Council committee advances tenant fire-safety disclosure and more frequent inspections for large, unsprinklered apartment buildings

The Public Safety & Health Committee advanced an ordinance requiring landlords to give prospective tenants a separate disclosure if a residential building would require sprinklers under current standards, and to submit logs showing disclosures to DNS. The substitute ordinance also requires more frequent life-safety fire inspections (every six months) for certain higher-risk multifamily properties, defined as buildings with 16 or more units or three or more stories.

Sponsor Alderman Bergellis placed the measure in the context of recent fatal fires and said tenants deserve a disclosure comparable to lead-paint notices so they understand the risk inherent in older, unsprinklered buildings. "If a building predates...we should require an acknowledgement similar to a lead paint disclosure," he told the committee.

Amila Royo Vega, commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood Services, described the implementation plan: DNS and the fire department built a database to identify nonconforming, unsprinklered multifamily buildings, developed an improved inspection checklist and expanded tenant and landlord education. DNS estimated roughly 750 buildings would fall under the increased-inspection standard and said it has 27 inspectors who perform annual fire inspections; the ordinance would require twice-yearly inspections for the highest-risk subset while DNS reassigns other inspection duties to manage workload.

On enforcement, DNS told aldermen that failure to provide the disclosure would be treated as a fire-code violation, could trigger orders to comply, reinspection fees, citations and that a citation for failing to disclose could be $573 (stated during the hearing). Aldermen raised questions about holding landlords accountable and whether tenants who already signed leases could seek relief; sponsors and staff said voiding leases is likely beyond the city's power but civil remedies may apply and DNS can issue orders, reinspections and citations.

Fire department leadership supported the measure as a targeted strategy to reduce rescue risk at the most dangerous, unsprinklered buildings and emphasized the practical benefit of a searchable inspections database for dispatch and response. The chief said the approach narrows focus to the highest-risk buildings -- where firefighters are "so far outmatched" when a large, unsprinklered structure fire occurs.

The committee recommended the substitute ordinance for passage and asked DNS to work with the sponsor on reporting requirements so the council can monitor the program's results and compliance.

What happens next: The committee ordered the substitute ordinance and the item will proceed to the Common Council; DNS will begin the initial tracking, education and inspection changes and provide reporting as requested by the sponsor.