Philadelphia County Property Search
Philadelphia County property records comprise all documents and material that contain information on property and real estate. Property records typically include information on assets and property ownership, federal and state tax lien, deeds, sales and transfer records, and appraisal records. Generally, Philadelphia property records are submitted for recording by residents in the county to the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Records.
A Philadelphia property search allows interested persons to access public property records. It furnishes the researcher with information to help them make safe purchases, especially first-time homeowners. Although it is not a legal or compulsory step in purchasing a property, a property record search uncovers issues like legal disputes over title, devaluation, tax debts, the structural integrity of the building, tax history, and even environmental challenges that affect the property.
Property record information is assessed and dispensed by The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Property Assessment (OPA). The OPA handles all matters of property valuation and assessment within its jurisdiction. The Office maintains a publicly available database of property information and records, related Philadelphia County Public Records, and resources on city council audits, assessment methodologies, and quality assurance reports to help residents understand how the system works.
Is Philadelphia County Property Records Public?
According to the Pennsylvania Right-To-Know Law (RTKL), all government records, including Philadelphia property records, are presumed public records. Philadelphia has an open records policy. This law allows residents to file a Right-to-know request to retrieve records from government agencies, like the Office of Property Assessment and the Philadelphia Department of Records.
However, section 708 of this law provides certain documents that may be exempt from public disclosure, such as confidential information or records that may interfere with personal safety or security or be barred. Likewise, other laws or even a court order permits agencies to withhold records from the public. Some confidential documents that are exempt from public disclosure under Section 708(b) of the RTKL include:
- Juvenile records
- Personal medical and financial records
- Social security numbers
- Home and personal mobile phone numbers
- Driver’s license numbers
- Employee numbers
- Marital status
- Spouse, beneficiary, or dependent information
- DNA and RNA records
- Constituent requests to the House or Senate or Representatives
- Public assistance records (social service and welfare recipients)
- Identity of Confidential Informants
- Home address of law enforcement and judicial officers
- The internal, pre-decisional deliberations of an agency, its members, employees, or officials or between agency members, employees, or officials and members, employees, or officials of another agency.
What Do Philadelphia County Property Records Contain
A typical search for property information in Philadelphia gives the researcher access to details on property ownership, sales history, and the physical description and characteristics of the property. Researchers may find the following class of information in a property record maintained by the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment:
- Property description (Land area, improvements on the property, market value, assessed value, price)
- Property sale data, price
- Property tax information
- Property appraisal reports
- Zoning and planning records
- Building permits
- Lien and other encumbrances
- Property leases and licenses
- Sales and transfer of ownership records
- The physical address of the property
- Physical characteristics of the property: This may be the location, size, and number of rooms.
- Deeds: Deeds are legal documents that show proof of ownership, the transfer of ownership, or the title of a property. It includes the names of the buyer and seller, the physical description of the property, and the date and conditions of the transfer.
- Ownership Information: The OPA keeps a record of the name of the current owner and any previous owners.
- Assessed value: This is the valuation the county’s taxing agency assigns to a property to calculate its taxes. The assessed value is usually based on the presumed market value; this may be higher or lower than the actual market value.
- OPA Number: This is a unique 9-digit number assigned to properties in Philadelphia.
- Plat maps: Plat maps are created by land surveyors and show how an area of land is divided into lots. It shows the land's access to water supply and drainage systems. It also contains detailed land layouts for developing, subdividing, or merging a property.
Where to Perform a Philadelphia County Property Lookup
Interested individuals can find information about properties in Philadelphia online using the Property Application Search Function on the OPA website. Researchers can search for a property with the address, city block, OPA number, or Department of Records registry map number. To conduct a search:
- Select a location on the map on the right side of the screen
- Input an address, OPA, or Department of Records registry map number in the search box
- Click on the option ‘select radius’ to select an area on the map
- Click ‘draw boundaries’ and use the highlight tool to narrow the search area further and view only properties within the highlighted boundary.
The website will display results containing information about the property, including the owner, OPA Account number, mailing address, property assessment, and sale information, the year the property was built, estimated taxes, sale history, the assessed value of the property, valuation history, real estate tax balance, permits, licenses, violations, and appeals related to the property and other details.
Alternatively, members of the public can access public property records from the Philadelphia Department of Public Records. The Philadelphia Department of Records offers online, mail, and in-person property record lookups. It has a property records database as far back as the 17th century. To perform a property lookup, researchers should provide the following:
- The property address
- Grantor (the person selling the property)
- Grantee (the person buying the property)
- Deed date (the date listed at the beginning of the deed)
- Document ID no. (for records from 1973 to the present)
For online searches, the Department of Public Records has an online document search system, Philadox, that has property records from 1974 to date. This search function allows people to view watermarked documents online. However, users must register and pay a subscription fee to access its services. The subscription rate is $15.00 per day, $60.00 per week, $125.00 per month, and $750.00 per year. Payment for a Philadox subscription can be made with a Visa or Mastercard.
A mail request must include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note with the address of the property in question. Copies of property records cost $2.00 per page. If the requester desires a certified copy, it will cost an additional $2.00 per document. The acceptable mode of payment is cash, money order, business, or certified checks only. Individuals may contact the Department in advance to confirm the exact number of pages of the document they intend to request before sending the mail. When the requester pays over the actual fee, they are notified and sent a form to get a refund.
In-person requests can be carried out Mondays to Fridays, from 8.30 A.M. to 3.30 P.M. at the Department of Records. The fees and payment instructions for mail requests also apply here.
Department of Records
City Hall, Room 154
1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 686-2292
Email: deedcopy.info@phila.gov.
How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in Philadelphia County
Researchers can use the OPA Property App to find property ownership information. They can also look up property owners on the Department of Records database in person, online, or by mail request. All in-person searches must be made Mondays to Fridays, from 8.30 A.M. to 3.30 P.M. at the Philadelphia Department of Records. In a bid to address security concerns, people can no longer perform online searches by name to find property owners. Other valid criteria for online search are by address, city block, and OPA/BRT account number.
How to Find Philadelphia County Property Records Online
Property records maintained by the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Public Records and the Office of Property Assessment are publicly accessible. Although not cost-free, researchers can opt for a 24-hour or 7-day Philadox subscription as a low-cost alternative. Other low-cost online alternatives are third-party aggregate websites.
Requestors can find Philadelphia property records by street name, street number, and APN/Tax ID. The results from third-party sites include property owners' information, sales, and transfer history, unclaimed property, deeds, titles, property taxes, zoning records, tax liens, property appraisals, and more. The base price for a search on a third-party site is usually $5.00 - $20.00, depending on if it's a primary or premium search, and the price per result is $0.10.
How to Find Philadelphia County Property Appraisers
Individuals can find Philadelphia County property appraisers on the Pennsylvania Online License Verification Service. To find a real estate appraiser:
- Click on the highlighted text “license verification service”.
- Scroll down until the section “Verify A License” is in view
- Select “person, facility, disciplinary or provider search”
- Select “State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers”
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and select United States under Country
- Select PA for Pennsylvania under State
- Select Philadelphia under County, then search
Doing this will unroll a list of names of individual real estate appraisers, disciplinary bodies, service providers, or facilities, along with their license numbers, board/commission, license type, license status, and address.
Philadelphia County Property Assessor
The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Property Assessment (OPA) provides all property assessment services in the county. The OPA estimates and assigns the value of all real property in Philadelphia. They also offer the following services to residents and homeowners in the county:
- Issue Notices of Proposed Valuation to make property owners aware of increases or decreases in property valuation
- Grant property tax abatement
- Approve real estate tax exemptions for eligible properties
- Approve the application for tax adjustment after a catastrophic loss
- Provide tax and other property information
- Review assessment, abatement, and exemption appeals.
Members of the public can contact the Office of Property Assessment by filling out an online form, calling or visiting their main office at
Office of Property Assessment
601 Walnut Street
Suite 300 West
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: (215) 686-4334
