Standard Plan Review is the Chicago Department of Buildings permit track for projects that need architectural plans. An Illinois-licensed architect (or, for many projects, a structural engineer) prepares the drawings, they are submitted through the City's E-Plan system, and the project also needs zoning approval. Smaller repair work usually goes through the Express Permit Program instead and needs no drawings.
Owners usually hit this wall in the middle of planning: a contractor says "this one needs plans," and nobody explains what that means. Standard Plan Review is the City's answer to a project that is too big or too structural for a repair-style permit. This is what the City says about it, who does the drawing, and how to tell which track your project belongs on. For the whole permit picture, start with the Chicago building permits guide.
What Standard Plan Review is
The Department of Buildings runs several permit programs. The City's permits page lists the Express Permit Program for most repair work and small improvements, Standard Plan Review as the main process when architectural plans are required, the Self-Certified Permit Application Program, and Developer Services for moderate to complex projects. There are also specialty permits for demolition, sewer, water, signs, elevators and tents.
So Standard Plan Review is not a special case. It is the default plan-based track. If the work needs drawings and does not fit one of the other tracks, this is where it goes.
What the City says it covers
The City's Standard Plan Review page lists the kinds of projects that belong in the program:
- New construction not greater than 80 feet high
- Non-residential projects up to 150,000 square feet
- Residential projects with fewer than 50 dwelling units
- Schools up to 60,000 square feet
- Foundations and excavation not more than 12 feet deep
- Removal of non-load-bearing interior partitions
Read that list the way a Chicago owner would. A new garage, a rear addition on a two-flat, a rebuilt foundation, or a gut of interior walls all sit in this territory. The page also says every project needs zoning approval, so the zoning question is part of the application, not a step you can skip.
Programs and limits change. Confirm the current criteria with the Department of Buildings before you plan around any number on that list.
Who has to prepare the drawings
Standard Plan Review requires an architect to prepare the drawings, and the submission goes in through the City's E-Plan system (City of Chicago). More broadly, the City says any plan-based permit requires plans prepared by an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer. For most projects that means an architect or a structural engineer. Professional engineers (PEs) are accepted only for a limited range of work (City of Chicago).
Who can start the application on your behalf is also limited. To open a plan-based permit application you must be an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer, or a City-licensed permit expediter (City of Chicago). A general contractor who is neither cannot start it for you. If you are weighing whether to hire help with the paperwork, read what a Chicago permit expediter does and what they cannot do.
You can check an architect or engineer's state license on the IDFPR lookup, and expediters and architects on the City's Permit Professionals lookup (City of Chicago).
When you do not need drawings
Most small repair work does not go this route. The City says that for most Express-eligible repair work, no architect or engineer documents are needed (City of Chicago). The Express list includes masonry work, reroofing, porch repair, window and door replacement, fences, detached frame garages and nonstructural interior alterations (City of Chicago). We break that program down in what the Express Permit covers and skips.
The drawings requirement also shows up inside repair categories at specific triggers. Replacing a masonry lintel over 6 feet needs drawings from an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer (City of Chicago). The City also lists concrete repair over 100 square feet, adding a roof layer over two or more existing layers, and roof structural repairs as drawing triggers (City of Chicago).
Here is the quick sort:
| Your project | Likely track |
|---|---|
| Tuckpointing, small masonry repair | Express Permit, no drawings |
| Porch repair, in-kind replacement | Express Permit, drawings for structural repair |
| Lintel over 6 feet, structural roof repair | Drawings from an architect or structural engineer |
| Addition, new garage, foundation work | Plan-based review with an architect |
| Architect-sealed drawings with DOB training | Self-certification, a separate track |
That table is a starting point, not a ruling. The Department of Buildings decides which track an application belongs on.
How this differs from self-certification
Self-certification is a separate program, and it is not for owners acting alone. A registered self-certification professional is an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer who completed DOB training, seals the drawings and takes full responsibility for code compliance (City of Chicago). Permit expediters are not allowed to help upload self-certified applications. We cover who qualifies in Chicago self-certification permits.
The practical difference for you: Standard Plan Review means City staff review the drawings. Self-certification moves that responsibility to the professional who sealed them.
On two-flats and three-flats, the plan-based track often enters the conversation when a repair turns into a change: a bearing wall comes out, a porch gets rebuilt bigger than it was, a rear stair moves. The owner expected a repair permit and learns the job needs an architect. Ask for the track and the drawing requirement in the estimate, before work is priced.
What to do before you apply
- Describe the work in one paragraph. Say what is being removed, added or moved.
- Ask your contractor which program the City will put it in, and why.
- If drawings are required, hire an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer first. Do not let a contractor start work on a "we'll sort the permit later" promise.
- Expect the City to send review comments. We explain how to answer them in how to respond to Chicago permit review comments.
- Ask the Department of Buildings about zoning early. Every project in this program needs it.
Starting plan-based work before the permit is issued exposes you to a stop work order. Under the City's rules, work resumes only after the required permit is obtained and the stop-work penalty is paid, the permit fee is tripled in most cases, and the City may open an enforcement case. You may also be made to correct or remove the work at your own expense (City of Chicago). Check the current numbers with the Department of Buildings.
Not sure which track your project is on? Our expediting team reads the scope, tells you what the City will ask for, and coordinates the architect and the filing.
Common questions
It is the Department of Buildings permit program for projects that need architectural plans. An Illinois-licensed architect prepares the drawings, they go in through the City's E-Plan system, and the project needs zoning approval. Smaller repairs usually use the Express Permit Program instead.
For a plan-based permit, yes: drawings by an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer, usually an architect or structural engineer. For most Express-eligible repairs, no. Specific triggers such as a lintel over 6 feet change that, so ask the Department of Buildings.
Not on their own. The City says a plan-based application must be started by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer, or by a City-licensed permit expediter. A contractor can be named on the permit, but the application path has those two doors.
No. Self-certification is a separate program where a trained, registered architect or structural engineer seals the drawings and takes full responsibility for code compliance. In Standard Plan Review, City staff review the drawings.
The City says every Standard Plan Review project needs zoning approval. Rules and limits change, so confirm what applies to your lot and scope with the Department of Buildings before you hire an architect or start work.
Sources
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: What Happens If I Start Work Without a Required Permit?
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Permits
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: Application Instructions
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Standard Plan Review Permit Program
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Self-Certified Permit Application Program
- City of Chicago: Express Permit Program: Masonry Work
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Permit Professional Lookup: Help
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: When Is a Licensed Architect or Engineer Required?
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings: Trade Licensing
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.