The Express Permit Program is the Chicago Department of Buildings' online system for most repair work, some small improvements and administrative changes. It launched November 6, 2023 and replaced the paper Easy Permit process. Worktypes include masonry, reroofing, porch and deck repair, window and door replacement, fences, garages, scaffolding and more. Jobs that are new, larger, or need more engineering usually fall outside Express and go to Standard Plan Review or another track. Confirm current rules with DOB.
If you have a repair job on a Chicago building, the Express Permit Program is probably the first door you will knock on. It is the City's online track for repair-type work, and it is also where a lot of applications get bounced for trying to use it on something that is too big. Here is what Express is, what it covers, and what it leaves out.
What is the Chicago Express Permit Program?
DOB runs several permit programs. The Express Permit Program is the web platform for most repair work, some small improvements and administrative changes. The others include Standard Plan Review (the main process when architectural plans are required), Self-Certified Permit Application Program, Developer Services for moderate to complex projects, and specialty permits for demolition, sewer, water, signs, elevators and tents (DOB Permits).
Express launched on November 6, 2023. It replaced the old paper Easy Permit process, the Solar Express process and the Short Form process, and it added five more worktypes on September 16, 2024 (DOB Express Permit Program). "Easy Permit" is a retired name. If a contractor or a website still uses it, they are working from old information. See is Chicago's Easy Permit still a thing.
Which jobs does Express cover?
The City's list of Express worktypes includes (City of Chicago):
- Masonry work
- Reroofing
- Porch, deck, balcony or fire escape repair
- Exterior window or door replacement
- Fence or trash enclosure
- Detached frame garage
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical
- Interior alteration (non-structural)
- Preparatory demolition
- Scaffolding
- Small-scale solar PV
- Other (emergency) work
That is the menu. Each worktype has its own page with its own limits, and the limits matter more than the list. Three examples show how that works.
What does Express cover for masonry?
For masonry, Express lists "routine maintenance and repair for masonry walls, such as tuckpointing, up to 50,000 square feet of work." It also covers replacing the outer wythe (layer) of a wall, replacing a lintel up to 6 feet, and rebuilding a masonry parapet wall up to 2,500 square feet (Express masonry page).
It skips new masonry structures, rebuilding all wythes of an exterior wall, replacing a lintel over 25 feet, rebuilding a parapet taller than 48 inches, and reconfiguring concrete elements. A lintel over 6 feet (up to 25) needs drawings from an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer, and so does concrete repair over 100 square feet. Express handles concrete repair up to 5,000 square feet when drawings are included (Express masonry page). See do you need a permit for tuckpointing for the tuckpointing side.
What does Express cover for roofing?
Express covers roof repair limited to 25% of the roof area, roof recover over one existing layer, and roof replacement with no structural work. With drawings by an Illinois architect or structural engineer, it also covers adding a layer over two or more existing layers and structural repairs to the roof structure.
It does not cover work by anyone without a valid Illinois roofing contractor license, a building with an unpermitted rooftop feature such as an unpermitted roof deck, materials or methods that do not meet Building Code minimums, or work that does not meet the Energy Transformation Code insulation minimums (Express reroofing page). The roof deck item catches people off guard. The roof is eligible only if the building has no unpermitted rooftop feature.
What does Express cover for porches?
Express allows repair of existing porches, including replacing up to 50% of an existing single-story porch of conventional materials, and in-kind replacement. With architect or structural engineer drawings it also allows replacing wood with steel, replacing railings to meet current guard height and opening size, and reinforcing members to meet current minimums.
It does not allow new structures, structures that are larger, smaller or in a different place or configuration, legalizing or rebuilding something built without a permit, replacing steel with wood, or enclosed porches (Express porch page). Those need a plan-based permit. For the full porch picture, see when you need a Chicago porch permit.
What does Express skip overall?
Express is a repair program. The pattern across worktypes is the same:
| Fits Express | Usually does not |
|---|---|
| Repair or in-kind replacement of what exists | New structures |
| Work within the stated size limits | Work over those limits |
| Jobs where drawings are not needed, or are included | Jobs that need engineered design beyond what Express allows |
| Properties with no unpermitted features at issue | Legalizing or rebuilding unpermitted work |
If your job falls into the right-hand column, ask DOB about Standard Plan Review, which is the main track when architectural plans are required. See Chicago Standard Plan Review: when you need drawings.
Express also does not cover everything that needs no permit at all. Some work is exempt from the permit requirement entirely. We list it in Chicago work that needs no permit.
Who can apply?
A licensed contractor usually applies. An owner can act as their own contractor on a primary residence of three stories or fewer and six or fewer units, one property per calendar year. The Express masonry and reroofing pages ask for Form 401 and a government ID showing the owner lives at the property (City of Chicago). Mason license rules have an owner exception along the same lines (City of Chicago). Read owner-contractor rules before you decide to pull your own.
If you hire a permit expediter, know that expediters are not allowed to assist with uploading self-certified applications (DOB Self-Certification). Express and Standard Plan Review are different. Ask any expediter which program your job goes through.
Owners often assume Express means "fast and easy" and try to push a larger job through it. The problem is not the paperwork, it is the scope. A porch rebuild that changes the footprint, or a roof job that quietly includes structural repair, gets sent to a different track after the owner has already lost weeks.
Do Express permits expire?
Yes. An Express permit expires if the first inspection is not passed within 540 days, about 18 months, of when work may begin. After a first inspection, a follow-up must pass within 730 days of the last inspection. DOB says it does not have legal authority to reinstate an expired permit (City of Chicago). Program rules change, so confirm current details with DOB.
If you use the wrong track, the application can be rejected or sent back, and you lose time. If you skip the permit, you risk a stop work order, a tripled permit fee and having to redo work at your own expense. Rules and amounts change, so ask DOB for current numbers.
Where Akats fits
Picking the right track and filling out the application correctly is the unglamorous part of a repair. Our expediting team works with Express and the other DOB tracks. For the full map of Chicago permits, start with the Chicago building permits guide.
Common questions
It is the Department of Buildings' web platform for most repair work, some small improvements and administrative changes. It launched November 6, 2023 and replaced the paper Easy Permit process. Worktypes include masonry, reroofing, porch repair, windows and doors, fences and scaffolding.
No. The Express Permit Program replaced the paper Easy Permit process, the Solar Express process and the Short Form process on November 6, 2023. Easy Permit is a retired name.
Generally new structures and work over the stated limits. For masonry, new masonry structures and rebuilding all layers of an exterior wall are out. For porches, new, enclosed, resized or previously unpermitted structures are out. Those go to a plan-based permit.
Sometimes. Many Express jobs need no drawings. Some do: a lintel over 6 feet, concrete repair over 100 square feet, and certain roof and porch work call for drawings by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer. Check each worktype page.
An Express permit expires if the first inspection is not passed within 540 days, about 18 months, of when work may begin. After a first inspection, a follow-up must pass within 730 days of the last one. DOB cannot reinstate an expired permit.
Sources
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Permits
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Express Permit Program
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: Application Instructions
- City of Chicago: Express Permit Program: Masonry Work
- City of Chicago: Express Permit Program: Reroofing
- City of Chicago: Express Permit Program: Porch, Deck, Balcony, or Fire Escape Repair
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Porch and Deck Safety
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: Mason Contractor License FAQ
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: Does My Building Permit Expire?
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Self-Certified Permit Application Program
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: What Happens If I Start Work Without a Required Permit?
Facts last checked: October 7, 2026.
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.