Chicago Building Code Violation Reinspection: What the Inspector Checks

A Chicago building code violation reinspection is a follow-up inspection to check whether the conditions the City cited have been corrected. How you get one depends on where your case is. Here is who schedules it, what the inspector is looking at, and what to have ready, based on the City's own pages. We are also clear about the one part the City's published material does not explain.

Who schedules a reinspection?

It depends on the room your case is in.

• Administrative Hearings. There is no walk-up reinspection counter in the sources we found. Instead, you bring proof of correction to the hearing. The City's porch guidance says that if you are in Administrative Hearings you bring proof of compliance, meaning the permit and before and after photos, to your hearing date. If the hearing officer finds you liable but sees you are fixing the problem, they can hold a separate fines hearing within 30 days (longer for good cause) and order a reinspection first.
• Circuit Court. For cases in housing court, a court inspector is assigned and inspects before each hearing. The porch guidance adds that if you are in Circuit Court, you call the number on your notice.
• Permit inspections. If your repair needed a permit, that permit has its own inspections. The City says that if there are no open porch violations, you request the permit inspection through the online permit inspection appointment form. Inspections tied to a hearing or court case are scheduled through the case, not that form.

To work out which room you are in, see hearing officer or Circuit Court.

What does the inspector actually check?

The City does not publish a reinspection checklist, so this is what the sources say plus what we see on jobs.

The conditions on the notice. A violation is a specific allegation about a specific condition on a specific date. The Department of Administrative Hearings says that the Department of Buildings alleges the violation existed on the inspection date, and your proof is that it no longer does. So the notice is the checklist. If it cites a porch guard, the inspector looks at the porch guard.

That the repair is real. The fix has to hold up when somebody looks at it. On masonry, that means mortar that is sound and joints that are filled. On a porch, it means structural members that are anchored and guards that do not move. The exterior maintenance standard for existing buildings asks that exterior stairways, decks, porches and balconies be structurally sound, in good repair and properly anchored.

That the paperwork matches. If the work needed a permit, the permit and its inspections are part of the picture. A repair that looks fine but has no permit behind it invites a second problem.

Related conditions. On occupied buildings, inspectors also check smoke and CO detectors and exits, including exterior stairs and porches. Do not assume the visit is limited to your one item.

Why do repairs fail a reinspection?

Most failures come from a short list of causes, none of them exotic:

• The repair covers the symptom, not the cause. Filling a crack or re-nailing a guard looks finished and fails the first time someone leans on it.
• One item was missed. Notices often list several conditions. The owner fixes the loud one and forgets the quiet one.
• The work is not documented. The inspector cannot credit a repair that nobody can show was done, by whom, or when.
• The wrong person did the work. Masonry, roofing and general contracting each have their own City or State licensing rules. Ask your contractor for the license, and look it up before you hire.
• The permit was never closed. Work that needed a permit is not finished until the permit's inspections are done.

Each of these is cheaper to prevent than to redo.

How do I get ready for the reinspection?

1. Re-read the notice and list every cited item. Mark each one fixed, in progress, or not started.
2. Fix to the standard, not to the photograph. Repairs that look fixed but are not will be found.
3. Pull the permit if the work required one, and keep the number with the notice. See how to fix a Chicago building code violation.
4. Take dated photos of the finished work from the same angles as the original problem.
5. Keep the invoice from your licensed contractor, describing the work and location.
6. Be reachable. If a court inspector is assigned, call the number on the notice and answer when they call back.
7. Bring your proof to the hearing even if you think everything is closed. See what counts as proof a violation is fixed.

What if the reinspection finds something still open?

An open item is not the end, but it does keep the case alive. At Administrative Hearings, the case can end in liable, not liable, nonsuit, default or dismissal, and a nonsuit applies where timely proof is provided that the violations are fixed. If an item is still open, tell the hearing officer what you did and what remains, rather than hoping nobody notices. Repairs alone do not close a case, as we explain in fixed it, still cited.

Our building code violations team repairs the cited items, pulls the permits and builds the proof file so the reinspection has little to argue about. For the whole process, see the Chicago building violations guide. This article explains process and is not legal advice. Reinspection practice and scheduling can change, so confirm current steps with the Department of Buildings.

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.