7961 S Essex Ave
Nothing on record for this building in the last seven years. Our model still sees a moderate chance of maintenance problems in the next 12 months, from the owner's wider portfolio and the surrounding area rather than from anything recorded here. No public enforcement record to go on. Walk the building, ask the current tenants how repairs get handled, and get any promises in writing.
This building has 0 building violations (7y), at or below the South Chicago average of 2.9.
What's in the 7961 S Essex Ave report
| Units | 3 |
|---|---|
| Year built | 1927 |
| Stories | — |
| Building area | 2,656 sq ft |
| Property class | 211 |
| PIN (Cook County parcel) | 21311020150000 |
Registered owner per Cook County Assessor records.
Landlord portfolio
Other Chicago properties this owner holds, with a risk rating for each.
Unlock complete reportThe three-unit residential building at 7961 South Essex Avenue in Chicago's South Chicago neighborhood, owned by George J. Zimmerman III, has been standing since 1927. The property's documented service history over the past seven years reveals a concerning pattern, particularly in the past two years (2025-2026), with multiple dead animal pick-up requests (three in total, including two in 2025 and one more in 2026), and a fly dumping complaint in early 2026. While the building's basic services appear to be functioning with requests for blue recycling cart and other municipal services being processed and closed, there was also one notable regulatory issue in late 2024 involving a no building permit and construction violation that required municipal intervention to resolve. The total of 13 service requests over seven years, while not excessively high for a multi-unit property, does include several concerning public health and sanitation issues that merit attention.
AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below
How 7961 S Essex 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.
Out of 2611 buildings in this neighborhood, 444 are predicted to be safer. The band is relative to this neighborhood, so a share of every neighborhood falls in each colour.
violation
likely
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.
7961 S Essex Ave apartment reviews
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7961 S Essex Ave event timeline
Building violations, environmental complaints and enforcement, permits, scofflaw listings, and 311 calls — most recent records in order.
See all 4 events
Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, and 311 calls.
Unlock complete timelineFull data for 7961 S Essex Ave apartments
Chicago public datasets for this parcel — building violations, permits, 311 calls, environmental complaints and enforcement, scofflaw listings, and vacant building registrations.
What this is
Violations issued by the City of Chicago Department of Buildings against this parcel.
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What this is
Violations issued for failure to register or maintain a vacant or abandoned building.
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What this is
Building permits issued by the City of Chicago for new construction, alterations, and repairs at this parcel.
| Permit # | Issued | Status | Description |
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What this is
Chicago 311 service requests recorded at this parcel — maintenance complaints and quality-of-life requests.
| SR # | Created | Type | Department | Status |
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What this is
Environmental complaints filed about this property with the City of Chicago.
| Complaint # | Date | Type | Inspector | Resolution | Resolved |
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What this is
Formal environmental enforcement cases brought against this property.
| Case # | Date | Type | Violation | Disposition | Status | Fine |
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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