BlockWatcher starts with one setup step: telling it the home address or block you actually want to keep an eye on.
Enter your home address, or the specific block you care about, and BlockWatcher uses that as the center point for everything it watches — permits, licenses, code violations, and 311 requests near that location.
BlockWatcher is deliberately scoped to a block, not a citywide feed. Once your block is set, you'll only see activity actually happening nearby — not a firehose of every filing across Philadelphia. See Adjusting Your Watch Radius for how to widen or narrow "nearby."
Once your block is set, BlockWatcher continuously checks every relevant civic feed and surfaces new activity as a single alert — see Understanding Your Activity Feed for how that feed is organized.
The initial version is built around a single home address or block; expanded coverage for multiple blocks is being considered based on demand.
A specific address gives the most precise "nearby" results, but you can also center your watch on a block-level location if you don't want to tie it to one exact unit.
Yes — your watched location isn't fixed permanently and can be updated if you move or want to track a different area.