Advisory Concerning Unannounced Inspections of City Premises

Executive Summary

Section 2-56-090 of the Municipal Code of Chicago (MCC) provides that “[e]ach department’s premises, equipment, personnel, books, records, and papers shall be made available as soon as practicable to the inspector general.”  Unannounced inspections are an important tool in oversight work, allowing for unmanipulated assessment of practices, behaviors, and conditions.

On two occasions over the past year, however, Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigators have been denied access to City premises for the purpose of conducting an unannounced inspection.

OIG recommended that the Mayor take appropriate steps to ensure that City premises are made available to OIG as required by law and to ensure the transparency and accountability of City government, including without limitation issuing guidance to City departments to clarify OIG’s legal authority to access City premises. OIG invited the Mayor’s Office to respond in writing.