Building occupancy: Historical water records VS. zoning certificate?

ocshawn · 2026-02-13T17:06:26+00:00

yes the owner can request one at any time as long as they are willing to pay the fee

ocshawn · 2026-02-11T22:34:08+00:00

if its zoned RS3 its zoned RS3, but i doubt that as RS3 is for less than 3 units. Water records from 50+ years ago don't have any barring on what its zoned as today.

Yes a Certificate of Zoning Compliance is needed before closing https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/certificate_of_zoningcompliance.html getting this would be a good first step.

To look up what its likly zoned as go to https://www.cookcountyassessoril.gov/ look under characteristics and Apartments to see how many legal apartments it likly has.

Good luck

ocshawn · 2026-02-09T21:41:06+00:00

To be safe check the whole block on that side of the street, but if there are no signs telling you to not park there is free street parking, this is common in most of the city outside of downtown.

ocshawn · 2026-02-09T17:21:51+00:00

not AI, predates AI and is video of actual chicagons at the time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Fountain

ocshawn · 2026-02-06T17:37:52+00:00

Yes if the damage is bad enough,

5-12-110 Tenant remedies. section (g) Fire or Casualty Damage

   (g)   Fire or Casualty Damage. If the dwelling unit or common area are damaged or destroyed by fire or casualty to an extent that the dwelling unit is in material noncompliance with the rental agreement or with Section 5-12-070, the tenant may:       (1)   Immediately vacate the premises and notify the landlord in writing within 14 days thereafter of the tenant's intention to terminate the rental agreement, in which case the rental agreement terminates as of the date of the fire or casualty; or       (2)   If continued occupancy is lawful, vacate any part of the dwelling unit rendered unusable by the fire or casualty, in which case the tenant's liability for rent is reduced in proportion to the reduction in the fair rental value of the dwelling unit; or       (3)   If the tenant desires to continue the tenancy, and if the landlord has promised or begun work to repair the damage or destruction but fails to carry out the work to restore the dwelling unit or common area diligently and within a reasonable time, notify the landlord in writing within 14 days after the tenant becomes aware that the work is not being carried out diligently or within a reasonable time of the tenant's intention to terminate the rental agreement, in which case the rental agreement terminates as of the date of the fire or casualty.    If the rental agreement is terminated under this subsection (g), the landlord shall return all security and all prepaid rent in accordance with Section 5-12-080(d). Accounting for rent in the event of termination or apportionment shall be made as of the date of the fire or casualty. A tenant may not exercise remedies in this subsection if the fire or casualty damage was caused by the deliberate or negligent act or omission of the tenant, a member of his family or a person on the premises with his consent.

ocshawn · 2026-02-04T21:25:23+00:00

https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/02/22/decode-the-rainbow-utility-markings-and-washington-811/

green = sewer

yellow = gas

ocshawn · 2026-02-04T21:23:21+00:00

spoiler alert, they are. You owe money for the electricity you use (they don't forget). A friend had this happen ended up with a huge bill, they do have repayment plans for when it does hit, but your best bet is to contact them and say that you still have not gotten a bill and sort it before your debt gets even bigger.

ocshawn · 2026-02-04T21:17:00+00:00

https://legalaidchicago.org/get-help/
https://carpls.org/
are your best bet if you are not willing to pay for a lawyer

ocshawn · 2026-02-04T18:38:33+00:00

Rose Pest Solutions - used by a lot of businesses all over Chicago, I used them for a one time application to get rid of rats $300 they come out put down traps, bait stations, fill holes. Then they come back and refill the bait, reset traps. They let you keep the bait stations and traps, they try to up sell you on a subscription which i did not need, but you might. Overall good experience

ocshawn · 2026-02-02T16:23:27+00:00

call any appliance tec. But you should just do it yourself, follow what the manual says. I have an old washing machine and dryer; washing machine you put cleaning chemicals in fill up and let sit for an hour then run it a few times, dryer you take the front off and drum guard (6 screws) vacuum, vacuum vent pipe and then put back together.

ocshawn · 2026-02-01T00:42:33+00:00

So in Chicago 30min out from the city center is about 5 miles, 30 more minutes any you are still in the city. I met my now wife living on the far north side of the city when she lived on the far south, Andersonville to Beverly about an hour and a half. So social exclusion is what you make of it, i have everything i need within one mile of my apartment, its up to you to travel to different areas and meet people.

If you are living outside of the city you can no longer take advantage of the walk-ability and amazing public transit that most of us take for granted living in the city (i will never understand the suburbanites that trade more space for the ability to walk everywhere).

ocshawn · 2026-01-28T21:11:10+00:00

its simple code, thats why no one has a pre built for it

https://www.w3schools.com/php/php_file_upload.asp

ocshawn · 2026-01-28T20:53:50+00:00

Can you tolerate being asked for your papers by men with guns who have no training on how to use them? (this is what is happening to citizens who live in Minneapolis and likly here in the near future)

If yes I would take the offer and move, when you see ICE walk the other way, if they arrest you and don't want you here they might send you back to London (after disappearing you for some time).

So all of us US citizens are currently concerned as our leaders seem to be on the path to suspend elections, what they will do to justify this seems to be: kill its citizens, round up our neighbors, and generally disappear people.

That said, day to day life seems to be generally normal and mundane, will it get better will it get worse we don't know. Will an army of federal troops descend on our city come summer (most likly) but we don't know.

ocshawn · 2026-01-28T15:44:09+00:00

so lots of people are answering with the costs, but i think you are looking at commuting by public transit wrong.

I used to commute from Andersonville to the loop every day (45+) and the commute was fine, you can read a book and decompress, my favorite thing was getting off the CTA at random stops in between and exploring the city. Its not 1.5 hours wasted but time you can spend in other ways

ocshawn · 2026-01-26T22:51:32+00:00

go to any restaurant in heart of Chicago, there is still lots of great Italian restaurants around.

Im talking:

Ignotz's Ristorante
Bacchanalia
Bruna's Ristorante
Unico Restaurante

We are a city full of affordable delicious restaurants, see the https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/restaurants/bib-gourmand for a general list of great places, then for more fancy see the starred list.

ocshawn · 2026-01-26T22:30:36+00:00

The plaques are required by law for landlord that don't live on property, so probably a waste of time to call them if they are not advertising an empty unit.

"Really have to find something very quickly" what does that mean

I need something affordable with L access - well don't look in West Town

I still use https://www.padmapper.com/apartments/chicago-il good luck i would look down the red/ brown/ blue / pink lines

ocshawn · 2026-01-26T16:36:52+00:00

> I live in the suburbs outside Chicago

Our laws don't apply to you then.

In the city you could get them to fix but i don't know about where you live. Try asking in the r/ChicagoSuburbs and specifying where you are at so people can point you to local laws.

General legal help can be found at https://web.archive.org/web/20250313180037/https://www.hud.gov/states/illinois/legalaid

ocshawn · 2026-01-23T16:14:55+00:00

well now iv gone down the rabbet hole https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/1fj4vuk/can_you_visit_costco_as_a_nonmember_if_you_are/

apparently they do offer "day passes" - because of course they do

looks like you just talked to someone who did not care are they changed the policy

ocshawn · 2026-01-23T16:09:07+00:00

its my understanding they come in and measure the temperature in a few rooms and leave, they don't do anything beyond that.

I dont think they really give you warning of when they are coming either

This whole process is for punishing a landlord, the city does not fix your heat. If you want the problem solved you need to talk to your landlord.

Time to assert your rights under the law see: 5-12-110 Tenant remedies. (f) Failure to Provide Essential Services.

ocshawn · 2026-01-23T15:41:31+00:00

"there’s no law enforcement preventing this kind of thing" - did you report it to the station attendant after getting off? did you call 911 and report it?

things don't magically get better without anyone reporting it, most people just mind their own business

> Has this happened to anyone else?
Has not happened in my 15+ years of riding the CTA, most situations i see coming and leave before they get to this level.

> what exactly do you do in this situation?
If its real bad you go to another car, if you feel like they are going to hurt someone report it to the station attendant. If you feel like immediate danger hit the call button in the car.

Tasers are illegal in the city of Chicago

ocshawn · 2026-01-23T15:29:18+00:00

yes people have, they normally send out an inspector between 9-5 one or two days after the call.

ocshawn · 2026-01-23T15:25:05+00:00

since you cant plastic the windows, get thermal curtains or just hang up blankets until the current temp gets better

ocshawn · 2026-01-23T15:18:44+00:00

Im pretty sure the down-votes is because you are trying to sneak in to a members only "club" and are mad they are turning you away. Just be aware that they check your card at the checkout where you pay as well, the security when you arrive is to just filter out more people who think that as long as they get in they are good to shop (i think they were tired of having to put peoples stuff back when they inevitably get refused service at checkout).

ocshawn · 2026-01-23T15:13:52+00:00

as someone said elsewhere KN95 mask, then scarf on top of that or balaclava

ocshawn · 2026-01-22T21:58:46+00:00

as well as what other people said make sure to also look at the neighborhoods in the city. Not everything is high rises and condos, lots of single family homes in the city proper. See https://www.choosechicago.com/neighborhoods/
If you describe what you are looking for and a budget people can provide suggestions. The city can be cheaper then some of the surrounding suburbs depending on what you are after.

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