What does RSA-5 zoning mean in Philadelphia?

RSA-5 is Residential Single-Family Attached-5, the most common rowhouse zoning district in Philadelphia, covering much of the city's dense attached-housing neighborhoods.

What's the difference between CMX-2 and CMX-4 zoning in Philadelphia?

CMX-2 is a neighborhood-corridor-scale mixed-use district with lower height and density limits, while CMX-4 permits Center City-scale mixed-use development with substantially greater height and floor area.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · city zoning districts · 14 districts

Philadelphia, PA zoning map & districts

Philadelphia's zoning was comprehensively rewritten in 2012, replacing the 1962 code with the current Title 14, built around a base-district-plus-overlay system. Base districts cover residential (detached, attached/rowhouse, and multi-family), commercial mixed-use, industrial, and special-purpose categories, with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission reviewing larger projects and the Department of Licenses and Inspections handling permitting. Many projects proceed by-right; others require conditional use approval or a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

The code Philadelphia Zoning Code, Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code

Philadelphia zoning map

Philadelphia's official parcel-level zoning viewer is Atlas, maintained by the Department of Planning and Development; the code text is Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, published by the city's Law Department.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Philadelphia planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Philadelphia

Overlays are common in Philadelphia — historic districts (reviewed by the Historical Commission), the Riverfront and Central Delaware overlays, airport and floodplain overlays, and neighborhood-specific controls all layer additional standards on top of the base zone. Rowhouse-scale RSA districts cover most of the city's dense residential neighborhoods, while adaptive-reuse-friendly ICMX and IRMX districts are common in formerly industrial neighborhoods like Northern Liberties and Fishtown.

Philadelphia zoning districts by family

The 14 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Philadelphia, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Philadelphia Zoning Code, Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 4 districts
RSD-1	Residential Single-Family Detached-1	Lowest-density detached single-family district.
RSA-5	Residential Single-Family Attached-5	The most common rowhouse district across Philadelphia's dense neighborhoods.
RTA-1	Residential Two-Family Attached-1	Twin/duplex district.
RM-1	Residential Multi-Family-1	Low-rise multi-family district.
Mixed-use 5 districts
RMX-3	Residential Mixed-Use-3	Multi-family residential with limited ground-floor commercial.
CMX-2	Commercial Mixed-Use-2	Neighborhood commercial corridor district.
CMX-4	Commercial Mixed-Use-4	Center City-scale mixed-use district with greater height and density.
ICMX	Industrial Commercial Mixed-Use	Transitional district allowing light industrial, commercial, and residential uses.
IRMX	Industrial Residential Mixed-Use	Adaptive-reuse district common in former industrial neighborhoods.
Commercial 1 district
CA-1	Commercial Auto-Oriented-1	Auto-oriented commercial corridor district.
Downtown / core 1 district
CMX-5	Commercial Mixed-Use-5	Highest-intensity core Center City mixed-use district.
Industrial 3 districts
I-1	Industrial-1 (Light Industrial)	Light industrial district.
I-2	Industrial-2 (Medium Industrial)	Medium-intensity industrial district.
I-3	Industrial-3 (Heavy Industrial)	Heaviest-intensity industrial district.

Philadelphia zoning — common questions

What does RSA-5 zoning mean in Philadelphia?: RSA-5 is Residential Single-Family Attached-5, the most common rowhouse zoning district in Philadelphia, covering much of the city's dense attached-housing neighborhoods.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Philadelphia?: Use Atlas, the city's official property and zoning map application maintained by the Department of Planning and Development, to look up the base district and any overlays for a specific parcel.
What's the difference between CMX-2 and CMX-4 zoning in Philadelphia?: CMX-2 is a neighborhood-corridor-scale mixed-use district with lower height and density limits, while CMX-4 permits Center City-scale mixed-use development with substantially greater height and floor area.

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The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Pennsylvania opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Pennsylvania zoning — who holds the zoning power in Pennsylvania, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Pennsylvania cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Philadelphia zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.