Chicago Mixed-Use Storefront Buildings: What Owners Face

A Chicago mixed-use building has a shop or other business at street level and apartments above. If you own one, you have two kinds of occupants, one sidewalk exposure and one roof, and the repair questions come from all three. This page covers what owners commonly face on a storefront building, what the City expects, and what changes about permits and contractors when part of the building is commercial.

We describe the type by what we see on the job, not by a history or a build date, because we can't source those here. It is part of our guide to Chicago building types, and our masonry team works on the brick, lintels and parapets of buildings like this.

What is a mixed-use storefront building?

The form is easy to recognize. Owners usually describe it like this:

• A commercial space on the ground floor, with its own entrance, display windows and often a separate tenant.
• Apartments above, usually reached by their own door and stair.
• A wide opening at street level. A storefront needs a big window opening, so there is a long span of wall carried by a lintel or beam.
• Brick walls, a flat roof and a parapet, similar to the two-flats and three-flats around it.
• A sidewalk right at the building. Many sit at the lot line, so whatever falls or gets built lands on the public way.

For the all-residential versions, see what goes wrong first on Chicago three-flats, and for a building with shared walls and a court, see Chicago courtyard buildings.

What fails first on a storefront building?

The weak points come from the shape. On mixed-use buildings we commonly find:

• The lintel over the storefront. A wide opening means a long lintel. If it rusts, the steel swells and cracks the brick above it. The brick industry's guidance says steel lintels need periodic maintenance to avoid corrosion, and that flashing over the angle and weepholes at lintel level protect them (BIA Technical Note).
• The upper facade above the storefront. The commercial front below gets updated, signs and awnings get fixed to the wall, and the brick above keeps taking water.
• The parapet and roof edge. A long street-facing wall with a parapet is a lot of coping and flashing to keep sealed.
• The flat roof. The roof over a storefront building is usually flat, and ponding or failed flashing leaks into the apartments first. See flat roof leak repair in Chicago.
• The back. Rear stairs and porches for the apartments are the same wood structures as on a two-flat, and they get the same attention from inspectors. See our porch guide.

What does the City expect of a mixed-use owner?

The same thing it expects of any existing building. The exterior of a structure must be maintained in good repair, structurally sound and sanitary. The unsafe conditions the code lists include masonry joints that are not weather resistant or water tight, veneer, cornices, trim and facings that are not properly anchored, and exterior stairs, porches and balconies that are not structurally sound or properly anchored (Title 14X).

Inspections of occupied buildings are largely complaint driven, and the inspector can issue violations for what is visible from outside (City of Chicago). On a storefront building the sidewalk is the stage. A news report on a church facade collapse says City records cited the owner for failing to keep exterior walls and the lintel in good repair, and to protect sidewalks (CBS Chicago). We mention it because the sidewalk side of a wall is where masonry problems become public.

What changes when part of the building is commercial?

Several things, and we will be straight about which ones we can't answer for you.

• The owner-as-contractor path may not be open. The City's general contractor license exemption for an owner's own home applies to a primary residence of three stories or fewer and six or fewer units, with no nonresidential occupancy (City of Chicago). A storefront is nonresidential occupancy. Check with the Department of Buildings before you plan to pull a permit yourself.
• A licensed general contractor is the default. A Chicago general contractor license is required for most building repair work, including work that is exempt from a building permit (City of Chicago). Check any contractor on the City's license lookup first. See how to check a Chicago contractor's license.
• The no-permit list is written for residential buildings. The City's no-permit exemption for in-kind masonry replacement of up to 50 square feet applies to residential buildings up to four stories (City of Chicago). Whether a building with a commercial ground floor qualifies is a question for the Department of Buildings, not an assumption.
• The federal asbestos rule treats commercial buildings differently. It excludes residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units, and for commercial buildings it requires an inspection before any renovation (U.S. EPA). We can't tell you how it treats a building that is partly commercial. Ask before you open walls.

Rules and fees change, so confirm current details with the Department of Buildings.

What repairs need permits and drawings?

Tuckpointing and masonry wall repair run through the City's Express Permit program, which also covers replacing a lintel up to 6 feet (City of Chicago). A storefront lintel is often wider than that. Replacing a lintel over 6 feet, up to 25 feet, needs drawings by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer, and a lintel over 25 feet is not eligible for Express at all (City of Chicago). Roof structural repairs and other specific triggers also need an architect or engineer (City of Chicago). See lintel replacement in Chicago for how that process works.

Scaffolding is the other permit people miss. Scaffolding, dumpsters and material storage on the sidewalk, street or alley need a separate permit from the Chicago Department of Transportation (City of Chicago). On a building at the lot line, almost any front elevation work touches the sidewalk. Plan for it, and for a pedestrian path that stays open for your customers.

How do tenants and leases fit in?

Commercial leases and apartment leases handle repairs, access and cost-sharing differently, and you are responsible for the exterior under the City's code either way. That makes the lease a legal question, not a contractor question, so talk to an attorney before you assume a tenant pays for anything. For repairs while apartments are occupied, see repairs in an occupied Chicago building. Our side of it is scheduling: we plan the work so the shop's entrance and the apartments' stairs stay usable.

Warning signs on a storefront building

• A crack or stair-step line in the brick above the shop window
• Rust stains or a bulge near the storefront lintel
• Brick faces flaking above or beside the sign
• A parapet that leans, a loose coping stone, or flashing pulling away
• Ceiling stains in the apartments, especially along the front wall
• Rear stairs or porches that move under foot

For the individual trades go to the cluster pages: brick repair, roofing and porches.

What should you ask a contractor?

1. Are you a licensed general contractor in Chicago, and who pulls the permit?
2. Does this job need drawings, and who prepares them?
3. How will the sidewalk and the shop entrance be protected and kept open?
4. Will you inspect the lintel over the storefront and the wall above it?
5. How will the work be scheduled around the shop's hours and the tenants upstairs?

Own a storefront building and not sure what is behind the sign and the brick? We'll look at the whole elevation and tell you what needs doing first.

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.