15-4-080 Use or habitation of fire hazards.

   It shall be unlawful to continue the use of or occupy any building, structure or place which does not comply with those provisions of this Code which are intended to prevent a disastrous fire or loss of life in case of fire, until the changes, alterations, repairs or requirements found necessary to place the building in a safe condition shall have been made.

(Prior code §  90-6)

15-4-090 Dangerous buildings a nuisance.

   Any building, structure, enclosure, place or premises, perilous to life or property by reason of the construction of such building or structure or by reason of the condition or quantity of its contents, or the use of the building or its contents, or the use of the enclosure or the overcrowding at any time of persons therein, or by reason of deficiencies in such fire alarm or fire prevention equipment, as may be required by the fire regulations of this Code, or where conditions exist which would hamper or impede the fire department in combating a fire in or on the building, is hereby declared to be a nuisance and the fire commissioner is empowered and directed to cause any such nuisance to be abated.

(Prior code § 90-7; Amend Coun. J. 5-18-16, p. 24131, § 60)

15-4-100 Right to survey.

   (a)   Right to Demand Survey. The owner, lessee or occupant of any building, structure, enclosure, place or premises affected by any order or notice of the fire commissioner may make written demand upon the fire commissioner for a survey of such building, structure, enclosure, place or premises, to determine whether or not such order is valid and reasonable. Such demand for a survey shall be served upon the fire commissioner by leaving a copy thereof at the fire prevention bureau office within seven days, Sunday and holidays excepted, after the service of the order or notice referred to in such demand. Said demand for a survey shall contain the name of the person to act as a surveyor on behalf of the one making the demand.

   (b)   Duty of Fire Commissioner. Upon receipt of a demand for survey, the fire commissioner shall immediately issue an order for the same, naming therein the person to act as surveyor on behalf of the fire department. Such person shall be an officer or employee of the fire department, and said order shall state the name of the person selected by the fire commissioner to conduct the survey.

   (c)   Survey Procedure. In the event that the two persons thus named are unable to agree concerning the survey and their report thereon, they shall select a third person to act with them on such survey, and a report signed by any two of the three surveyors thus selected shall be conclusive. In the event that the two surveyors selected as above set forth cannot agree concerning the survey and their report thereon and cannot agree upon the selection of a third person to act with them in connection with such survey, said third person shall be selected and appointed by the chief justice of the circuit court on application made in writing by the fire commissioner, of which application the said fire commissioner shall give at least 24-hours notice, in writing, to the applicant for such survey, and a report signed by any two of the three surveyors thus selected shall be conclusive. The date and hour when the survey shall be made shall be stated in the order therefor, and no change shall be made in such date and hour, except by written stipulation duly signed by said fire commissioner and the applicant for such survey. A copy of such order shall be served upon the person demanding the survey by personal delivery to him at least 24 hours previous to the hour fixed in the order for the holding of such survey, and he shall have the right to be present and to be heard at such survey in person or by agent or attorney. The surveyors shall meet at the time and place described in the order of their appointment, and shall survey the building, structure, enclosure, place or premises referred to in said order, and to consider the merits of the order of the fire commissioner in respect to which the survey has been demanded.

   (d)   Report of Survey. After such survey and consideration, the surveyors shall prepare and sign a report of their proceedings and determination which shall be filed with the fire commissioner, and a copy thereof shall be given the person demanding such survey upon his application therefor. The determination of the surveyors in any such case shall be final and conclusive.

   (e)   Surveyor's Fees. Each person, other than an officer or employee of the fire department, designated to act as a surveyor pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be paid the sum of $25.00 for such survey in which he participates upon the filing of the report thereof with the fire commissioner.

   (f)   Payment of Expenses. As a condition precedent to the ordering of a survey, the person demanding the same shall deposit with the fire commissioner the sum of $100.00 to indemnify the city for the expense of the survey, in the event that the surveyors confirm the order of the fire commissioner. Such sum shall be returned to the depositor, in the event that the surveyors shall report such order as invalid or unreasonable. In case the report of the surveyors is to the effect that the order of the fire commissioner, which was the subject of such survey, was in all respects valid and reasonable, all the expenses of the survey shall be paid out of the fund herein required to be deposited with the fire commissioner by the person demanding such survey, and the balance remaining, if any, shall be returned to such person.

   (g)   Closing Buildings. If the order or notice subject to survey requires any building or premises to be closed on account of its dangerous condition, such order or notice shall not be stayed pending the determination of the reasonableness and validity thereof.

(Prior code § 90-8; Amend Coun. J. 5-18-16, p. 24131, § 61)

15-4-101 Fire emergency plan required when.

   The owner or operator of equipment or apparatus used for the generation, transmission or distribution of electricity by a public utility shall develop a fire emergency plan for each building, structure or portion thereof enclosing such equipment or apparatus. The fire emergency plan shall include the following: the location and type of equipment or apparatus; identification of supervisory personnel to be notified in the event of a fire affecting the equipment or apparatus, and the means of notification; a plan for evacuation of employees not involved in firefighting from the area of the fire; assignment of responsibilities for coordination with designated personnel for admission of fire department personnel and control of traffic on the premises in the event of a fire; a list of toxic, combustible or explosive materials stored or used on the premises; a schedule of drills to verify the viability of the plan; and such other related information as the fire commissioner may require. The fire emergency plan shall be in writing and shall be filed in the office of the fire commissioner or his designee. A copy of the plan shall be maintained on the premises where the electrical equipment is located. The owner or operator of the equipment or apparatus shall notify the commissioner in writing of any changes in any component of the plan within seven days after the change occurs.

   Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be subject to a fine of $500.00 for each offense. Each day a violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense.

(Added Coun. J. 6-28-91, p. 2758)

15-4-102 Safety warden.

   The owner or manager of every large assembly unit, as defined in Chapter 13-56 of this Code, shall appoint a person employed in the unit as safety warden, and an alternate safety warden. The safety warden and alternate safety warden shall be in addition to any fireguard or fireguards required under this chapter.

   The safety warden shall conduct a safety review of the premises on a weekly basis to identify safety hazards that are readily recognizable and easily corrected, such as nonfunctioning lights; improper use or storage of cleaning materials and combustible materials; obstruction of stairwells, corridors and exits; accumulation of dirt and debris; and use of fire closets, elevators, and mechanical or electrical areas for storage space. The safety warden shall record the results of the weekly safety review in a ledger, which shall be available for inspection by personnel of the fire department and department of buildings at all reasonable times. No later than April 30th, August 31st and December 31st of each year, the safety warden shall certify to the fire commissioner, on forms supplied by the fire commissioner, compliance with the review and recording requirements of this section since the last periodic report. The owner or manager of the assembly unit shall notify the fire department and department of buildings of the names of the safety warden and alternate safety warden. Any person who violates any provision of this section or who falsifies an entry in a ledger or certification required under this section, shall be subject to a fine of not less than $200.00.

   The fire commissioner and the buildings commissioner may jointly issue regulations for the administration and implementation of this section.

(Added Coun. J. 7-14-93, p. 35320; Amend Coun. J. 5-18-16, p. 24131, § 62)

ARTICLE III. LICENSES (15-4-110 et seq.)

15-4-110 Hazardous use units.

   Every license required to engage in any business, occupy or use any premises, structure or building for any purpose classified as a hazardous use unit in Chapter 13-112 of this Code and every extension or renewal thereof, shall require the approval of the fire commissioner, as a condition precedent to the issuance of every such license and to every extension or renewal thereof. The fire commissioner shall make, or cause to be made, an inspection of every hazardous use unit for which an application for license, or for an extension or renewal thereof, has been made. If such inspection shall prove the entire compliance of such hazardous use unit with the applicable requirements of this Code, the fire commissioner shall issue, or cause to be issued, a certificate of compliance and approval. Such certificate shall be subject to revocation for cause by the fire commissioner at any time and, upon notification of the revocation of such certificate, the mayor shall revoke any license conditioned upon said certificate. The provisions of this section shall be construed as remedial and retroactive as well as prospective.

(Prior code § 90-9; Amend Coun. J. 5-18-16, p. 24131, § 63)

15-4-130 Amounts of hazardous material.

   A hazardous materials license, as specified in Section 4-6-210 , shall be required under any of the following conditions:

   (a)   Where the combined capacity of all containers used to store or handle corrosive liquids exceeds 55 gallons;

   (b)   Where the combined capacity of all tanks or containers used to store or handle oxidizing materials exceeds 500 pounds;

   (c)   Where the combined capacity of all tanks or containers used to store or handle organic peroxides exceeds ten pounds;

   (d)   Where the combined capacity of all tanks or containers used to store or handle nitromethane exceeds 500 pounds;

   (e)   Where the combined capacity of all tanks or containers used to store or handle ammonium nitrate exceeds 1,000 pounds;

   (f)   Where any amounts of highly toxic materials are used, stored or handled other than in connection with retail trade in original, sealed containers;

   (g)   Where any amounts of fume hazard gas is stored, used or handled;

   (h)   Where the total amount of highly flammable materials, as defined in Section 15-28-500, stored exceeds 100 cubic feet.

(Prior code § 90-11; Amend Coun. J. 2-7-96, p. 15616; Amend Coun. J. 6-6-12, p. 28356, § 33)

 

Notes

4-6-210

The hyper-linked material is not part of the Chicago Building Code infobase and therefore is not included herein.  The material is included in other provisions of the Chicago Municipal Code.  The complete Chicago Municipal Code is available for purchase from American Legal Publishing in both print and Folio® versions.  Please click here for the appropriate American Legal order form in printable Adobe® PDF format.  For additional information, you may visit American Legal's website by clicking here.

15-4-160 Amounts of acetylene gas and calcium carbide.

   A hazardous materials license, as specified in Section 4-6-210, shall be required when:

   (a)   Generation of acetylene gas in any form of generator holder, container or associated apparatus at a pressure not to exceed 15 pounds per square inch.

   (b)   Collecting or compressing acetylene gas at any pressure in excess of 15 pounds per square inch or selling or distributing acetylene gas at any pressure in excess of 15 pounds to the square inch, or of selling or distributing acetylene gas under pressure.

   (c)   Calcium carbide is stored or kept in excess of 600 pounds within the city without first obtaining license so to do, for each location where such quantity of calcium carbide is to be kept or stored.

(Prior code § 90-14; Amend Coun. J. 2-7-96, p. 15616; Amend Coun. J. 6-6-12, p. 28356, § 34)