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5401 S California Ave

Gage Park, Chicago IL 60632 19124240010000 3 units · 1923

This building has a substantial enforcement record over the last seven years, and our model predicts continuing maintenance failures over the next 12 months. Read the records below before you sign. Ask which issues were resolved, get repair commitments in writing, and inspect the unit yourself.

Building Violations (7y) vs. neighborhood
Records already on file, against a typical building in Gage Park — not a forecast
Above average
avg 1.5
10
FewerMore

This building has 10 building violations (7y), above the Gage Park average of 1.5.

Building characteristics
Units3
Year built1923
Stories
Building area2,250 sq ft
Property class211
PIN (Cook County parcel)19124240010000
Ownership

Registered owner per Cook County Assessor records.

Owner name
Mailing address
5401 S California Ave

Landlord portfolio

Other Chicago properties this owner holds, with a risk rating for each.

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Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The three-unit building at 5401 S California Ave in Gage Park, owned by Sergio Morales, is a 1923 structure that has experienced a significant number of regulatory interactions over the past seven years. The property has accumulated ten building code violations during this period, with the most recent cluster of violations occurring in 2024, where three separate complaint-driven inspections were conducted between July and December. While most of these violations have been resolved, there remains one open violation from June 2023 that has not been addressed as of the current date. The building has also generated a notable volume of 311 service requests, totaling 35 under the owner's name, with the most recent occurring in May 2026. These requests have covered various issues, including multiple business complaints, building violations, and a pothole complaint in the street, all of which have been closed except for the most recent one regarding a building violation from October 2025. Notably, there has been only one building permit issued under this ownership during the seven-year period, which may indicate limited permitted modifications to the property or improvements to address existing violations.

AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below

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Risk rating

How 5401 S California Ave's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of Chicago code enforcement data — building violations, 311 complaint history, environmental enforcement, and owner track records. It estimates the probability that the City of Chicago will find a code violation at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Lower risk — safer than most nearby

City inspectors rarely find violations here. Strong maintenance history and a clean complaint record.

Typical — about average for the neighborhood

Some past violations or complaints on record. Worth asking the landlord about any open issues before signing.

Higher risk — riskier than most nearby

Elevated violation and complaint history. City inspectors have found issues here before and are statistically likely to again.

Neighborhood percentile
1stpercentile

Out of 1787 buildings in this neighborhood, 1769 are predicted to be safer. The band is relative to this neighborhood, so a share of every neighborhood falls in each colour.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
18%
No code
violation
82%
Code violation
likely
Model explanation

What's driving this score

The data points that most influenced this building's risk rating — ranked by the weight the model placed on each one.

311 calls (past 7 years)

311 service requests tied to this address over 7 years.

Code violations (past 7 years)

City of Chicago Department of Buildings violations issued at this address over the last 7 years — a direct record of enforcement activity.

Code violations, owner's portfolio

Building violations across all properties this owner is registered on — a signal of systemic maintenance issues.

12-Month risk forecast
High failure risk 82%
Estimated probability of a code violation in the next 12 months.
Apartment reviews

5401 S California Ave apartment reviews

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On the map

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The story over time

5401 S California Ave event timeline

Building violations, environmental complaints and enforcement, permits, scofflaw listings, and 311 calls — most recent records in order.

2025
311 Request Oct 09
Building Violation
311 RequestJul 08
Building Violation

See all 10 events

Full history back to 2023 — violations, complaints, permits, and 311 calls.

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Every record we have

Full data for 5401 S California Ave apartments

Chicago public datasets for this parcel — building violations, permits, 311 calls, environmental complaints and enforcement, scofflaw listings, and vacant building registrations.

Side by side

How 5401 S California Ave compares to the neighborhood

This building against comparable properties in Gage Park. Toggle filters to narrow the peer group.

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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from the City of Chicago Department of Buildings, Chicago 311, Cook County Assessor & the Chicago Data Portal

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