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Prior Chicago Building Code
BUILDING CODE AND RELATED EXCERPTS OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF CHICAGO
DIVISION 1 - ADMINISTRATION
Subdivision 101 - General
Subdivision 104 - Duties and Powers of Officials
Subdivision 105 - Permits and Fees
Subdivision 106 - Construction Documents
Subdivision 109 - Inspections
Subdivision 110 - Registration and Certificates
Subdivision 111 - Utilities
Subdivision 112 - Boards and Commissions
Subdivision 113 - Violations and Enforcement
Subdivision 115 - Unsafe Structures and Equipment
Subdivision 116 - Licensing
Subdivision 117 - Ethics
Subdivision 118 - Limitations
DIVISION 2 - DEFINITIONS
DIVISION 3 - USE AND OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATIONS
DIVISION 4 - SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON USE AND OCCUPANCY
DIVISION 5 - GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
DIVISION 6 - TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
DIVISION 7 - FIRE-RESISTANCE-RATED CONSTRUCTION
DIVISION 8 - INTERIOR FINISHES (NA)
DIVISION 9 - FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS
DIVISION 10 - MEANS OF EGRESS
DIVISION 11 - ACCESSIBILITY
DIVISION 12 - INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION 13 - ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
DIVISION 14 - EXTERIOR WALLS (NA)
DIVISION 15 - ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES (NA)
DIVISION 16 - STRUCTURAL DESIGN
DIVISION 17 - STRUCTURAL TESTS AND SPECIAL INSPECTIONS
DIVISION 18 - SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
DIVISION 19 - CONCRETE
DIVISION 20 - ALUMINUM (NA)
DIVISION 21 - MASONRY
DIVISION 22 - STEEL
DIVISION 23 - WOOD
DIVISION 24 - GLASS AND GLAZING (NA)
DIVISION 25 - GYPSUM BOARD AND PLASTER (NA)
DIVISION 26 - PLASTIC (NA)
DIVISION 27 - ELECTRICAL
DIVISION 28 - MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
DIVISION 29 - PLUMBING SYSTEMS
DIVISION 30 - ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
DIVISION 31 - SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION (NA)
DIVISION 32 - ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
DIVISION 33 - SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
DIVISION 34 - EXISTING STRUCTURES
DIVISION 35 - REFERENCED STANDARDS

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13-20-020  Buildings – Inspection required.
   (a)   Subject to subsection (b) of this section, either the fire commissioner or the buildings commissioner, pursuant to a coordinated inspection schedule, or their respective assistants, shall make an annual inspection of all theaters, churches, schools, public assembly units, public places of amusement and open air assembly units. The following buildings shall be inspected by the fire commissioner or buildings commissioner as often as deemed necessary: (1) any three-story building with a basement apartment or living space; or (2) any three-story building that has commercial space on the first floor and residential space on the upper two floors; or (3) any two-story building that is commercial; or (4) any building with four or more stories that is not a single- family residence. With respect to any establishment requiring a public place of amusement license, either the fire commissioner or buildings commissioner, pursuant to a coordinated inspection schedule, or their respective assistants, shall make an inspection within the 90 days preceding the deadline for the annual renewal application for the license. If, within the 12-month period preceding any inspection under this section, the applicable premises were inspected either by the fire department or department of buildings in connection with a permit inspection, periodic inspection, code compliance inspection or certificate of occupancy, such inspection shall be deemed to meet the inspection requirement herein. The fire department and department of buildings are authorized to conduct such additional inspections as they deem necessary to maintain health and safety. It shall be the duty of every owner, agent, lessee, or occupant of any such building and of the person in charge or control of such building to permit the making of any inspection required or authorized under this section by the fire commissioner or buildings commissioner or by a duly authorized inspector at any time upon demand being duly made.
   (b)   Inspections by the buildings commissioner of places for eating, as that term is defined in Section 4-8-010 , shall be controlled by Section 4-8-042 ; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be construed to limit inspections of any place for eating by the fire commissioner.
(Prior code § 46-2; Amend Coun. J. 7-9-84, p. 8225; Amend Coun. J. 9-13-89, p. 4604; Amend Coun. J. 10-1-03, p. 9163, § 3.4; Amend Coun. J. 9-29-04, p. 32144, § 4; Amend Coun. J. 2-22-17, p. 43916, Art. VIII, § 16)

 

Notes

4-8-010
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.
4-8-042
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.
13-20-030  Buildings – Floor plan required – Copy to fire commissioner.
   It shall be the joint and several duty of the owner, agent, lessee, or occupant of every building described in Section 13-20-020 to provide a typical floor plan of such building reproduced on a sheet eight and one-half by 11 inches in size; provided, however, that no such typical plans shall be required for multiple occupancy buildings which have not been altered or converted into smaller units subsequent to the original construction in buildings not over three stories in height. Said plan shall be drawn on as large a scale as will be practicable on such sheet, and said sheet shall also state the street address of such building and shall give the class of the building, the kind of construction used therein, the height and number of stories contained therein, and the nature of the occupancy. It shall also be the joint and several duty of such owner, agent, lessee, or occupant to deliver a copy of said sheet and plan to the fire commissioner and to frame a copy of said sheet and place the same near the framed certificate hereinabove required. It shall also be the joint and several duty of the said owner, agent, lessee, or occupant to substitute a new sheet for the sheet on file with the fire commissioner, and also the sheet framed as above required, whenever such changes or alterations are made in such building as will affect the substantial accuracy of the sheet previously furnished said commissioner and framed as above required.
(Prior code § 46-4)
13-20-040  Failure of building to comply with Code provisions – Notice of noncompliance.
   Where the result of such inspection shall show that such building fails in any respect to comply with the building provisions of this Code, it shall be the duty of the building commissioner and fire commissioner to notify the owner, agent, lessee, or occupant of such building to this effect and to specify wherein such building fails to comply with the requirements of the building provisions of this Code; and it shall thereupon become the joint and several duty of such owner, agent, lessee, or occupant to proceed forthwith to make whatever changes or alterations may be necessary to make such building comply in all respects with the requirements of the building provisions of this Code, and to complete such changes and alterations within 15 days after the receipt of such notice.
(Prior code § 46-5; Amend Coun. J. 9-13-89, p. 4604)
13-20-050  Inspection fee – Schedule.
   (a)   The fee for the annual inspection of buildings, except public assembly units, shall be paid to the comptroller and shall be based on the number of square feet of floor area as follows:
      For the first 25,000 square feet or fraction thereof.....$80.00
      For each additional 25,000 square feet or fraction thereof.....$40.00
   The fee for annual inspection of public assembly units shall be paid to the comptroller and shall be based on the number of square feet of floor area as follows:
      For the first 25,000 square feet or fraction thereof.....$120.00
      For each additional 25,000 square feet or fraction thereof.....$60.00
   For purposes of determining the amount of the fee every part of a building or structure separated by dividing walls as required by the provisions of Chapter 13-48 shall be considered a separate building.
   (b)   The fee for the inspection of places for eating, as that term is defined in Section 4-8-010 , shall be controlled by Section 4-8-042.
(Prior code § 46-6; Amend Coun. J. 7-9-84, p. 8218; Amend Coun. J. 3-29-89, p. 26819; Amend Coun. J. 11-17-93, p. 42192; Amend Coun. J. 11-19-03, p. 14216, § 8.2; Amend Coun. J. 9-29-04, p. 32144, § 4; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. I, § 10)

 

Notes

4-8-010
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.
13-20-051  Reinspection fee.
   (a)   Except as otherwise provided in this Code, whenever the Department of Buildings conducts a subsequent inspection following an initial inspection of a building to verify code compliance, compliance with approved permits or approved permit plans or license compliance, the Commissioner of Buildings is authorized to assess a reinspection fee of $100.00 against the building's owner, agent, general contractor or subcontractor identified on a permit application, lessee or occupant, except where the subsequent inspection is necessary due to an error made by the City. The Commissioner of Buildings is further authorized to assess a reinspection fee based on the costs to the department for such inspection, including actual and related costs incurred per inspection against the building's owner, agent, general contractor or subcontractor identified on a permit application, lessee or occupant for any reinspection that occurs outside of department business hours as promulgated by rule.
   (b)   The reinspection fee shall also be assessed whenever (i) any scheduled inspection cannot take place due to the absence of the building's owner, agent, general contractor or subcontractor identified on a permit application, lessee or occupant or any other action or inaction by the building's owner, agent, general contractor or subcontractor identified on a permit application, lessee or occupant; or (ii) a scheduled inspection was canceled less than twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled inspection; or (iii) a scheduled inspection took place but the work to be inspected was not complete or ready for inspection; or (iv) a scheduled inspection occurred but the work was contrary to the permit or approved plans or was contrary to code. In the event that a reinspection occurs as the result of an event enumerated in (i) through (iv) above then the Commissioner may, at the Commissioner's sole discretion, require that the reinspection occur outside of the department's business hours as promulgated by rule and is further authorized to assess a reinspection fee based on the costs to the department for such inspection, including actual and related costs incurred per inspection against the building's owner, agent, lessee or occupant for any reinspection that occurs outside of department business as promulgated by rule.
   The reinspection fee shall be paid to the Comptroller.
(Added Coun. J. 12-12-01, p. 75777, § 7.1; Amend Coun. J. 12-15-04, p. 39833, § 4; Amend Coun. J. 12-15-04, p. 39840, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 10-17-09, p. 72419, § 5; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. I, § 10; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61755, Art. I, § 4)
13-20-060  Inspection fee – Exemptions.
   All Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago shall be exempt from payment of 100% of any annual inspection fee required under this chapter for the annual inspection of buildings, when the building, or part thereof, so inspected, is located in or upon premises used or occupied or owned by the Chicago Public Schools or City Colleges of Chicago.
   Not-for-profit hospitals that qualify for a disproportionate share adjustment consistent with Section 148.120 of Subchapter d of Chapter I of Title 89 of the Illinois Administrative Code, as amended, codified at 89 Ill. Adm. Code § 148.120, and dispensaries and homes which are operated without a charge being made for the care of patients, shall be exempt from payment of 20% of the inspection fee required under this chapter for the annual inspection of buildings, when the building, or part thereof, so inspected, is located in or upon premises used or occupied exclusively and owned by such not-for-profit hospital, dispensary or home.
   Public museums that are eligible to receive funds for capital development under subdivision (7) of § 1-25 of the Department of Natural Resources Act, as amended, codified at 20 ILCS 801/1-1 et seq., shall be exempt from payment of 20% of the inspection fee required under this chapter for the annual inspection of buildings, when the building, or part thereof, so inspected, is located in or upon premises used or occupied exclusively and owned by such public museum.
   Operators of eligible hospitals, dispensaries, homes and public museums shall file with their claim for exemption from the payment of such fees an affidavit stating that the entity claiming an exemption under this section meets the eligibility requirements for such exemption as set forth herein.
   Fee exemptions under this section do not apply to specially requested inspections or inspections outside of department business hours as promulgated by rule pursuant to Section 13-20-016; or to document review fees as defined in Section 13-20-014; or third-party inspection fees, third-party review fees or other fees under a sundry program as defined in Section 13-32-031.
(Prior code § 46-7; Amend Coun. J. 6-14-95, p. 2841; Amend Coun, J, 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. VIII, § 3; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61755, Art. I, § 5)
ARTICLE III.  CURTAINS* (13-20-070 et seq.)
* Editor's note – Coun. J. 11-3-99, p. 13842, § 3, added the title of Article III to read as herein set out.
13-20-070  Inspection of iron or steel curtain – Fee.
   The fee for semi-annual inspection of an asbestos iron or steel curtain shall be $100.00.
(Prior code § 46-8; Amend Coun. J. 7-9-84, p. 8218; Amend Coun. J. 3-29-89, p. 26819; Amend Coun. J. 11-17-93, p. 42192)
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