2011 Chicago Ordinance 5547 Regulating Vacant Buildings

This ordinance requires an owner of a vacant building to register the building with the city within thirty days of the building becoming vacant. The owner must renew this registration every six months until the building is no longer vacant. After registering the building, the owner will permit the city access to it in order to conduct exterior and interior inspections to determine if the building is in compliance with the municipal code. The intention of this ordinance is to reduce the negative effects of blight caused by foreclosed, vacant properties that are often owned by banks or lenders.