How to Renew a Rental License in Philadelphia: Steps, Fees, and Lapses

To renew a rental license in Philadelphia, log in to the city’s eCLIPSE portal at eclipse.phila.gov, confirm your property information, upload lead certification if the building predates March 1978, and pay $69 per rental unit. Renewals run on a yearly cycle, and the Department of Licenses and Inspections sends an email reminder 45 days before your license expires.

Clear These Items Before You Log In

eCLIPSE will reject a renewal if your account has open compliance issues. Sort these out first.

City Taxes

You must be current on all City of Philadelphia taxes and fines, with no unfiled returns. If you’re not sure where you stand, request a tax clearance from the Department of Revenue before you start. No license renews while a tax account is delinquent.¹

Lead Certification

Any rental built before March 1978 needs a valid lead-safe or lead-free certificate on file with the Department of Public Health through the Lead Certification Submission System. Lead-safe certificates issued after February 1, 2020, are valid for four years. Lead-free certificates never expire.²

If your property was built after March 1978, file for an exemption through the same lead certification portal. The renewal application will ask about the property’s age and lead status, and answering yes to both triggers a document upload requirement.³

L&I Violations

Any open violations from Licenses and Inspections must be resolved. Check the property’s violation history through L&I’s online property search before starting.¹

Activity License Linked to Your eCLIPSE Account

Most landlords need a Commercial Activity License; owner-occupants renting three or fewer units in their own building need an Activity License Number instead.⁴ Either way, the activity license must be associated with your eCLIPSE account before the rental renewal will process. The city’s how-to guide flags this as a common blocker.³

The Renewal Steps in eCLIPSE

Sign in at eclipse.phila.gov with your registered email and password.
Under Business Licenses, click Renew a Business License. Enter your license number or business name to pull up the expiring license.
Review the license details and answer the change questions in the Current column only. Upload lead certification documents if prompted.
Click Pay Online and enter payment information. If you have more than one license to renew, save each application and pay for all of them in a single transaction using the shopping cart.

Renewing in Person

You can also renew at the Permit and License Center, 1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd., in the Public Service Concourse of the Municipal Services Building. The city recommends booking an appointment. Bring the same documents you’d upload online, including lead certification if it applies.¹

Fees, Payment, and Late Charges

The renewal fee is $69 per dwelling unit, capped at $27,830 no matter how many units you own. Owner-occupied units carry no fee.¹

eCheck payments are free. Credit and debit card payments carry a 2.4% surcharge, which adds up on larger portfolios.³

If you renew more than 60 days after the license expires, the city adds a late fee of 1.5% of the license fee for every month the license has been expired. That percentage runs from the original expiration date, not from the end of the 60-day window, so the meter has already been running by the time the late fee kicks in.¹

After You Submit

If your renewal required no document uploads, the new license is available immediately. Go to your eCLIPSE homepage, scroll to My Business Licenses, and click Download License.³

If you uploaded lead certification or other documents, the city reviews the application within three business days. You’ll get an email once it’s approved, and the license will then be available on your homepage.³

When Renewal Notices Go Out

L&I sends reminders automatically. Email notices go out 45 days before expiration; paper notices go out roughly 30 days before. Renewal is your responsibility either way. Not receiving a notice doesn’t excuse a lapse.¹

What a Lapse Actually Costs

The financial exposure goes well beyond the late fee.

You cannot legally collect rent for any period the property was unlicensed. The Philadelphia Code states that no person shall collect rent on a property required to be licensed unless a valid rental license has been issued. A tenant who catches the lapse can stop paying, and you have no way to recover that money.⁵

You also lose the right to evict. Under Section 9-3901, an owner who fails to obtain or maintain a rental license loses “the right to recover possession of the premises or to collect rent during or for the period of noncompliance.” A copy of the license must be attached to any eviction or rent collection filing, and Municipal Court judges dismiss cases without one.

The city can suspend a license for lead disclosure violations, which produces the same rent and eviction consequences even if the license was technically in place.⁵

Code violations also carry fines of up to $300 per offense, and each day of noncompliance can count as a separate offense.

1
City of Philadelphia. Get a Rental License
2
City of Philadelphia. Lead and Healthy Homes Program – Frequently Asked Questions
3
City of Philadelphia. How to Renew Your Rental Business License in eCLIPSE
4
City of Philadelphia. Get a Commercial Activity License
5
The Philadelphia Code. The Philadelphia Code 9-3902 – Rental Licenses