PROCEDURES

I. WATER CERTIFICATIONS

A. Non-metered / Condo Accounts - Time Period: 24 Hours
A non-metered water certification is an account that is billed to a property every six months. These certifications can generally be obtained immediately. Some properties may be subject to a delay. If the property is a corner parcel, new construction, or has more than one P.I.N. number and address, please provide a legal description. These properties are first processed through the City's field review department. This takes an additional ten days to be completed.

Condominiums, townhomes and co-ops require a letter from the association on the association's letterhead stating that all assessments are paid to date. The water department will not release the water certification without a condo letter. If the condo letter is handwritten, it needs to be notarized. If no association exists, the property is a condo-conversion, or if the units are individually billed, a final bill must be obtained. This will take 10-to-15 business days. If this is the case, please provide access information.


• The City of Chicago Department of Water charges $10.00 per full payment certification.

B. New Constructions - Time Period: Inquire Within

New construction certifications can take anywhere from one week to two months, depending on the stage of the development. Prior to ordering, please, check with the plumbing contractor to see if the permits have been issued for the new meter, if the meter was picked up from the meter shop, installed, and controlled by the water department. Many times, clients will order certifications without checking with the plumber. If this is the case, it could be months before the water department issues a certification. If the proper steps were taken, the new construction may just require a new reading.

C. Metered Accounts - Time Period: 10-15 Business Days

A final meter reading is required if the meter has not been read within a (60) sixty-day period. Metered accounts take between 10-15 days to complete. In order for the Chicago Department of Water to perform a meter reading, access information is required. Please provide either a home or work phone number for your contact. The water department will then contact the access person to schedule an appointment for the reading. At that point, a representative of the water department will go to the property and physically read the meter.
The Water Department will not accept pager numbers. The certification will be delayed if access information is not submitted or the client fails to honor appointments. If this is the case, the access information must be resubmitted and will take an additional 10-15 business days.
Please Note: A legal description is required for all Commercial, Industrial, Vacant, Mixed Use (Commercial and Residential) and New Construction properties.

• The City of Chicago Department of Water charges $10.00 per full payment certification.

D. Release of Lien - Time Period: 10 Business Days

When ordering a release of lien, please provide all necessary information. A water certification must be completed and the current bill must be paid in-full before the water department will proceed with the release of lien process. Please allow ten days for this to be completed. If the property is a metered account, please follow the procedures for paragraph C.

• The City of Chicago Department of Water charges $10.00 per full payment certification.

E. Special Water Certification/Water Bill Reductions - Time Period: 10-15 Business Days

Property sale transfers such as VA, HUD, Tax Deeds, Sheriff Deeds, etc., require a certified copy of the deed before any adjustment to the water bill is performed. Lawyers' Legs' fee for this transaction is $25.00 per special certification. If requested, Lawyers' Legs will obtain a certified copy of the deed from the Cook County Recorder. A separate fee of $25.00 plus expenses will be applied to the billing.

A. 1-5 Residential Units Zoning Form - Time Period: Seven Business Days
It is necessary to know the number of dwelling units and pin number to complete this transaction. The zoning department will not accept applications without units or a pin number. If the pin number is not given at the time the order is placed, Lawyers' Legs will research the property for an additional $5.00 fee. Please note, if your order form is incomplete, the order will be delayed until we obtain the correct information. The zoning department requires seven business days to complete each certification. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• The City of Chicago Department of Zoning charges $50.00 per Certificate of Zoning Compliance
  Note: Properties with 4 or 5 units must also have the building registered every year.

B. Denials - Time Period: Approximately 7 Business Days

When a zoning compliance is denied, the Department of Zoning will notify the requester. If this occurs, Lawyers' Legs can do two things to resolve the situation. 1) Lawyers' Legs can research the property at the Department of Buildings. There, Lawyers' Legs will request a permit to verify the number of dwelling units. If there are no records on file or the permits do not agree with the number of units that are claimed, Lawyers' Legs can then, 2) request an inspection of the property. At that point, Lawyers' Legs will need the name and phone number for a person that can meet the inspector at the property. The City inspector will then inspect the residence to determine the number of dwelling units. Additional fees will be applied to each request if zoning research is requested.

All City of Chicago buildings with four or more units require a building registration. When ordering, please include the complete address, P.I.N. number, number of dwelling units and name and phone number of both the buyer and the seller. Most registrations can be obtained in a short time if all information is provided. Please note: A property that contains four or five units also requires a zoning.
• The City of Chicago Department of Buildings charges $10.00 per year to register.

IV. DUPLICATE TAX BILLS AND ESTIMATES OF REDEMPTION

Be specific to which tax years you would like Lawyers' Legs to obtain. There is a $1.00 fee from the County for each duplicate tax bill and a $10.00 charge for each estimate of redemption.

V. COURT FILINGS

Lawyers' Legs requires a 24-hour notice for filings. There will be NO morning pick-ups. Court Filings are to be scheduled for pick-up with Lawyers Legs. Checks are required to complete all transactions.

VI. TRANSFER STAMPS

Lawyers' Legs requires a minimum 24-hour notice before purchasing a transfer stamp. Prior to purchasing the stamp, all clients are responsible for contacting the municipality. All municipalities are different regarding the purchase of stamps. For example, some require an inspection a week prior to the closing, while others require a final water reading. Lawyers' Legs requires a check from the client for the purchase of each transfer stamp. If a water bill needs to be paid, a $15.00 charge will assessed to each invoice.

VII. BILLING PROCEDURES

All requests for services rendered by Lawyers' Legs, Inc. are a binding contract. All bills are to be paid by the person, company or attorney submitting the request for service. In an attorney/client relationship, Lawyers' Legs, Inc. will only accept requests for services by said attorney. Please note, payment for services performed are due upon delivery unless previously arranged with Lawyers' Legs, Inc. Any cost or expense incurred by Lawyers' Legs, Inc. in an effort to collect past due bills/balance shall be passed on to the person, company or attorney requesting the services for payment. This includes attorney fees and court costs.

* We apologize, but Lawyers' Legs, Inc. DOES NOT fulfill requests for court calls or special process serving.