Look up a property’s taxes and water lien yourself
Two City websites show what the City says is owed on a property today: the Philadelphia Tax Center for real estate taxes, and the water lien search for water and sewer liens. Here is how to use them.
What you see is the City’s figure on the day you look. It isn’t a title search, and it doesn’t tell you which debts a sale clears. Write down the date, and ask a title company (see questions to ask).
Before you start
- Copy the property’s street address exactly as the official listing shows it.
- If the listing shows the property’s OPA account number (the City’s property number), copy that too. It finds the right property when addresses are similar.
Real estate taxes: the Philadelphia Tax Center
“You can check your tax balance and make payments through the “Search for a property” link on the Tax Center’s homepage, under the “Property” panel.”
Source: the City of Philadelphia’s Real Estate Tax page. As read on October 12, 2026.
- Open the Philadelphia Tax Center.
- On its home page, find the “Property” panel and choose “Search for a property”.
- Search by the street address, or by the OPA number if you have it.
- Check that the address on the result matches the listing, then open it to see the balance.
- Write down the date, and save or print the page.
“Pay online through the Philadelphia Tax Center by entering your physical address or Office of Property Assessment (OPA) number.”
Source: the City of Philadelphia’s Real Estate Tax page. As read on October 12, 2026.
If a search finds nothing, or more than one property, try the OPA number. The City’s Tax Center guide explains the site.
Water and sewer liens: the City’s water lien search
Water and sewer liens are a separate City record from real estate taxes, so check both.
- Open the City water lien search (water-lien.phila.gov).
- Search by the property’s street address.
- Check that the result is the same property, then write down what it shows and the date.
The site’s screens can change. If they differ from these steps, follow its own prompts.
Other records
Taxes and water aren’t the only debts that can be recorded against a property. Mortgages, judgments and other liens are in other records:
- Deeds and mortgages: the City’s Department of Records, PhilaDox.
- Each sale’s court case: the Court of Common Pleas civil docket.
A title search covers these records and more. See questions to ask a title company.