Covered Porch in Chicago: Do You Need a Permit?

If you are asking whether you need a permit to build a covered porch, the answer is almost certainly yes. What changes is which kind of permit, and that decides how much paperwork and who has to draw it.

Is a new covered porch an Express permit job?

No. The City's Express Permit page for porch repair says Express is allowed for repair of existing structures and in-kind replacement. It says Express is not allowed for new structures, for structures that are larger, smaller, or in a different location or configuration, for legalizing or rebuilding something built without a permit, or for enclosed porches (City of Chicago Express porch page). Those jobs need a plan-based permit.

A covered porch built from scratch is a new structure. A roof added to an open porch that never had one changes the structure too. Both belong on the plan-based side.

What counts as repair, and what needs a permit anyway?

The Department of Buildings (DOB) draws the line on its porch safety page:

• No permit: routine maintenance such as power washing or painting.
• No permit, if you have no violation: replacing non-structural pieces like deck boards, stair treads and railing pickets.
• No permit: repairing or replacing a residential porch less than 6 feet off the ground with no more than 50 square feet of landing.
• Always a permit: repairing or replacing structural elements such as columns, beams, foundations, stringers and floor joists, with plans by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer.

So even a repair on an existing covered porch turns into a permit job the moment it touches a post, beam or joist. Express covers replacing up to 50% of an existing single-story porch built of conventional materials. Anything bigger or different is plan-based (City of Chicago).

Who draws the plans?

Any plan-based permit requires plans prepared by an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer, and for most projects that means an architect or a structural engineer (City of Chicago). Your contractor should coordinate this with you. We can bring in the design side through our porch team so the drawings and the build are not two separate headaches.

What if it was built without a permit?

Rebuilding or legalizing something built without a permit is also on the City's not-Express list (PORCH-07). If the City finds work underway without a required permit, it can post a stop work order, and the permit fee can be tripled in most cases (City of Chicago). Fees and rules change, so confirm current details with DOB.

What to do before you build

1. Decide whether it is a repair of what exists or something new, bigger or enclosed.
2. If it is new, plan on drawings from an architect or structural engineer first.
3. Ask DOB what else applies to your lot before you commit to a design.
4. Get the permit number from whoever pulls it, and look it up yourself.

For the full permit picture, read the Chicago porch permit guide. If you are thinking of closing in a back porch, see enclosing a back porch. To understand when drawings are required, see porch drawings in Chicago. For the bigger picture, our Chicago porch guide walks through repair, rebuild and the rules.

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.