A vacant lot that’s filled with trash or overgrown with weeds can impact residents’ quality of life. The City’s Vacant Lot Program, operated by CLIP, inspects and cleans vacant lots that need maintenance.
Vacant lot owners are ultimately responsible for maintaining their properties. If the condition of a lot violates the City’s property maintenance laws and the owner doesn’t fix the issue, they will be billed for the cleanup.
Process
Residents can report a vacant lot that needs to be cleaned by calling 311 or filling out the Philly311 form below.
An inspector will visit the vacant lot to see if it’s up to Philadelphia Code. The inspector will take photos and decide if the lot violates the City’s property maintenance laws.
If there’s a violation, the inspector will issue a Notice of Violation. The property owner must fix the issue by a certain date before the inspector returns.
If the owner doesn’t correct the violation, City crews will clean up the vacant lot and then send the owner a bill. Unpaid bills will result in the City placing a lien against the property, meaning the City can legally claim the lot until the owner pays.