Chicago permits
By Mario Bailey Last checked 2026-07-12 · 1 official source
Verified against official sourcesChicago Department of Buildings
- 121 N. LaSalle St., 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602
- Email: dob-info@cityofchicago.org
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Chicago
Chicago lets you look up permit records and application status for a property online. The official gateway to the public Building Permit and Inspection Records search.
Look up Chicago permit records
Or search the Chicago permit portal
Planning a project in Chicago?
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?
Planning several things at once? Check your whole project
Schedule an inspection in Chicago
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. Contractors and owner-builders request all permit-related inspections through the online forms on this page.
Schedule or request a Chicago inspection
Checked 2026-07-12. If the office has changed its process, report it.
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Real permit outcomes in Chicago
Based on 5,329 residential permits issued in Chicago between 2025-07-12 and 2026-07-12: the median permit fee paid was $1,142; the median declared project value was $118,600; permits typically took 57 days to issue.
Source: City of Chicago building permits (open data), fetched 2026-07-12. Figures are medians of actual issued-permit records, not a quote.
Permitting activity in Chicago
In 2024, Chicago authorized permits for 4,371 new residential housing units (325 single-family, 4,046 in multi-family buildings), valued at $1.1B , up from3,616 the year before. That works out to about 1.6 permits per 1,000 residents. It is a useful gauge of how busy the local permit office is.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual data · population 2,677,643.
About Chicago
Chicago has about 1,268,199 housing units. The median home is valued at $315,200, against a median household income of $75,134. About 46% of homes are owner-occupied, and the typical home was built around 1952. Older housing stock usually means more renovation, electrical, and plumbing permits.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year.