2026 taxable assessment $420,000 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.
OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $611,900; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.
House report
1209 N 4th St
3 bd · 4 ba · 3 stories · 2,477 sqft · RM1 · built 2012
Owner-occupied · assessed $520K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $612K · sold 2×. On the 1200 block of N 4th St.
Property summary
Assessment$520,0002026 OPA assessment · 2027: $611,900
Last sale$579KRecorded 2021
Est. tax bill$5,879/year2026 OPA · Homestead-adjusted
Tax delinquency—Snapshot unavailable
Permits8Dated events in report
Violations0 openNo historical match in fetched records
“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled
BlockReport AI · cited public records
Ask the questions this record raises.
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Property tax
The estimate, live balance, and back-tax record are different.
BlockReport can calculate the annual tax from the City’s taxable assessment. Payments, credits, interest, and a current amount due live separately in Philadelphia Tax Center.
A Tax Center balance is net of bills, payments, credits, interest, and adjustments. A credit—or an amount due—is not automatically “back taxes.”
OPA 1822154092026 OPA removes $100,000 from the taxable assessment through the owner-occupant exemption.
Historical delinquency sources No current conclusion
The June 2022 delinquency snapshot was not verifiably available in this cached report. No conclusion about a match—or today’s balance—can be drawn from that absence.
For a purchase, refinance, or closing, request the City’s official Property Payoff statement in Tax Center under “More options.”
What stands out
From the public recordNew construction
Why it mattersBought for $391K in 2012, built new under a 2012 permit, sold for $579K in 2021.
View supporting records →City Property History
Fetched L&I and zoning records
Every row successfully fetched for this report is counted below. Dataset availability and matching can differ from the City's interactive file; use the official link for current detail.
- Recorded owner
- Canary Christopher David
- Tax mailing address
- 1209 N 4TH ST, PHILADELPHIA PA, 19122
- L&I district
- —
- Building ID (BIN)
- —
- OPA account
- 182215409
Permits0Unavailable
Violation cases0Unavailable
Investigations0Unavailable
Building certifications0Unavailable
Business licenses0Unavailable
Appeals1CLOSED · Granted with conditions
PermitsPermit number, issued date, work and City status0
No permits matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
Violation cases0 individual violation records; resolved history remains visible0
No violation cases matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
InvestigationsEvery inspector visit, including CLOSED outcomes0
No investigations matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
Building certificationsInspection result and filed expiration date by L&I building ID0
No building certifications matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
Business licensesHistorical and active licenses are both retained0
No business licenses matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
AppealsApplication status and decision are separate City fields1
Zoning board appealAppeal 15277
Aug 2, 2011 CLOSED Granted with conditions
PERMIT FOR THE RELOCATION OF LOT LINES TO CREATE SIX (6) LOTS FROM ONE (1) LOT. FOR THE ERECTION OF A THREE (3) STORY ATTACHED STRUCTURE WITH CELLAR 35 HIGH AND ROOF DECK WITH 42" HIGH RAILING AND PILOT HOUSE NOT TO EXCEED 48 SQ FT MAXIMUM
City of Philadelphia OPA, L&I and Zoning Board records, shown as filed. A CLOSED investigation is an outcome label, not a missing visit; an appeal's application status and decision may differ.
Legal due diligence
What this record proves—and what it does not.
These checks are triggered by this property’s actual City rows. They identify the controlling document to verify; they do not declare a use legal, a building safe, or title clear.
1 resolve before relying
1 verify
Resolve before relyingZoning approval is not the occupancy fileAppeal #15277: CLOSED · Granted with conditions.
Why it mattersPhiladelphia says a zoning approval or Property Sales Certification can identify a use without proving that it was established under the Building Code. A change of use, unit count, exits, or fire rating can require a Building Permit and Certificate of Occupancy.
Verify nextVerify the lawful use, unit count, associated construction permits, and Certificate of Occupancy with L&I.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗VerifyHomestead is tied to owner occupancy and the deedOPA shows the Homestead Exemption.
Why it mattersPhiladelphia limits Homestead to an owner’s primary residence. The City says a deed change can require a new application or update.
Verify nextA buyer should apply in their own name and not assume the seller’s benefit continues.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗Closing file: checks no public-record summary can replace5 documents/searches to assign before settlement
Property Sales Certification
The seller must obtain Philadelphia’s certificate showing the base zoning, last use in the zoning record, and open violations. The City warns that it does not prove Building Code occupancy or show zoning overlays.
Next: Obtain the fresh certificate and compare it with the CO, permits, and Atlas overlays.
Official guidance ↗Date-effective City Property Payoff
The Tax Center Property Payoff covers Real Estate Tax, Commercial Trash, and L&I abatement-work invoices. Philadelphia says it does not include business-tax debts or liens, water and sewer charges, or fines for code violations.
Next: Request the City statement effective through settlement; read every period and invoice.
Official guidance ↗Professional title and water-lien searches
OPA ownership, deed summaries, and a zero tax balance are not clear title. Mortgages, judgments, municipal claims, water liens, easements, heirs, and other encumbrances require separate searches.
Next: Use a Pennsylvania lawyer/title company and obtain owner’s title insurance; order the separate water search/payoff.
Official guidance ↗Separate water-lien guidance ↗Seller-specific tax relief is not the buyer’s bill
LOOP and low-income or senior Real Estate Tax freezes depend on the qualifying owner and continued program eligibility; a buyer cannot assume the seller’s capped or frozen bill continues. A separately verified property abatement often remains with the property for its remaining term, but program-specific new-owner filing, use, and tax-compliance conditions still must be confirmed—not inferred from the reduced assessment alone.
Next: Have Revenue or OPA identify every current benefit, model the buyer’s bill without seller-specific relief, and confirm any verified abatement in writing.
Official guidance ↗Separate water-lien guidance ↗Seller disclosure and independent inspections
For a covered Pennsylvania residential transfer, obtain the statutory seller disclosure. It reports the seller’s knowledge; it is not a warranty, title search, code review, or substitute for inspections.
Next: Have the agreement and disclosure reviewed for this transaction’s coverage and exceptions.
Official guidance ↗Informational only—not a legal opinion, title report, code inspection, tax payoff, or substitute for a Pennsylvania lawyer, title company, inspector, or tax professional.
The investment read
How this house has moved and where it's pointed: the city's assessed value (not a listing price) over 12 years, charted against its block; appreciation is that history's pace, and the 5-year figure simply extends it. Yield estimates rent-vs-price from area rents. Ask the record to dig into any number.
Assessed value
$520,000
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $611,900 · built 2012
Price / sq ft
$247
block $245 · in line w/ block
Appreciation
+65%
+5%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$613K
+5%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax bill / yr
$5,879
0.96% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
—
Gross yield
-1307403.2%
≈$-667M/mo rent
Times sold
2
latest deed has shared-name parties
Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line
This houseBlock median & rangeSalePermit
The paper trail
New constructionBought for $391K in 2012, built new under a 2012 permit, sold for $579K in 2021.
- 2008 2 L&I violationsL&I
- 2011 Appeal granted with conditionsZoning
- 2012 ZoningPermitZoning/usePermitNew constructionPermitMechanicalPermitPlumbingPermitElectricalPermitSuppressionPermit$391KSoldAdministrativePermit
- 2021 $579KSold
Flags: 1 zoning/board appeal on record · latest deed has shared-name parties — relationship unverified. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).
The property, on paper
The city assessor's field record — the physical spec sheet behind the assessed number.
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
4
Stories
3
Interior
2,477 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,293 sqft
Basement
Full, finished
city code A
Heat
Forced hot air
city code A
Central air
Yes
Exterior condition
Above average
city code 3
Above averageBelow average
Interior condition
Above average
city code 3
Above averageBelow average
Quality grade
B
assessor's grade
ABCDE
Zoning
RM1
city zoning code
Zoning appeals
1
CLOSED · Granted with conditions · 2011
OPA field-assessment attributes. Condition and grade are the assessor's codes, not an inspection.
Run the numbers
What owning 1209 N 4th St takes, at your price and your rate. Taxes start with an annual estimate from the City’s taxable assessment, not a current bill or balance; rent starts at the area median. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.
When this house last sold (2021) a 30-year mortgage ran about 2.96% — Freddie Mac's average that year.
Mortgage
—
P&I · 30-yr fixed
All-in monthly
—
+ taxes & insurance
Cash to close
—
down + ~4% costs
Cash flow
—
rent − all costs · /mo
Cap rate
—
NOI ÷ price
Cash-on-cash
—
year-1 return on cash in
Estimates for orientation, not advice. Assumes a 30-year fixed loan, $1,400/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance; taxes use this parcel's taxable assessment, not a live Tax Center balance.
Block context
1209 N 4th St sits on the 1200 block of N 4th St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 1211 N 4th St · 1205-07 N 4th St
Where this comes from
- Assessment, spec sheet & owner — OPA Property Assessments, Office of Property Assessment
- Sales & deed history — Realty Transfer Tax records, Recorder of Deeds
- Permits, violations & inspections — L&I Property History · Atlas
- Tax delinquency snapshot · June 2022 — Real Estate Tax Delinquencies, Dept. of Revenue
- Historical tax ledger & liens · through 2016 — Real Estate Tax Balances, Dept. of Revenue
- Current property-tax balance — Verify with Philadelphia Revenue
- Zoning appeals — L&I & Zoning Board appeals
- Neighborhood income & rents — US Census ACS 5-year estimates
- Historical mortgage rates — Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, annual averages
- Imagery — Street photo © Google · Aerial © Esri, Maxar
Methodology & freshness
This report was assembled Jul 9, 2026, 12:40 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. “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)