Explore Philadelphia building permits, police crime data, and CMX-3 and SP-PO-A zoning in Old City, home of Independence Hall.
Search this neighborhoodOld City is the historic core of Philadelphia, east of Center City, with about 8,200 residents. Independence Hall at 520 Chestnut Street, the Liberty Bell at 526 Market Street, Congress Hall and Old City Hall in Independence National Historical Park, the National Constitution Center, the Museum of the American Revolution and Elfreth's Alley are all inside the boundary.
Commercial mixed-use CMX-3 covers about 23% of the area, CMX-4 14% and CMX-5 12%, with parks and open space (including Franklin Square) at 14%. The Market-Frankford Line's 2nd, 5th and Chinatown stations, the Franklin Square station, and bus routes 17, 21, 44, 47, 48 and 57 serve the neighborhood.
CivicScout shows Philadelphia Police Department reported incidents within a half-mile of any address in Old City. Philadelphia publishes no neighborhood field for crime, so counts near the edge of Old City include adjacent neighborhoods. Crash data is not available for Philadelphia.
View safety data →L&I issued 1,014 permits in Old City from January 2024 through October 2026, 189 of them building permits (8 for new construction) and 5 for demolition; the rest are trade, zoning and site permits. Building permits are almost all for alterations and additions to existing buildings, with little new construction.
View permits →Major construction and high-impact permits — see what’s changing across the neighborhood.
View new construction →The largest zoning district in Old City by area is CMX-3 (commercial mixed-use), covering about 23% of the neighborhood, followed by SP-PO-A (parks and open space) at 14% and CMX-4 (commercial mixed-use) at 14%.
View zoning →The zoned public schools assigned by attendance boundary.
View schools →Location reports for Old City addresses surface City of Philadelphia L&I building permits, code violations, 311 requests, nearby parks and the applicable Philadelphia Zoning Code district.
Search an address →Search an address in Old City to see building permits, safety data, zoning details, and AI-powered neighborhood reports.
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