What the ordinance actually requires.
Public law, quoted rather than paraphrased into urgency. If any of this contradicts what you have been told by somebody quoting for the work, the code wins.
Chicago Building Code §14A-6-603.2 – 603.4 · in force since 1996
- Who it applies to
- Buildings 80 feet and over in height. Below that the ordinance does not reach you, and anybody telling you otherwise is selling something.
- Critical examination
- A close-up inspection — at minimum one representative drop per elevation, and a drop spans no less than 24 feet. Close-up means hands on the wall, not binoculars from the street.
- How often
- Every four, eight or twelve years, depending on the building's risk category and construction type.
- The short-form path
- Visual, non-close-up inspection every two years, for buildings that qualify for it.
- Who signs it
- A licensed architect or structural engineer. Not a fabricator, not a mason, and not us.
- Why terra cotta gets named
- The ordinance guidance singles out terra-cotta elements as historically higher-risk, along with corners. If your building has it, expect it to be looked at first.
What we are not
We are a fabricator. We mould, glaze and fire replacement units, and we advise on which repair a unit needs. We are not architects or structural engineers, we cannot carry out a critical examination, and we cannot sign your report. If a company offers to handle the inspection and the repair it recommends, that is worth a second look — not because it is forbidden, but because the person deciding how much work is needed should not be the person paid to do it.