Mixed-use property report

3938 Lancaster Ave

2,850 sqftCMX2built 1915

Property at a glanceApartment building

Individual owner on record

2026 assessment
$469K OPA value, not a listing price
2027 published assessment
$499K Future roll, not the current tax bill
Neighborhood area
University City · West Powelton Approximate · based on ZIP 19104
From above · selected parcel outlined; choose a neighboring polygon to open it — imagery © Esri, Maxar

Assessment and City record timeline

The line tracks this property’s published City assessment. Markers show deeds, permits, inspections, licenses, violations, certifications, and appeals on their recorded dates. Select one to read the filing.

Assessments are tax-roll values, not sale prices or appraisals. OPA has published a 2027 assessment of $498,700. It is not yet the billed-year tax basis.

$0$250K$500K$499K2003200720112015201920232027
Property assessmentAssessmentDeed / saleL&I violationInspection

Scroll horizontally to move through the years. Each icon sits on its recorded date; records without a day are labeled and centered within their year. Select one to explain the filing.

Highlight
Every dated record16 events · exact dates, newest first
  1. InspectionL&I investigation
  2. InspectionL&I investigation
  3. L&I violationFIRE EXTINGUISHERS
  4. L&I violationEXIT SIGNS WHERE REQUIRED
  5. InspectionHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)
  6. InspectionHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)
  7. L&I violationANNUAL CERT FIRE ALARM
  8. L&I violationLICENSE-RES SFD/2FD
  9. L&I violationFIRE EXTING-NEEDS INSP/TAG (Fire extinguisher needs inspection and a current service tag)
  10. InspectionHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)
  11. InspectionBC INSP (likely: building-code inspection)
  12. InspectionBC INSP (likely: building-code inspection)
  13. L&I violationCAL LO (Commercial Activity License required)
  14. L&I violationOBTAIN LIC INDICATED (Obtain the license identified in the notice)
  15. InspectionBC INSP (likely: building-code inspection)
  16. Deed / saleDeed / sale $50K

Verify the public record

$6,565/year estimated property tax

2026 taxable assessment $469,000 × 1.3998%. This is an estimate, not a bill or account balance. The City maintains payments, credits, interest, and the current amount due.

OPA has published a 2027 assessment of $498,700. It is not the 2026 billed-year value.

Current City balanceCheck Tax Center

Payments, credits, interest, and the current amount due are maintained by the City.

OPA 871115900
Open Philadelphia Tax Center →Use “View period balance” to inspect each tax year.
Exemption classificationNo exemption shown

2026 taxable assessment equals the full assessed value.

Historical delinquency sources Record found

$1,077.94 was recorded for this parcel in Philadelphia's June 2022 delinquency snapshot for 2018–2021. That amount may have been paid, reduced, or increased since; it is not a current payoff figure.

$363.33 principal$179.67 interest$199.04 penalty$335.90 other charges
3years recorded 2018–2021tax periods 2021-03-20last payment in snapshot Yesactionable flag Nopayment agreement Nobankruptcy flag Noassessment appeal

The snapshot’s 2022 context used $288,400 total assessment, $288,400 taxable, and $0 exempt/abated. Those historical fields can differ from today’s OPA exemption status.

For a purchase, refinance, or closing, request the City’s official Property Payoff statement in Tax Center under “More options.”

Property report

Mixed-use property

Apartment building, recorded in the City's mixed-use category. The public record and owner trail follow.

$1K · Jun 2022 delinquency snapshot

What it is
Apartment building Str/Off+Apt 3 Sty Masonry
Owner
Individual owner on record Individual name redacted
$ / sq ft
$175 assessed value ÷ interior sqft
Corridor
40th and Lancaster city commercial corridor
Interior area
2,850 sqft
Lot size
2,025 sqft
Built
1915
Zoning
CMX2

Block context

3900 block of Lancaster Ave. Compare parcels, ownership, and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 3940 Lancaster Ave  ·  3934-36 Lancaster Ave

No business or residential license records

No business license or residential registration matched this OPA parcel in the latest City data.

Verify with the City ↗
Open every source row 16 dated rows
  1. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2025-002971 · PASSED

    The cited inspection visit was marked passed.

  2. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2025-002971 · FAILED

    The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  3. ViolationFIRE EXTINGUISHERS

    Case CF-2025-002971 · Violation VI-2025-002275 · Code F-906.2 · COMPLIED

    Resolution: COMPLIED - OWNER REPAIR City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  4. ViolationEXIT SIGNS WHERE REQUIRED

    Case CF-2025-002971 · Violation VI-2025-002273 · Code F-1013.1 · COMPLIED

    Resolution: COMPLIED - OWNER REPAIR City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  5. InvestigationHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)

    Case 438425 · PASSED

    A legacy L&I inspection label. The unit inspected housing for property-maintenance, fire-prevention, and related code compliance; the separate status says how that visit ended. The cited inspection visit was marked passed.

  6. InvestigationHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)

    Case 438425 · FAILED

    A legacy L&I inspection label. The unit inspected housing for property-maintenance, fire-prevention, and related code compliance; the separate status says how that visit ended. The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  7. ViolationANNUAL CERT FIRE ALARM

    Case 438425 · Violation 3279747 · Code FC-915.1/3 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  8. ViolationLICENSE-RES SFD/2FD

    Case 438425 · Violation 3279748 · Code PM-102.3/1 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  9. ViolationFIRE EXTING-NEEDS INSP/TAG (Fire extinguisher needs inspection and a current service tag)

    Case 438425 · Violation 3279746 · Code FC-906.2/2 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  10. InvestigationHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)

    Case 438425 · FAILED

    A legacy L&I inspection label. The unit inspected housing for property-maintenance, fire-prevention, and related code compliance; the separate status says how that visit ended. The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  11. InvestigationBC INSP (likely: building-code inspection)

    Case 213054 · PASSED

    Legacy inspection shorthand; confirm the inspection type and scope in the City case file. The cited inspection visit was marked passed.

  12. InvestigationBC INSP (likely: building-code inspection)

    Case 213054 · FAILED

    Legacy inspection shorthand; confirm the inspection type and scope in the City case file. The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  13. ViolationCAL LO (Commercial Activity License required)

    Case 213054 · Violation 1469821 · Code 19-2602.1/1 · COMPLIED

    Philadelphia Code §19-2602(1) requires a Commercial Activity License before conducting business in the city. City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  14. ViolationOBTAIN LIC INDICATED (Obtain the license identified in the notice)

    Case 213054 · Violation 1469822 · Code LO-1 · COMPLIED

    The shorthand does not identify the license type; open the case notice for that detail. City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  15. InvestigationBC INSP (likely: building-code inspection)

    Case 213054 · FAILED

    Legacy inspection shorthand; confirm the inspection type and scope in the City case file. The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  16. Recorded transfer$50K transfer

    2003

Where this comes from

Methodology & freshness

This report was assembled Jul 25, 2026, 2:25 PM ET. Available City datasets are queried from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and the cited City ArcGIS feeds; record queries paginate rather than silently taking a first page. For this property: Permits: queried · Violations: queried · Investigations: queried · Appeals: queried · Licenses: queried · Building certifications: queried. “Unavailable” means the source query failed or was not supplied, not “no record.” Reports re-pull on view after seven days and on an overnight rolling schedule; citywide benchmarks recompute weekly. Source dates still govern: the parcel-level tax-delinquency snapshot is June 2022 and the separate detailed tax ledger ends in 2016, so neither establishes today’s balance. The live balance and date-effective payoff must be verified in Tax Center. AI-written passages are grounded in the assembled record and rejected if they state a number the record does not hold.

Official city record ↗  ·  L&I history ↗  ·  See the whole block  ·  Download this record (JSON)