Passengers in Chicago who have inspected elevator certificates might have noticed an unusual font choice on the documents: the phrase “This certifies that” is often printed in Comic Sans, a typeface typically associated with informal or playful uses. This atypical font selection has raised questions about the city's official documentation practices and the reasons behind such an approach.
The elevator inspection certificates, which include vital information about safety inspections conducted on the city's elevators, display this phrase near the top left corner. However, not all certificates use Comic Sans; different mayoral administrations have employed varying fonts. For example, during Mayor Richard M. Daley’s tenure, the phrase appeared in Blackletter, while under Rahm Emanuel, it often showed in italicized Corsiva. The Lori Lightfoot administration is noted for prevalent use of Comic Sans, and the current Brandon Johnson administration has preferred Segoe Script instead.
The Chicago Department of Buildings, responsible for elevator inspection oversight and issuing certificates, clarified that these documents are generated by electronic systems rather than individual inspectors. The varying fonts, therefore, are not intentional design choices but rather the result of technical factors behind the scenes. According to Grant Ulrich, managing deputy commissioner at the Department of Buildings, the font changes originated when the city migrated legacy elevator inspection software onto different servers. If certain fonts were not installed on the new systems, the software defaulted to the next available font alphabetically, explaining why Comic Sans or other unexpected typefaces appeared.
Despite this explanation, the sequence of fonts used over several administrations does not align perfectly with the alphabetical logic, leaving some uncertainty about the full cause of the changes. Furthermore, the reason why only the three words “This certifies that” are set apart in a different font is believed to trace back to a former employee's programming preferences, though confirming this detail remains challenging.
City officials emphasized that the presence of Comic Sans on older inspection certificates should not raise safety concerns. These certificates reflect past inspections and may not represent the elevator’s current inspection status. Property owners or managers could be displaying older documents that predate recent assessments. To verify an elevator’s up-to-date inspection, Chicago residents are advised to contact the city’s 311 service or submit an online request.
As awareness of the issue grows, the Department of Buildings indicated plans to standardize the font on future certificates to present a more professional and reassuring tone. While the informal typeface may have sparked curiosity and even amusement, city officials stress that the priority remains clear communication of elevator safety to the public.