What the numbers mean for North Philly landlords
North Philadelphia is two housing markets side by side. Around Temple, Northern Liberties and Brewerytown, a lot of the rental stock is new: in Ludlow and Olde Kensington (19122), 52% of licensed rentals are registered exempt, the highest share of any Philadelphia ZIP code, and Northern Liberties (19123) and Brewerytown (19121) aren’t far behind.
Further north it’s the opposite. In Strawberry Mansion and Allegheny West (19132) and Nicetown, Tioga and Hunting Park (19140), 5,870 of 6,121 licensed rentals were built before 1978, so almost every one needs a lead-safe certificate.
Fairmount and Spring Garden (19130) has the area’s most lapsed certificates: 271 licensed rentals show an expired certificate in the City’s records, out of 927 across North Philly. A new lease, a lease renewal or a rental license renewal needs a current one.
What a test involves here
For each unit we wipe one floor and one windowsill in every bedroom and in one common room, plus a blank control. A 4-bedroom student rowhouse is 11 samples and still usually takes under an hour. In an older building split into apartments, each apartment is tested and certified on its own, and testing them in one visit takes 20% off each.
Painted windowsills and dust from recent renovation are the usual reasons a unit fails the 2026 limits (floors 5, sills 40, troughs 100 µg/ft²). The prep checklist shows how to get ready.
After you pass
You get the certificate and lab report by email, with the exact steps for filing on the City’s lead certification portal. The certificate is good for four years.