 1270; amended, 1981 Ordinances, p. 1142.
70
   Added, 1981 Ordinances, p. 1142; amended, 1982 Ordinances, p. 14; amended, 1982 Ordinances, p. 769.
71
   Added, 1983 Ordinances, p. 1486.
72
   Added, 1984 Ordinances, p. 924.
73
   Added, 1987 Ordinances, p. 23.
74
   Added, 1989 Ordinances, p. 26.
75
   Added, 1991 Ordinances, p. 866.
76
   Added, 1992 Ordinances, p. 208.
77
   Added, 1993 Ordinances, p. 40.
78
   Added, Bill No. 080904 (approved December 22, 2008).
79
   Added, Bill No. 190453 (approved July 17, 2019).
80
   Added, Bill No. 960846-A (approved April 18, 1997).
§ 12-902. Parking for Certain Purposes Prohibited. 81
   (1)   No person shall stand or park a vehicle or watercraft trailer upon any roadway for the purpose of:
      (a)   Displaying such vehicle, watercraft trailer or watercraft attached thereto for sale;
      (b)   Commercial washing, greasing or repairing such vehicle, watercraft trailer or watercraft attached thereto, except repairs necessitated by an emergency.

 

Notes

81
   Amended, Bill No. 080648 (approved November 19, 2008).
§ 12-903. Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited at Certain Times. 82
   (1)   The Department shall erect and maintain appropriate signs to give notice whenever an ordinance or regulation prohibits stopping, standing and parking on any street, or portion thereof, and no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in violation of such ordinances or regulations.
   (2)   The Department shall erect and maintain appropriate signs to give notice whenever an ordinance or regulation prohibits standing and parking on any street, or portion thereof, and no person shall stand or park a vehicle in violation of such ordinances or regulations.
   (3)   The Department shall erect and maintain appropriate signs to give notice whenever an ordinance or regulation prohibits parking or limits the time of parking on any street, or portion thereof, and no person shall park a vehicle in violation of such ordinances or regulations.
   (4)   Ordinances or regulations imposing a time limit on parking shall not relieve any operator from obeying more restrictive regulations prohibiting stopping, standing or parking.
   (5)   In areas expressly provided for by special ordinances, the Department may establish and revise limited time parking regulations, as prescribed in subsection 12-903(3). 83
   (6)   The Department is authorized to establish by regulation cleaning zones in which stopping, standing or parking is prohibited at certain times on a certain day or days of the week for the purpose of permitting street cleaning. Any such zone established by the Department is hereby designated as a towing zone for the hours during which the Department has by regulation prohibited stopping, standing or parking. The Department shall clearly designate by appropriate signs the day or days of the week and the hours during which stopping, standing or parking is prohibited in such zones, and the fact that they are towing zones. Violations of the regulations promulgated pursuant to this subsection 12-903(4) shall be enforced in the manner set forth in Section 12-916. 84
   (7)   The Department is authorized to establish and revise by regulation restrictions and limitations on standing, stopping, and parking along the north side of Washington Avenue from Delaware Avenue to 11th Street, and along the south side of Washington Avenue from Delaware Avenue to Broad Street. Such regulation shall incorporate analysis of traffic data collected along and parallel to Washington Avenue one (1) year, and again two (2) years, after project completion. 85

 

Notes

82
   Amended, 1989 Ordinances, p. 72; amended and renumbered subsections (2) and (3), 1990 Ordinances, p. 211. See also Bill No. 220520 (approved July 6, 2022).
83
   Added, 1982 Ordinances, p. 1389.
84
   Added, 1990 Ordinances, p. 1013. Enrolled bill numbered this as subsection (4). Former subsection deleted and replaced with new subsection, 1992 Ordinances, p. 661.
85
   Added, Bill No. 220523 (approved August 31, 2022).
§ 12-904. Loading and Unloading. 86
   (1)   The operator of a passenger vehicle may stop temporarily in a curb loading zone for the purpose of the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers when such stopping does not interfere with any commercial vehicle about to enter such zone.

 

Notes

86
   Amended, Bill No. 190463 (approved June 26, 2019).
§ 12-905. Permits for Curb Loading Zones.
   (1)   The Department may designate a curb loading zone upon the special request of any person when, on the basis of an engineering study by the Department, it is determined that such curb loading zone is necessary and justified by traffic conditions.
   (2)   Any person who requests a curb loading zone not in a meter parking area shall make written application to the Department. After approval of such application by the Department and the payment of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150) for each 23 feet of curb parking space or fraction thereof to the City, a permit for such curb loading zone may be issued subject to the provisions of subsection (1), above. The permit shall contain such conditions as the Department may prescribe, and shall be valid for one year. The permit shall not be transferable but may be reissued annually upon payment of a maintenance fee of seventy-five dollars ($75). 87
   (3)   Any person who requests a curb loading zone in a parking meter area shall make written application to the Department. After approval of such application by the Department and the payment of a fee of three hundred dollars ($300) for each metered parking space or fraction thereof included in the curb loading zone, a permit for such curb loading zone may be issued subject to the provisions of subsection (1), above. The permit shall contain such conditions as the Department may prescribe, and shall be valid for one year. The permit shall not be transferable but may be reissued annually upon payment of a maintenance fee of seventy-five dollars ($75). 88
   (4)   Any person who requests a curb loading zone in the Center City area bounded by Spring Garden street, Bainbridge street, the Schuylkill River and the Delaware River; and in the University City area bounded by the Schuylkill River on the east, University avenue/Woodland avenue on the south, Fortieth street on the west, and by a line along Filbert street, between Fortieth street and Thirty-fourth street, along Thirty-fourth street to Arch street, along Arch street, between Thirty-fourth street and the Schuylkill River, on the north, shall make written application to the Department. After approval of such application by the Department and payment of a fee of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) to the City for each twenty-three feet of curb parking space or fraction thereof not in a metered parking area, and payment of a fee of five hundred dollars ($500) to the City for each metered parking space or fraction thereof included in the curb loading zone in a metered parking area, a permit for such curb loading zone may be issued subject to the provisions of subsection (1) above. The permit shall contain such conditions as the Department may prescribe, and shall be valid for one (1) year. The permit shall not be transferable but may be reissued annually upon payment of a maintenance fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150). 89
   (5)   The Department may terminate any curb loading zone permit and remove the signs erected if payment of the annual fee shall be thirty days in arrears, or whenever public convenience or necessity warrants such action; provided that 15 days' notice of such intended action shall be given to the person to whom the permit has been issued. 90
   (6)   No fee shall be required for the designation of a curb loading zone in front of any public building, theater, live performing arts venue, school, church or hospital. Moreover, no fee shall be required for the designation of a curb loading zone in front of any business located on a street with a designated bicycle lane. 91

 

Notes

87
   Amended, 1973 Ordinances, p. 902; amended, 1974 Ordinances, p. 859; amended, 1993 Ordinances, p. 3.
88
   Amended, 1973 Ordinances, p. 902; amended, 1974 Ordinances, p. 859; amended, 1993 Ordinances, p. 3.
89
   Added, 1993 Ordinances, p. 3.
90
   Renumbered, 1993 Ordinances, p. 3.
91
   Renumbered, 1993 Ordinances, p. 3; amended, Bill No. 180950 (approved June 5, 2019); amended, Bill No. 160026-A (became law October 24, 2019).
§ 12-906. Stopping in Passenger Loading Zone.
   (1)   The Department may designate Passenger Loading zones where such zones are necessary and justified by traffic conditions.
   (2)   No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle for any purpose or period of time other than for the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers in any passenger loading zone during hours when the regulations applicable to such zone are effective.
§ 12-906.1. Live Performing Arts Priority Loading and Unloading Zones. 92
   (1)   The Department may designate a Live Performing Arts Priority Loading And Unloading Zone upon the special request of a Live Performing Arts Venue at the curb immediately in front of that venue, where such a zone would facilitate expeditiously transferring persons or property between a vehicle and the Live Performing Arts Venue in connection with the performance of live performing artists at that venue, unless such zone would create an unsafe condition.
   (2)   A Live Performing Arts Priority Loading and Unloading Zone shall consist of no more than 30 feet of curb space directly in front of the Live Performing Arts Venue. The parking time limit in a Live Performing Arts Priority Loading and Unloading Zone shall be 30 minutes. The Department may establish the hours during which such zones shall be in effect.
   (3)   No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle for any purpose or any period of time other than to facilitate expeditiously transferring persons or property between a vehicle and the live performing arts venue in connection with the live performance of performing artists at that venue in any Live Performing Arts Priority Loading and Unloading Zone during hours when the regulations applicable to such zone are effective.

 

Notes

92
   Added, Bill No. 160026-A (became law October 24, 2019). Enrolled bill numbered this as Section 12-907 and renumbered subsequent Sections; added as Section 12-906.1 and subsequent Sections not renumbered at the discretion of the Code editor.
§ 12-907. Designation of Public Carrier Stands. 93
   (1)   The Department may designate bus stops, bus stands, taxicab stands, and stands for other passenger common-carrier motor vehicles when it determines such stands are necessary and justified by traffic conditions.
   (2)   When conditions are such that certain uses of a particular bus stop would create an undesirable impact upon the streets or footways, the Department may limit the use of the stop to certain hours of the day and/or to the use of particular carriers or specific routes or services of those carriers.
   (3)   The Department may not designate a bus stop at locations or under conditions that will result in the generation of a significant impact upon parking on streets that are more than fifty percent (50%) residential and must terminate or modify previously designated bus stops when they result in such impact for a period in excess of two weeks.
   (4)   Carriers that have been denied the use of bus stops under the provisions of subsection (3) of this Section may re-apply to the Department if they have made provision for off-street parking, without charge, for their passengers within one thousand (1,000) feet of the requested bus stop. The capacity of the parking facility must equal or exceed one (1) car space for each two (2) bus passengers.

 

Notes

93
   Amended, 1983 Ordinances, p. 29.
§ 12-908. Stopping, Standing, and Parking of Buses and Taxicabs.
   (1)   No operator shall park a bus at any location other than at a designated bus stand.
   (2)   No operator shall stop a bus at any location for the purpose of loading or unloading passengers or their baggage other than at a designated bus stop, bus stand, or passenger loading zone except in case of emergency.
   (3)   The operator of a bus shall enter a bus stop, bus stand, or passenger loading zone in such a manner that the bus when stopped to load or unload passengers, shall be in a position with the right front wheel of such vehicle not farther than 6 inches from the curb and the bus approximately parallel to the curb.
   (4)   The operator of a taxicab on duty shall not stand or park such vehicle at any place other than in a designated taxicab stand; provided that the operator of a taxicab may stop temporarily at other than taxicab stands for the purpose of and while actually engaged in the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers.
   (5)   The operator of a taxicab not on duty shall display an off-duty sign and such operator shall be subject to all of the provisions of this Title pertaining to motor vehicle parking.
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