- Introduction
- Acknowledgements
- 1: Getting Ready
- 2: The Costs of Space
- 3: Understanding Credit
- 4: Professional Services
- 5: Finding Space
- 6: Residential Leases
- 7: Commercial and Industrial Leases
- 8: Buying Real Estate
- 9: Types of Mortgages
- 10: The Mortgage Application
- 11: Ownership Models
- 12: Purchasing Alternatives
- 13: Chicago Zoning Ordinance
- 14: Chicago Building Code
- 15: Chicago's Neighborhoods
- 16: Property Taxes
- 17: When You Find a Property
- 18: Inspections
- 19: After Moving In
- 20: Insurance
- 21: Utilities
- 22: Rehabbing Your Space
- 23: Safe and Healthy Spaces
- 24: Green Practice
- 25: When Disputes Arise
- 26: Space Emergencies
- 27: Facility Development Planning
- Bibliography
The Districts
As mentioned previously, there are five primary Zoning Districts - Business, Commercial, Downtown, Manufacturing and Residential. Each district is further defined by Use Groups and Use Categories, which are in turn affected by the constraints and guidelines set in place by the District.
In this section you will find a definition of each district followed by an Art Uses Chart tailored to that particular district. As mentioned previously, there are a number of ways in which artists use space that are not highlighted or defined in the Ordinance. On the Art Uses Chart we have attempted to single out art activities and uses that are hidden or implied in the definitions of the Use Groups and Use Categories.
When this occurs, the activity or use is listed on the AUT under its art alias with the Use Group and Use Category that it appears under in the Ordinance in parenthesis. For example, dance studios are not listed as a separate category, but are included in the definition of several Use Categories such as Personal Services. In this circumstance the activity would appear in the chart as follows:
Dance Studio (C-Personal Services)
The “C” represents the Commercial Use Group and Personal Services represents the Use Category.
(See the section Use Tables for more information on Use Groups and Use Categories.)


