Chicago Building Permits: Which One, Who Files, What's Next

Chicago building permits are not one form. They are a handful of separate paths, and the path you land on depends on what you are building, who is doing the work, and whether the job needs an architect's drawings. Pick the wrong one and you lose time. Skip the permit and the City can stop your job, triple your fee and open a violation case. This guide walks the whole system in the order you will meet it, from "do I even need one" to "the inspector is coming."

If you only read one part, read this:

1. Check the City's no-permit list first. Some small repairs and site work are exempt. Most structural, roofing, masonry, porch and demolition work is not.
2. Match the job to a program. Most repair work goes through the Express Permit Program. Anything that needs drawings goes through Standard Plan Review or Self-Certification.
3. Check who is allowed to do and file the work. Chicago licenses general contractors, masons, roofers and expediters separately.
4. Get the permit before the first tool comes out. Work done first, permit later, is the expensive way.

Everything below explains why, with the City's own pages as the source. Rules and fees change, so confirm anything that affects your money with the Department of Buildings (DOB) before you commit.

Do you need a permit at all in Chicago?

Almost always, yes. The City's basic rule is that a building permit is required before you start most construction, demolition, rehabilitation and repair work (City of Chicago). A limited range of site work, nonstructural repairs, minor alterations and unoccupied structures is exempt, and even exempt work must still meet every construction code.

The exemptions are narrower than most owners assume. Here is what the City's own list says:

• Nonstructural repair. Repair needs no permit only if it does not involve cutting away part of an exterior wall, interior wall, partition, subfloor or roof, removing or cutting a structural beam, column or load-bearing support, changing required egress, or touching mechanical, electrical, plumbing or fuel gas systems. Exterior work on a landmark still needs a permit (City of Chicago).
• Small masonry and exterior swaps. On residential buildings up to four stories, in-kind replacement of up to 50 square feet of masonry, in-kind window and door replacement in the same opening, and in-kind siding need no permit. Roof repair on roofs with a pitch of at least 2:12 is also exempt, but structural roof repair and any low-slope work is not (City of Chicago).
• Patching a roof. Roof repair limited to 25 percent of the roof area needs no permit as long as no part of an exterior wall or roof is cut away (City of Chicago).
• Concrete flatwork. A concrete or brick sidewalk, patio or walkway on private property, not in the public way and not more than 30 inches above grade, is exempt, and so is in-kind replacement of a driveway (City of Chicago). The details live in our concrete and sidewalk guide.
• Fences and small walls. A fence up to 5 feet that conforms to zoning, and a retaining wall up to 4 feet with no surcharge (City of Chicago). More in Chicago fence permit rules.
• Shallow digging. No building permit for grading or excavation no deeper than 5 feet on private property, or 10 feet if not within 5 feet of a structure or the public way (City of Chicago).

Two things trip people up. First, "no permit" is not "no rules": exempt work still has to meet code, and a City inspector can still cite it. Second, "no permit" is not "no license": a general contractor license can still be required for work that needs no building permit (City of Chicago). We built a one-page worksheet so you can run your job against the list in a few minutes, and a longer breakdown of work that needs no permit with the catches spelled out.

Which Chicago permit program fits your job?

The City runs several permit programs, and DOB lists them together: the Express Permit Program, Standard Plan Review, Self-Certified Permit Application Program, Developer Services, and specialty permits for demolition, sewer, water, signs, elevators and tents (City of Chicago).

The Express Permit Program

Express is the one most owners of two-flats and three-flats will use. It launched November 6, 2023, and it replaced the old paper Easy Permit process along with the Solar Express and Short Form processes (City of Chicago). If a contractor or a website still tells you to "get an Easy Permit," they are working from retired information. We answer that exact question in Is Chicago's Easy Permit still a thing?.

The worktypes Express covers include masonry work, reroofing, porch, deck, balcony or fire escape repair, exterior window or door replacement, fences, detached frame garages, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, nonstructural interior alteration, preparatory demolition, scaffolding, small solar and emergency work (City of Chicago). Express is built for repair, not for changing the building. Each worktype has its own limits, and we cover the full picture in what Express covers and what it skips.

Standard Plan Review

When the job needs an architect's drawings, it goes through Standard Plan Review. DOB's published criteria include new construction up to 80 feet high, residential projects under 50 dwelling units, foundations and excavation not more than 12 feet deep, and removal of non-load-bearing interior partitions. An architect prepares the drawings, they go in through E-Plan, and every project needs zoning approval (City of Chicago). Read when you need drawings for how owners end up here.

Self-Certification

Self-Cert lets an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer who completed DOB's training seal the drawings and take responsibility for code compliance. Expediters are not allowed to assist with uploading self-certified applications (City of Chicago). Owners rarely start here themselves, because it depends on the design professional. Who qualifies and why explains the tradeoff.

Developer Services and specialty permits

Moderate to complex projects go through Developer Services, and demolition, sewer, water and similar work have their own specialty permits (City of Chicago). If you are tearing a building down, start with demolition in Chicago, because it is a multi-agency checklist and not a form and a fee.

Who is allowed to do the work and pull the permit?

This is where owners get burned. Chicago licenses contractors by trade, and a permit application can fail if the wrong license is on it.

General contractor license. A Chicago general contractor license is required for most construction, alteration, repair and demolition work, including work that is exempt from a building permit. Only one general contractor is allowed on a project at a time (City of Chicago). Classes run from A to E by project value, and Class E tops out at $500,000 with no demolition, with insurance minimums rising by class (City of Chicago). The license also carries the consumer protections of a home repair license, so a GC does not need a separate one (City of Chicago). Full explanation: who needs a GC license and who doesn't.

Mason license. Work in stone, concrete, terra cotta (which includes clay brick) or structural tile requires a City mason contractor license, and the business must employ a supervising mason who passed the City exam. Employees, not 1099 workers, work under the license (City of Chicago). Our masonry license article covers who can legally lay your brick.

Roofing license. Illinois law makes it unlawful to provide roofing services or hold yourself out as a roofing contractor without an IDFPR license (Illinois law). A reroofing application with an unlicensed roofer is not eligible for Express (City of Chicago). See the roof permit guide.

Architect or engineer. Most Express repair work needs no design professional. Any plan-based permit needs plans from an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer, usually an architect or structural engineer, and structural porch repair is one example (City of Chicago).

Owner as contractor. If the building is your primary residence, three stories or fewer with six or fewer units, you can act as your own contractor for one property per calendar year, except for demolition and excavation (City of Chicago). For Express permits the City asks for its owner-as-contractor form and a government ID showing you live there, and you take on responsibility for worker safety, inspections and code compliance (City of Chicago). Think hard before you sign up for that responsibility. Can you pull your own permit? lays out the rules, and who pulls the permit: you or your contractor covers how to split it.

Which permits does the building permit not cover?

A building permit does not cover everything your project touches. Three add-ons catch owners off guard.

Public way permits. If your job uses the street, alley, sidewalk or parkway, including scaffolding, a dumpster or stored materials, that is a separate permit from CDOT. Structures in the public way generally need a public way use permit from BACP, and trees or plants in the public way need a forestry permit from Streets and Sanitation (City of Chicago). We cover the most common version in Chicago public way permits and the dumpster question.

Hazard overlays. Landmark and proposed-landmark properties may not get the "no permit" exemptions at all. Lead-safe work practices, asbestos notification and dust control apply regardless, and masonry grinding may need a CDPH air quality permit (City of Chicago).

Which code applies. Permit applications started on or after August 1, 2020 fall under the 2019 Building Code or 2019 Building Rehabilitation Code (City of Chicago). That is why older websites that cite Chapter 13 of the old code can mislead you. The City's online permit portal itself still uses some pre-2019 terminology (City of Chicago), so do not be thrown if a screen looks dated.

Do I need an expediter?

A permit expediter is a licensed professional who files and tracks applications with the City on your behalf. Chicago expediters are licensed by BACP and must be associated with a licensed expediter company (City of Chicago). To start a plan-based permit application you must be an Illinois-licensed architect, a structural engineer or a City-licensed expediter (City of Chicago).

Whether you need one depends on the job:

• Simple Express repair. A licensed contractor can usually file this directly, and you may not need a separate expediter.
• Plan-based projects. Drawings, zoning review and multiple comment rounds are where an expediter earns their fee.
• Projects that stalled. A permit with open comments, an old stop work order or a missing license is easier to untangle with someone who files daily.

Read what Chicago permit expediters do and when to hire one, and what decides an expediter's fee. Our own expediting service works the same way: we prepare the application, track review, and answer DOB's comments, so your project does not sit in a queue. Expediters cannot assist with Self-Cert uploads, so ask your architect how that path works.

What happens after you apply?

Once the application is in, four things happen in order: review, comments, issuance and inspections.

Review and comments. DOB reviews the application, and for plan-based permits reviewers send comments you must answer before the permit issues. How to answer DOB's review comments is worth reading before your first round. We do not promise review timelines. What sets the clock is the quality of the submission, the program and the project's complexity, which is the subject of how long a Chicago permit takes.

Fees. Permit fees depend on the work and the program, and the City sets them in the Municipal Code. Eligible long-term senior homeowners (65 and older, meeting income criteria) can get a fee waiver for repairs and alterations on one-to-three-unit residential buildings they live in (City of Chicago). Confirm current fees and eligibility with DOB. We explain how fees are figured in Chicago permit fees, and the waiver in who qualifies for the senior fee waiver.

Inspections. The permit is not finished when it issues. Inspectors verify the work, and you need to schedule and pass them. See how to request an inspection and pass.

Expiration. Permits expire. An Express permit expires if the first inspection is not passed within 540 days (about 18 months) of when work may begin, and after a first inspection a follow-up must pass within 730 days of the last inspection. DOB says it has no legal authority to reinstate an expired permit (City of Chicago). If you are staring at a lapsed permit, read what you can and can't do.

Reading the record. You can search permit, inspection and violation records by address on the City's building records search. Do it before you hire anyone, and again after. How to read a permit lookup walks through what each field means.

What if it's an emergency?

The City allows emergency work that would normally need a permit to be done first when it is needed to prevent imminent harm. You must submit a permit application the next business day, you may not conceal the work without an inspector's approval, and emergency scaffolding needs an application within three business days (City of Chicago).

That is a narrow exception, not a loophole. A leak that will not wait is an emergency. A porch you have meant to fix for two years is not. We go through the edges in emergency repair: fix first, permit later?. If a ceiling is coming down or a stair is failing, make it safe, document it with photos, and call us at 312-339-9627 so we can start the paperwork the same day.

What happens if work goes in without a permit?

The City's FAQ is blunt. A City employee issues a stop work order and posts it. Work resumes only after the required permit is obtained and the stop-work penalty (listed as $1,000 or more) is paid. In most cases the permit fee is tripled, the City may start an enforcement case or lawsuit, and you may have to correct or remove the work at your own expense (City of Chicago). Check the current figures with DOB, since fines and fee rules change.

There is a longer tail too. DOB can suspend a professional's ability to submit new permit applications for repeated unpermitted work or for ignoring stop work orders (City of Chicago), which is one more reason to hire a contractor who files properly.

If the work is already done, the answer is not to hide it. The path back is to put it on the record. We walk through that in built without a permit in Chicago? It catches up and how to put it on the record. A stop work order has its own process, covered in what a Chicago stop work order means and how to lift it. If a violation notice is already on your desk, start with our Chicago building violations guide, and the question of whether the repair itself needs a permit.

How do I pick the right path for my job?

Run through these in order. They keep most owners out of trouble.

1. Describe the job in one sentence. "Replace the rear porch stairs," "tuckpoint the front elevation," "re-roof a flat roof." Vague jobs get vague permits.
2. Check the exemption list. If it fits one of the no-permit items above, you may be done, but still make sure the work meets code and the contractor is licensed.
3. Match the worktype. Masonry, reroofing, porch repair, windows, fence, garage, electrical, plumbing and similar repairs usually go through Express. Anything that adds to, enlarges or reconfigures a structure usually needs drawings.
4. Ask who files. A licensed contractor, a licensed expediter, an architect, or you as owner-contractor. Do not let the answer be "we'll take care of it."
5. Get the permit number in writing and look it up on the City's record search before work starts.
6. Plan the inspections. The job is not done until the final inspection passes.

Trade-specific rules sit in their own guides. For a porch, read Chicago porch permit rules. For brick repair, see do you need a permit to repair brick. For tuckpointing, see the tuckpointing permit explainer. Roofing is in the roof permit guide.

Not sure where your project lands? Our expediting team can read your notice or your plans and tell you which path you are on, and whether you need a licensed contractor, an architect or both. Request a free estimate or call 312-339-9627.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions come up repeatedly. The FAQ below answers them in short form, and the linked articles go deeper.

Common questions

This article explains general rules and common situations in Chicago. It is not legal advice, and City rules change. For a specific property, check with the Chicago Department of Buildings or a licensed professional.