Philadelphia's PM-315 facade inspection ordinance creates one of the more concrete diligence overlays in the Pennsylvania condo market. Adopted in 2010 and codified in the Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code, PM-315 requires periodic exterior safety inspections for residential buildings 6 stories or higher (or 60+ feet tall) on a 5-year cycle. For a buyer in any covered Philadelphia condo, the most recent PM-315 report is one of the more informative documents in the diligence package.

What PM-315 actually requires

The ordinance covers residential buildings 6 stories or higher (or 60+ feet). Specifically:

• Periodic inspection every 5 years
• Inspector must be a Pennsylvania-licensed architect or structural engineer
• Inspection covers exterior elements — facade, balconies, parapets, cornices, stairs, exterior elevated elements
• Report filed with the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I)
• Unsafe conditions require remediation within prescribed timelines
• L&I citations and follow-up enforcement for non-compliance

The ordinance has been in effect long enough that virtually all qualifying buildings should be in their third or fourth inspection cycle.

What to read in a PM-315 report

The structure follows a standard format. Several specific items:

The inspector's classification. Did the report classify the building as Safe, Safe with Repair and Maintenance Program, or Unsafe?

Specific deficiencies identified. What did the inspector find? Brick spalling, mortar deterioration, balcony issues, cornice problems, anchorage concerns?

Repair scope and timeline. Required repairs and their deadlines.

Outstanding items from prior inspections. Anything still unresolved from the previous cycle?

Next required inspection date. When does the next cycle begin?

Photographs and locations. PM-315 reports include photographic documentation. Reviewing the photos provides context the narrative may not.

How PM-315 interacts with the resale certificate

Pennsylvania's resale certificate under 68 Pa.C.S. § 3407 must disclose planned capital expenditures for the next 2 years. PM-315-driven work that has been formally scheduled should appear. Work identified in the most recent report but not yet formally scheduled may not.

Practical response:

1. Request the resale certificate under Pennsylvania statute
2. Separately request the most recent PM-315 inspection report
3. Compare PM-315-identified work to certificate-listed planned expenditures
4. The gap is the diligence finding

Cost implications

PM-315-driven repairs typically run:

• Routine pointing and minor work: $50,000–$250,000
• Significant brick/facade work: $400,000–$1,500,000
• Major envelope programs: $1,500,000–$5,000,000+

Reserve adequacy plus PM-315 scope is one of the leading predictors of upcoming assessment trajectory in Philadelphia condos. A building with substantial PM-315-identified work and underfunded reserves is on a clear special-assessment path.

Pittsburgh's parallel requirement

Pittsburgh requires 5-year exterior inspections for non-R-3 buildings (essentially everything except single-family). The scope is broadly similar to PM-315. For Pittsburgh purchases, the diligence steps are analogous: request the most recent report, identify outstanding items, compare to certificate-listed planned expenditures.

What CondoSignal surfaces

We pull the PM-315 report (or Pittsburgh equivalent), Pennsylvania resale certificate, reserve study and balance, and recent capital-program history into a single risk summary. We flag buildings with inspection-identified deficiencies not in planned capital expenditures, inspection cycles overdue or imminent, and reserve adequacy inconsistent with realistic post-inspection capital trajectory. The goal is to give Philadelphia (or Pittsburgh) buyers a focused conversation with their attorney and lender about whether the building's exterior safety program is funded — before closing.