• Welcome to the new and improved Building Code Forum. We appreciate you being here and hope that you are getting the information that you need concerning all codes of the building trades. This is a free forum to the public due to the generosity of the Sawhorses, Corporate Supporters and Supporters who have upgraded their accounts. If you would like to have improved access to the forum please upgrade to Sawhorse by first logging in then clicking here: Upgrades

Fire Sprinkler for A Duplex?

I tend to agree..
My question is some cities have specific requirements for short term rentals. airbnb, or similar,,,,

Does your city have any??? As specfic code requirements spelled out???

nothing other than below an a CO if.. a new CO is required. I'm guessing where a 2 unit or more building even in a CMX3 zone which could apply for visitors accomodation use permit is jt would have a problem as compared to my situation is that they are an R2 and couldn't qualify as an R3 to do a boarding house transient, so they would need to change their occupancy group to an R1 for a transient hotel. Motel.... But that's mt guess. You have to be the riddler to make sense of all these ins and outs.


Step 1: Apply For a Commercial Activity License (CAL) and BIRT (Business Income and Receipts Tax) Account





Any business operating in Philadelphia is required to have a Commercial Activity License and Philly tax account. Rentals and visitor rentals are considered businesses. For the steps involved in obtaining your CAL & BIRT accounts, read our blog here.





Step 2: Apply For a Use Registration Permit





After you have obtained your CAL & BIRT, you can apply for a use registration permit. The type of use permit depends on the amount of time the space will be rented, and breaks down as follows:


  • Limited lodging: 90-180 days (owner-occupied)
  • Visitor accommodations: Over 180 days (not – owner-occupied)
 
Mark mine is an exhisting 1 family. So not sure the new sprinkler requirements matter to me and in the case when i am R3 and not changing occupancy or class group and not doing anything to building footprint to hopefully necessitate a new CO.
 
Transient occupancy (not more than 30 days) would change the use to R-1 (hotel, etc.). You would still be R-3 under the building code, unless Philly modified it, as long as the leases are for more than 30 days.
 
Yeah i spoke to an attorney in philly that specializes in zoning . He believes it will trigger a change of use. But now in follow up to Paul's answer i say hey ok i want the visitors accomodation use permit and plan to do 30 day or more rentals.. then it shouldn't be a chance of occupancy. And the reason i believe i am right is because i did this same exact strategy with an 8 unit building in miami beach. I applied for and received approvals to do 30 day or more rentals from the city and disnt need a change of occupancy or any sprinklers or code upgrades. I swear you have to be a Talmudic scholar to make sense of all these if thens.. its like the code is only specifically written for architects or zoning lawyers and even they seem to struggle with it on occasion.
 
Transient occupancy (not more than 30 days) would change the use to R-1 (hotel, etc.). You would still be R-3 under the building code, unless Philly modified it, as long as the leases are for more than 30 days.
So Paul if i applied for visitors accomodation use permit and state in it 30 day or more rentals (non transient) then i should remain an R3 and not need a new CO?
 
So Paul if i applied for visitors accomodation use permit and state in it 30 day or more rentals (non transient) then i should remain an R3 and not need a new CO?


I like to do anonymous calls to the city and ask the questions,

Sometimes you do get answers.
 
Top