Proposed amendment closes detector compliance loophole

Chicago landlords who fail to comply with the City of Chicago smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector ordinances will face much stiffer penalties.  A proposed amendment to the municipal code for Chicago which passed out of committee this week will close a loophole that allowed landlords cited for failure to comply with the ordinance’s requirements for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to avoid penalty by complying with the ordinance after being cited but before the building department hearing.

Readers of this blog will recall that a similar provision was inserted in the bedbug ordinance.  According to a report in the Daily Herald, landlords will now be subject to fines ranging from $200 to $500 per day for failure to install proper detectors.  The City Council is expected to vote on the measure on November 4, 2014.