We can't tell you whether your policy covers spalling brick, and nobody should without reading it. Coverage depends on your policy's wording and on how your insurer classifies the damage, so ask your insurance agent or insurer directly. Meanwhile, the City still expects the exterior to be kept in good repair, so document the damage, keep every notice, and don't let a pending claim become a reason to leave loose brick over a walkway.
Is spalling brick covered by insurance? Only your policy and your insurer can answer that, and we are a masonry contractor, not an insurance company. We won't tell you "yes" or "no" because any contractor who does is guessing. What we can do is tell you what to ask, what to document, and what the City expects from you while you wait for an answer.
Why we can't answer the coverage question
Spalling is brick that has lost its face: the surface flakes or pops off, usually after water gets in, freezes and pushes it. Whether a policy responds to that depends on the policy language and on how the insurer treats the cause and the timing of the damage. Those are contract questions. A neighbor's claim, a forum post or a contractor's opinion does not tell you what your policy says.
Landlords and investors who hold several buildings should not assume one policy reads like another. Read each one, or have your agent do it.
What should you ask your insurance agent?
Call your agent or insurer and ask in plain words. Write down the answers and the date you asked.
- Does my policy have anything that applies to damage to exterior brick or masonry?
- Does it matter whether the damage came from one event, or built up over time?
- Is water damage to the walls treated differently from the brick surface itself?
- If brick falls and hurts someone or damages a car, what part of my coverage is involved?
- Do you want to inspect before I start repairs, and what do you need from me first?
- What do I need to show you: photos, a written estimate, a contractor's report?
Ask for the answers in writing if you can. If you rent out the building, say so, because landlord and owner-occupied policies are not always written the same way.
What should you document before anyone touches the wall?
Whatever the insurer says, a record helps you. Before repairs begin:
- Photograph the damage wide and close, with something in frame for scale, and date the photos.
- Note where it is: which elevation, how high, over what (a walkway, a gangway, a neighbor's lot, a car).
- Get a written scope from a contractor describing what failed and what the repair involves. Ours is part of the free estimate.
- Keep every City notice, tenant complaint and email about the condition.
On Chicago two-flats and three-flats, spalling often shows up on the face of brick near the roofline and around window openings, where water has had years to get in. Owners sometimes hold off on repair while they wait for a coverage answer, and the brick keeps loosening in the meantime. Ask your agent how to handle that, but do not leave loose brick over a place where people walk.
Does the City care whether insurance pays?
No. The code does not wait on a claim. Title 14X says the exterior must be maintained in good repair and structurally sound, and it lists masonry joints that are not weather resistant and veneer that is not properly anchored among the unsafe conditions (Title 14X). The owner is the one cited.
Inspections of occupied buildings are mostly complaint driven, and the inspector also looks at the ways out of the building, including exterior stairs and porches (City of Chicago). Bricks have fallen from Chicago two-family buildings onto people on the sidewalk (ABC7, 2016). Treat falling brick as a safety problem first and a claims question second.
What should you do now?
Get the condition looked at, get the written scope, and call your insurer in the same week. If you want a second set of eyes on how bad it is, see what a Chicago two-flat exterior repair budget is made of and what to check outside before you buy a two-flat, or call us for a free estimate. Our landlord and buyer guide covers the rest of the exterior.
Common questions
We can't say. It depends on your policy wording and on how your insurer classifies the damage. Ask your agent specific questions, get answers in writing, and document the brick with dated photos and a contractor's written scope before any repair.
Ask your insurer whether they need to see the damage first, then act quickly. Loose brick over a walkway is a safety problem whatever the claim outcome. Photograph it, get a written scope, and make the area safe. Do not leave it hanging.
The code puts the duty to keep the exterior in good repair on the owner, and it does not depend on a claim (Title 14X). A denied claim does not remove a City notice. See our landlord and buyer guide.
Sources
- 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)
- ABC7 Chicago: Building bricks collapse, injure 2 on West Side (July 25, 2016)
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.