Considering batteries on a Philadelphia property?

Use the address that identifies the property

Philadelphia’s permit guidance requires the legal address established by the Office of Property Assessment. A business name, mailing address or entrance on another street may not describe the whole site being proposed.

Give the project team the address and a parcel record if you have one. If several lots form your yard, identify which would be included and which you would retain. Ask that the application and land-agreement drawing use the same boundaries.

For example, a warehouse may receive deliveries from a side street while its legal address is on the main road. Show both the building and the delivery entrance. The battery area should not be considered in isolation from the route trucks and tenants already use.

You do not need to resolve every address question before contacting Sunland. Describe the location as accurately as you can and mention adjoining lots, shared entrances or a recent property purchase.

Reference: Philadelphia: zoning permits, legal addresses and site plans

Find out what use the company proposes

Would the batteries serve a tenant’s building, operate as a separate grid project, or combine those functions? Ask for that explanation in ordinary language. A description of the equipment alone does not explain who would operate it or what rights the company wants.

The city has a separate process for changing the use of a property or part of it. Its guidance distinguishes a proposal that meets the code from one needing a special exception or variance. Have the team confirm the classification for this battery design; do not assume an existing commercial or industrial use settles it.

Request the written city response, any application number and the plan being reviewed. If the team mentions an earlier approval, compare the approved use and layout with the new proposal.

Keep a change of tenant separate from a change in activity. Philadelphia says a new owner or tenant does not itself require a use-change permit when the established use stays the same. That does not answer whether adding this battery installation changes the use or needs other permits.

Reference: Philadelphia: changing a property use, tenant permission and permit expiration

Be clear about who may apply on your behalf

Philadelphia’s use-permit guidance allows owners and authorized agents to apply. A tenant needs the owner’s permission, and the city asks a tenant applicant for its executed lease.

If your tenant wants batteries, review its existing lease before discussing a new agreement. Which area does it control? Can it alter a yard, grant access to another company or reserve space for equipment? Give your adviser the actual lease and proposed documents.

If a developer wants to act as your agent, ask what the authorization covers and when it ends. Will you receive the application, plans, city correspondence and decisions? Who can approve a revision affecting the rest of your land?

An authorization to submit paperwork and a lease granting years of use serve different purposes. Read each request separately. Identify the company making it, the applicant named in the filing and the party responsible for payments or property damage.

Reference: Philadelphia: changing a property use, tenant permission and permit expiration

Show how the rest of the site keeps working

The city’s general site-plan guidance includes streets, alleys, driveways, easements, parking and loading spaces. For your own review, ask for a drawing showing the battery area alongside those existing uses.

Walk through an ordinary working day. Where do employees park? Where does a delivery truck turn? Which lane must remain available for another tenant or building? Mark those needs before agreeing that a corner of the yard is unused.

Discuss the construction period as well as the finished installation. Ask where contractors would stage equipment, which spaces would close temporarily and who would notify tenants. If a delivery route must change, establish who arranges and pays for that change.

Check rights beyond the parcel too. Does the proposed cable, access lane or entrance depend on an alley, neighboring land or public space? Ask the team to identify the permission needed for each part. Your land signature cannot explain rights held by someone else.

If you may expand a building or change tenants later, put that plan on the drawing. Ask how the reserved area and access would affect it, and whether space not needed by the final design would be released.

Reference: Philadelphia: zoning permits, legal addresses and site plans

Keep battery installation permits separate from zoning

The published 2026 Philadelphia code amendment, F-1206.2.1, requires permits for installing stationary storage battery systems under the Philadelphia Administrative Code. It is a permit provision, not a complete design checklist or permission for every location.

Ask L&I which construction, electrical, fire or other reviews apply to the actual installation. Request a list from the project team naming each reviewing office and the documents still needed. Confirm current requirements rather than using a general summary of another city’s battery rules.

Philadelphia’s zoning guidance also says zoning is only one part of permitting and licensing. A favorable zoning response should be compared with the remaining project approvals and utility arrangements.

In the land agreement, identify who supplies drawings, pays review costs and responds to required changes. If a revision moves equipment or takes more land, ask how you would review that request before additional rights are granted.

Reference: Philadelphia published 2026 code: stationary battery permits, F-1206.2.1 · Philadelphia: zoning permits, legal addresses and site plans

Compare the permit dates with the land agreement

Philadelphia’s use-change page says the permit expires after six months if activity related to the approved use does not start. That is guidance for that permit category. Ask which permit the proposal actually has, what begins its clock and whether a different rule applies.

List the dates beside your option deadline, extension provisions and rent start. Does the company have enough time for the remaining utility work and other approvals? What payment would you receive while it investigates a delay?

Ask for the current permit or decision, not only an application receipt or an old approval shown in a presentation. If an extension or appeal is proposed, identify what is being requested and what has actually been granted.

Discuss the outcome if the project does not proceed. Who restores temporary work areas, removes investigation equipment and releases recorded rights? Keep those promises beside the payment schedule, even if the larger operating rent has not begun.

Reference: Philadelphia: changing a property use, tenant permission and permit expiration

Tell us what part of the property you could consider

Start with your name, email and phone, then the Philadelphia property location. Acreage and parcel number are optional. A small commercial yard can be described without estimating how many megawatts would fit.

Mention current tenants, parking, loading, shared access and any future building plans. Say whether you would consider a lease, sale or only a defined part of the site. If an offer or agreement already exists, include that fact.

If there is an unresolved permit question, describe it. You do not need to submit a city application or give a developer access before asking Sunland about the property.

Sunland may follow up for a map or other records. An inquiry does not approve the property, guarantee a battery project or commit you to a lease or sale. A proposal still needs an appropriate use, workable connection and terms that fit your plans.