City building inspector Ken Jorgensen said that an apparent building code violation might have been at least partially responsible for the spread of the fire at the Renz Apartments. The code in effect when the apartments had been built in 1966 would have required at least one of the stairways to be enclosed. According the Jorgensen and the firemen, neither of the two stairways in the building had been enclosed. None of the 30 people in the building at the time of the blaze were able to exit successfully through the stairways, which had been rendered unusable by intense heat and smoke. Jorgensen said that his department would probably begin inspections soon of other apartment buildings in Lawrence to determine if the stairways were built in accordance with safety practices and code requirements.

The Lawrence City Commission approved an ordinance requiring that sidewalks be installed in newly developed areas at the same time the streets were paved. Under the old ordinance, sidewalks did not have to be placed in new developments until the area was 70 per cent completed or a year old.