AHJ Radar · Mason Mathews Facility Assurance, LLC
Chicago's Inspector General on fire inspections: 16.8% of buildings inspected in a year
Chicago's code requires an annual fire prevention inspection of most commercial and multifamily buildings. The city's Inspector General audited whether it happens. Of 59,313 buildings and tenant spaces in the Fire Prevention Bureau's database, 16.8% had an annual inspection in the prior twelve months, and 47.1% had not been inspected in five years or more. A quarter of the premises with sprinklers had no annual test report on file with the city.
The findings
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Buildings and tenant spaces subject to annual inspection | 59,313 (27,491 buildings; 31,822 tenant spaces) |
| Annual inspection within the prior 12 months | 16.8% (buildings 15.8%; tenant spaces 17.7%) |
| Not inspected in five years or more | 27,957, or 47.1% |
| Third-party annual test reports received by the city, 2022 | Fire sprinklers 73.7% (4,821 of 6,538 premises); fire pumps 79.6% (4,345 of 5,459); standpipes 77.8% (1,311 of 1,685) |
| Failed inspections that got at least one re-check | 87.8%; median 5.2 months to the first re-check, mean 9.0 months |
| Re-check fees collected, 2011 to 2022 | About $165,000 of $1,251,150 potentially owed (13.2%) |
The audit's summary sentence: "FPB does not fulfill its annual inspection and testing mandates." It also found that the Bureau's records lack notice-of-violation dates and final dispositions, that the Department had not submitted its required annual fire report until the audit, and that paper inspection forms were shredded without the records commission's approval.
What the Fire Department said
CFD largely disagreed. It said it is "not responsible for identifying, creating, or maintaining an inventory of buildings," attributed part of the gap to COVID-19 suspensions, committed to procedures for tracking re-checks and fee guidance, and declined to create procedures for owners who skip required system tests, saying the city's third-party reporting system already sends automated notices and that "there is no corrective action that could be taken."
Illinois record and the Cook County overlay
What this means for a building owner or manager
| If you assumed | The audit says |
|---|---|
| The fire department's annual visit is the check on the building | In Chicago, five in six buildings did not get it in a given year; the owner's own inspection, testing and maintenance records are the only continuous record |
| A missed sprinkler, pump or standpipe test will be caught | Roughly one premises in four had no report on file and the Department said it would take no corrective action; the gap is invisible until a fire or an insurer's audit |
| A failed inspection gets a prompt return visit | The median re-check came 5.2 months later; an open violation can sit for most of a year |
| This is a Chicago problem | The pattern (inventory gaps, uncollected fees, missing dispositions) is what an inspector general looks for anywhere; the Florida and New York figures on this site show the same reliance on the owner's records |
Chicago's ordinance still requires the annual third-party tests and the owner's reporting; confirm the current requirements with the Fire Prevention Bureau and your licensed contractor.
What is not on this page, and why
The audit's inspection data is from a November 2022 extract; the city's performance since then is not measured in it. Buildings are not named. The audit covers the Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau, not the Department of Buildings' inspections, which have their own cycles.
Get the free digest
AHJ Radar™ is a trademark of Mason Mathews Facility Assurance, LLC. Official sources read daily since September 2026; every entry names its source. Content and compilations © 2026 Mason Mathews Facility Assurance, LLC, for personal and internal use under the Terms of Use; no redistribution or resale.
Reference only. This page restates a published official document; it is not legal advice and not an assessment of any property. Confirm requirements with the official text linked above, your authority having jurisdiction and your own counsel. Mason Mathews Facility Assurance, LLC · all reference pages · how our monitor reads sources.