2026 taxable assessment $0 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.
OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $4,902,800; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.
Property report
231 Reed St
43,644 sqft · RSA5 · built 1918
School · Christopher Columbus Char · fully tax-exempt (2026 OPA). On the 200 block of Reed St.
Property summary
Assessment$4,902,8002026 OPA assessment · 2027: $4,902,800
Last sale$2.8MRecorded 2013
Est. tax bill$0/year2026 OPA · full assessment exemption shown
Tax delinquencyNo 2022 matchNot proof account is current
Permits2Every fetched City permit
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
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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 7711560102026 OPA shows a zero or de minimis taxable assessment. The open assessment split does not establish the exemption's legal basis, continuing eligibility, or treatment after a transfer.
Historical delinquency sources No current conclusion
This parcel did not match the June 2022 delinquency snapshot. That absence does not confirm the account is current today.
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 recordImproved
Why it mattersBought for $2.8M in 2013. Owner pulled a zoning/use permit in 2014.
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
- Christopher Columbus Char
- Tax mailing address
- 1242 S 13TH ST, PHILADELPHIA PA, 19147
- L&I district
- SOUTH
- Building ID (BIN)
- —
- OPA account
- 771156010
Permits2Every dated permit
Violation cases0No match
Investigations0No match
Building certifications0No match
Business licenses0No match
Appeals0No match
PermitsPermit number, issued date, work and City status2
ZoningPermit 542537
Jun 13, 2014 COMPLETED Completed Jun 13, 2014
FOR THE LOT ADJUSTMENT TO CREATE ONE (1) LOT FORM TWO (2) EXISTING OPA ACCOUNTS / DEEDED LOTS (1329 E MOYAMENSING AVE & 231 REED STREET). SEE A/P NO 527850
Zoning/usePermit 544770
Jul 10, 2014 COMPLETED Completed Jul 10, 2014
FOR THE PARTIAL DEMOLITION OF THE EXISTING DETACHED STRUCTURE AND FOR THE ERECTION OF AN ADDITION TO THE STRUCTURE; SIZE AND LOCATION AS SHOWN ON APPLICATION. FOR USE AS AN EDUCATIONAL FACILITY WITH ONE (1) ACCESSORY OFF-STREET LOADING SPACE AND EIGHT (8) ACCESSORY BICYCLE PARKING SPACES LOCATION ON AN ACCESSIBLE ROUTE. NO SIGNS ON APPLICATION.
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 fields0
No appeals matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
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
2 verify
Resolve before relyingZoning approval is not the occupancy fileUse permit #544770: COMPLETED.
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 ↗VerifyOPA shows a full exemption; its legal basis is unverifiedOPA currently marks the land and building assessment fully tax-exempt; BlockReport does not receive the exemption determination or basis.
Why it mattersFull OPA exemptions can have different legal bases, including government, religious, charitable/institutional, veteran, or other treatment. The current owner/use record is not a buyer’s tax forecast.
Verify nextConfirm the exact exemption basis, buyer eligibility, and next tax-year treatment directly with OPA.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗VerifyA separate Commercial Trash account may applyOPA classifies the parcel as commercial. BlockReport does not receive a current Commercial Trash account balance.
Why it mattersPhiladelphia charges qualifying small commercial, mixed-use, and multi-unit properties that use City collection; exemptions and private collection can change applicability. A use category alone does not prove a fee is due.
Verify nextCheck the Commercial Trash account inside the date-effective Property Payoff.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗Closing file: checks no public-record summary can replace3 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 ↗Informational only—not a legal opinion, title report, code inspection, tax payoff, or substitute for a Pennsylvania lawyer, title company, inspector, or tax professional.
Not a houseProperty report
This is a school, not a home, and OPA shows a full or near-full assessment exemption whose basis must be verified. A $0 assessment-based tax estimate does not prove the live Tax Center account has no prior-period balance or other charges. Homeowner investment tools are hidden; the assembled public-source record remains below.
What it is
School
School 4 Sty Masonry
Owner
Christopher Columbus Char
Public / institutional
OPA tax treatment
Full assessment exemption shown
2026 OPA taxable assessment $0 · basis and live balance require separate verification
$ / sq ft
$112
below the $130 median for 12,035 commercial parcels citywide
Corridor
Central Waterfront/Washington
city commercial corridor
Assessed value
$4,902,800
2026 OPA · 2027: $4,902,800
Interior area
43,644 sqft
Lot size
22,987 sqft
Built
1918
Zoning
RSA5
Block context
231 Reed St sits on the 200 block of Reed St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 213 Reed St · 230 Reed 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 10, 2026, 5:29 AM 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)