On June 29, 2003, a packed third-floor rear porch at 713 W. Wrightwood Ave. in Lincoln Park collapsed. Thirteen people died and 57 were hurt. Officials first blamed overcrowding, but later City findings cited construction defects: a porch that extended too far from the building, inadequate supports, undersized flooring and screws that were too small. The building had also been converted from five units to three without a permit.
Thirteen people died in the 2003 Chicago porch collapse. It is the reason Chicago owners now hear so much about porch inspections, and it is the clearest local example of how a porch fails: not suddenly, but because of decisions made years earlier. We are writing about it with respect for the people who were lost, and because the lessons are still practical for anyone who owns a back porch.
What happened on June 29, 2003
Around 12:30 a.m., a third-floor rear porch at 713 W. Wrightwood Ave. in Lincoln Park, crowded with partygoers, collapsed onto the second-floor porch and kept going down. Thirteen people were killed and 57 were injured (CBS Chicago).
Chicago's rear wood porches are part of daily life: laundry, grills, a place to sit in July. Most of the time they do their job for decades. That is exactly why this event shook the city. It showed that a porch can look ordinary and still be built wrong.
Was it overcrowding? What officials first said, and what they found later
In the first days, officials pointed at overcrowding and people jumping on the porch. That explanation did not hold up as the whole story. Later City findings cited a porch that extended too far from the building, inadequate supports, undersized flooring and screws that were too small (CBS Chicago).
Put simply: the porch was not built to carry what was on it. A crowd was the load that exposed the problem. A properly built porch is designed for people to stand on it together.
Reporting also states that the building had been converted from five units to three without a permit, and that the City later sued the owner, the property company and the builder. No criminal charges were filed. Survivor and family lawsuits settled for $16.6 million after about ten years (CBS Chicago). We are not going to relitigate who was at fault. The record on the construction itself is the useful part.
The defects, in plain English
| Finding | What it means on a real porch |
|---|---|
| Porch extended too far from the building | The wall connection and the posts were carrying more leverage than they were built for |
| Inadequate supports | Not enough posts, beams or footings for the loads |
| Undersized flooring | Joists and decking too light for the span |
| Screws too small | The connections holding the pieces together were the weak link |
| Unpermitted conversion | No one with authority reviewed the building after it changed |
Every item on that list is a construction or permit decision, not a surprise. That is the pattern in most porch failures: a series of small shortcuts that nobody checked.
On rear porches we are called to look at, the trouble is rarely the part you can see. It is the connection at the wall, a post sitting on a weak base, or fasteners that were fine on day one and corroded. A fresh coat of paint can hide all of it.
What Chicago changed afterward
CBS reports that the City responded with tougher building codes and greatly expanded porch inspections. Porch violations fell from 6,670 in 2006 to 2,127 in 2019 (CBS Chicago). We have not located the specific ordinance or council date, so we are not going to cite one. If you need the exact current rule for your porch, our guide to what the code requires and the Department of Buildings are the places to check.
Two practical points that come out of the City's own pages:
- Structural repair or replacement of a porch always needs a permit, with plans by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer (Department of Buildings).
- Chicago's maintenance standard says porches must be kept structurally sound, in good repair, properly anchored and capable of supporting the imposed loads (Chicago code text). Rules change, so confirm current details with the Department of Buildings.
Warning signs to take seriously on your own porch
None of these means collapse is near. All of them mean a qualified person should look before the next crowded weekend.
- The floor feels bouncy or sags between joists.
- The porch shakes or moves sideways when you push on a post or rail.
- The porch is pulling away from the wall, or there is a gap at the connection (see what that means).
- Posts are rotted at the base, or sit on crumbling concrete.
- Screws, bolts or hangers are rusted, loose or missing.
- Railings wobble.
- Someone enclosed, extended or added a level without a permit you can verify.
For a longer list, see porch collapse warning signs Chicago owners miss. Our porch guide covers repair and rebuild decisions from start to finish, and what Chicago inspects explains how the City checks porches.
How a porch like this gets fixed
There is no patch for a porch that was built too light or too far out. The fix is to find out what the structure actually needs, then rebuild or reinforce to meet it:
- A professional looks at the framing, the connection to the building, the posts and the footings.
- If the work is structural, drawings by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer go with a permit application (Department of Buildings).
- The porch is rebuilt or reinforced with proper members, correct fasteners and sound footings.
- The work is inspected before anyone treats it as finished.
Our porch crew works on all of that in-house, including the City paperwork.
An unsafe porch is not a cosmetic violation. Dangerous and hazardous building cases can be sent to Circuit Court, where the City has more options than it does at administrative hearings (City enforcement process). The larger cost is the one the 2003 collapse showed: injuries to people on the porch, and liability that falls on the owner. If the City has already sent you a notice, read what to do about an unsafe porch violation.
What to take from 2003
A porch is a floor and a stair that other people stand on, hung off the side of your building. Treat it like structure, not decoration. Have it looked at by someone who checks connections and footings, keep permits for any change, and do not load it beyond what you know it was built for. If you are not sure, call. A look costs far less than the alternatives.
Common questions
Thirteen people died and 57 were injured when a third-floor rear porch at 713 W. Wrightwood Ave. collapsed around 12:30 a.m. on June 29, 2003. It fell onto the second-floor porch and on down.
Officials first blamed overcrowding and jumping. Later City findings cited a porch that extended too far from the building, inadequate supports, undersized flooring and screws that were too small. The building had also been converted from five units to three without a permit.
Per CBS Chicago, the City adopted tougher building codes and greatly expanded porch inspections. Porch violations fell from 6,670 in 2006 to 2,127 in 2019. We have not confirmed the specific ordinance, so check with the Department of Buildings for current rules.
A porch built to carry its design loads should hold people standing together. In 2003 the later findings pointed to how the porch was built, not only to the crowd. If you are unsure what yours was built for, have a qualified person look before you host a crowd on it.
We did not find a City rule requiring an annual homeowner porch inspection for ordinary residential porches. Inspections are usually triggered by 311 complaints, other inspections or permit work. Having your own porch checked on a regular schedule is still smart. Check with the Department of Buildings for current rules.
Sources
- CBS News Chicago: 20 years since the Lincoln Park porch collapse (June 29, 2023)
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Porch and Deck Safety
- City of Chicago: Code Modernization Ordinance, including Title 14X Minimum Requirements for Existing Buildings (PDF)
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings and Department of Law: Building Code Violation Enforcement Process (PDF)
Facts last checked: October 7, 2026.
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.