Chicago Facade Inspection Ordinance

 

In 1996, the City of Chicago adopted an ordinance requiring periodic inspection, maintenance and repair of building facades.   The ordinance was necessary because chunks of buildings were literally falling down upon unsuspecting pedestrians walking on the public sidewalks.  Several highly-publicized incidents resulted in the conclusion that Chicago's aging buildings were in need of routine inspection, maintenance and repair.   The ordinance applies to all buildings in the City of Chicago which are more than eighty feet in  height.  These buildings must undergo thorough critical examinations on a periodic basis as well as ongoing maintenance inspections.  The inspections and any necessary repairs must be conducted by appropriately licensed and trained individuals.

 

Primary resources for information on this program are found on the website for the City of Chicago, Department of Buildings, Exterior Wall Programs.  A direct link to this site is http://bit.ly/18JtTt.  Among the resources on that site are the ordinance itself, rules, regulations and forms necessary for compliance.  A separate web page, curiously not linked from the main Exterior Wall Program page, summarizes recent amendments to the ordinance which somewhat relaxed the requirements.  That page can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/NERjx.  

 

Secondary resources for information on facade inspections include advocacy groups such as the Chicago Condominium Affairs Council, trade associations, architects, engineers and contractors who work in the industry.  For a nice summary article on facade safety, see this article from the August 2003 issue of Standardization News, a publication of the American Society of Testing Materials.  http://bit.ly/w5XHH.

 

The architectural/engineering firm of Kellermeyer, Godfryt and Hart maintains an excellent website providing information and links to material about the Chicago Facade Ordinance.  The website is at this link:  http://bit.ly/3u6OYw. Don't miss their article on Inspection, Maintenance and Repair of Building Facades in the articles section of their site.

 

The well-known engineering firm of Wiss Janney Elstner Associates also provides facade assessment services.  Their website is  http://www.wje.com/.