Your porch or stairs were called dangerous and hazardous
The City has judged your porch, stair or landing unsafe. After the 2003 porch collapse Chicago stopped being patient about these, so this is the item on your notice least likely to wait quietly.
- Do I need a permit?
- This normally needs a permit before work starts. We file it.
- Who actually does it?
- Our own crews. This is work we self-perform, so the schedule is ours to keep.
- Am I unusual?
- Not at all. This is one of the items we are called out for most, and it is rarely the only thing on the notice.
What the inspector was looking at
Framing that is undersized or rotted. Guard rails loose or missing. Treads and stringers that move underfoot. Columns not bearing properly. Porches built at some point without a permit.
What happens if you leave it
This is the category the City escalates first, and it is the one where somebody actually gets hurt. It is also the item most likely to stop a sale cold when a buyer orders an inspection.
How we get it closed
- 1We look at whether it can be repaired in place or genuinely needs rebuilding, and tell you straight
- 2Drawings prepared and the permit filed under our licence
- 3Built to the current Chicago porch requirements, guards and connections included
- 4Rough and final inspections scheduled and met, so the item closes for good
Before you start worrying about the cost
A porch rebuild sounds like the worst line on your notice. It is also the most predictable one to price, because the code spells out exactly what has to be there.
This is almost never the only item
Chicago inspectors write up everything they can see in one visit. Fixing this and leaving the rest means the case stays open and you go to the hearing anyway. We price and clear the whole notice: our own crews on nearly all of it, licensed partners on the plumbing, heating and electrical items, and nothing left dangling for you to chase.
See how the whole thing worksUsually on the same notice
If you see any of these on yours too, that is the normal pattern rather than bad luck. They tend to share a cause.
The engineer report the City is demanding, filed, plus the repairs it calls for. Until this lands, nothing else on your notice can close.
Drawings prepared, permits pulled under our licence, and old unpermitted work made legal. You never have to call the department yourself.
Where the building meets the ground, put right. The City treats these as serious, and so should you, because everything above depends on it.
Cited for porch & stairs? Let us take it from here.
A quick call, then we come out and price every item on the notice in person. Free, and you are under no obligation to use us.
Licensed and insured. A person answers, Monday to Saturday.