Bricks Falling Off a Building in Chicago: What Failed and What to Do

Bricks falling off a building in Chicago is the visible end of a slow failure. A brick is held by mortar, by the wall behind it, and by whatever keeps water out of both. When one lets go, the cause is usually somewhere you were not looking. Here is what most often fails, what the City expects, and what to do the day it happens.

What has happened when bricks fall in Chicago?

Falling masonry is not a rare thing in the city's record. In July 2016, bricks fell from a two-family home in North Lawndale and injured two passersby (ABC7 reported). In a separate case, a West Englewood church facade collapsed after a failed inspection. No injuries were reported, City records cited failure to maintain exterior walls and a lintel and to protect sidewalks, and the owner was being prosecuted in Cook County court (CBS Chicago).

Those are large events. Most falling brick is smaller: a few bricks from a chimney, a coping stone off a parapet, a face that peels off above a gangway. The causes below are the same ones, at different scales.

What failed? The usual causes

1. Water at the top of the wall. Parapets, copings and chimneys sit at the most exposed spot. A cap or coping should channel water away from the wall, and brick caps with many mortar joints can be a poor choice because water enters the joints (BIA). When the top lets water in, the wall below saturates, the mortar goes, and the top courses loosen. We cover this in parapet wall repair in Chicago and parapet coping replacement.

2. A rusted steel lintel. The steel angle over a window or door carries the brick above it. If it is unprotected it needs maintenance, and steel lintel cracking above openings is commonly tied to excessive deflection or inadequate design (BIA). Lintels should have continuous flashing and weepholes at the lintel level (BIA). When the steel fails, brick above the opening cracks and can drop. See rust stains under a window: your lintel may be failing.

3. Mortar that let go. Open, sandy joints leave bricks held by friction. Tuckpointing is the fix, if it is done early (BIA).

4. Brick faces that spall. Salt crystallizing inside brick, or freeze-thaw of saturated brick, can make the face spall or delaminate (BIA). A face that flakes can come off in a piece.

5. An old repair that backfired. Mortar that is harder or less permeable than the brick pushes moisture out through the brick face, and the face can pop off (NPS). A hard gray patch in a soft brick wall is a classic setup.

6. A wall that moved. Bulging, stair-step cracks and leaning chimneys mean the wall, not just the brick, is shifting. That is structural and not a tuckpointing job.

What do you do the day bricks fall?

1. Keep people away. Block off the sidewalk, gangway or entry under the area. Do not stand under it to look.
2. Do not climb up to check. Loose masonry is the point. Photograph it from a safe distance.
3. Call a licensed mason. They can take down what is loose and make the area safe.
4. Check the permit rule. Emergency work that normally needs a permit may be done first to prevent imminent harm. The permit application is due the next business day, the work cannot be concealed without an inspector's approval, and emergency scaffolding needs an application within 3 business days (City of Chicago).
5. Photograph before and after. For your records, and for any later conversation with the City or an insurer.
6. Keep the fallen brick. The pattern of what fell tells a mason where to look.

If staging or a dumpster goes in the sidewalk, street or alley, that needs a separate public way permit from the Chicago Department of Transportation (City of Chicago).

What does the City expect, and who can be cited?

The code says the exterior of a structure must be maintained in good repair and structurally sound. Listed unsafe conditions include masonry joints not kept weather resistant or water tight, and veneer, cornices, belt courses, corbels, trim and facings not properly anchored (City of Chicago). Inspections of occupied buildings are largely complaint-driven, and a supervisor reviews every 311 complaint at the start of each business day (City of Chicago). A brick on the sidewalk is the sort of thing that generates a call.

Violations are tiered. A maintenance violation draws a warning notice, a non-dangerous life safety violation goes to Administrative Hearings, and a dangerous and hazardous one goes to Circuit Court (City of Chicago). Loose masonry above a walkway can sit toward the serious end.

As for liability when a brick hits someone, that is a legal question. Talk to an attorney and to your insurer. Do not guess from a blog.

How is it fixed, and what permit applies?

The repair follows the cause:

• Top of the wall: rebuild or repair the parapet or chimney, fix the coping and flashing, then repoint.
• Lintel: replace the lintel and rebuild the brick over it.
• Loose or spalled brick: cut out and replace with matching brick, then repoint with mortar softer than the brick (NPS).
• Open joints: tuckpointing, done to the right depth with the right mortar.
• Moving wall: a structural assessment first, then a repair plan.

The City lists tuckpointing, replacing a lintel up to 6 feet and rebuilding a parapet up to 2,500 square feet under its Express Permit masonry category. Parapets taller than 48 inches, rebuilding all layers of a wall, and lintels over 25 feet are outside Express, and lintels over 6 feet need drawings from an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer (City of Chicago). Masonry permits go through a licensed mason contractor. Check with the Department of Buildings for your building.

How do you spot trouble before bricks fall?

Walk the building twice a year. Look at the top first. Our brick facade self-inspection checklist gives you the list, and how to tell if your brick needs tuckpointing covers the mortar.

If bricks have come off your building, or you are looking at a wall you think will let go, call us. Our masonry team will make the area safe, find what failed and put the repair in writing. For the whole picture on how Chicago brick fails and gets fixed, see our brick and masonry repair guide.

Common questions

This article explains general rules and common situations in Chicago. It is not legal advice, and City rules change. For a specific property, check with the Chicago Department of Buildings or a licensed professional.