Chicago Verifying Legal Units

[Luke Stone]

Hi all,

I am looking at a property in the City of Chicago, that I am pretty sure was a five unit building and has been converted to three large units.

What is the most reliable source for verifying the number of legal units for a property in Chicago? I am aware of the Chicago Building Codes Violation website shows the number of dwelling units, but does anybody know if the information on their website is accurate? Do you have to dig further and go downtown to confirm the findings on the building codes website?

Thanks

[Brie Schmidt]

@Luke Stone - You can request the water records like @John Westbrook said.  They don't always have the records and stuff from the 50's on doesn't really mean anything, it won't get the zoning cert overturned.

The only concrete thing is the zoning cert, which you get about a week before closing.  The most accurate place before you get that is the dept of buildings, like you originally suggested.  They don't always have the info on file, but I have never seen them be wrong.  The assessor is not reliable.