Building Permit Fees in Chicago, IL (2026)

City of Chicago DOB – work not requiring a permit; Table 14A-12-1204.2 (source retrieved Sep 1, 2026). The official typical path is a Group R building of 4 stories or fewer, with roof pitch at least 2:12 and no structural work.

That path does not require a permit. No permit fee applies.

The low fee, the typical fee, and the high fee are each $0. The official typical project value is $12,000.

Listed assumed valuations are $8,000 low, $12,000 typical, and $22,000 high. Valuation is not an input, so those amounts are unused and do not change the $0 / $0 / $0 listed fees.

• Low $8,000: valuation is unused, so the low fee stays $0.
• Typical $12,000: valuation is unused, so the typical fee stays $0.
• High $22,000: valuation is unused, so the high fee stays $0.

If the exemption does not apply, the official extras stay informational and are not rolled into the low fee, the typical fee, or the high fee. Stand-alone roof replacement on Table 14A-12-1204.2 is $450 per area up to 5,000 sf.

Roof recover or roof repair on the no-tear-off path is $175. The plan-based structural reroof minimum on Table 14A-12-1204.3(4) RF 0.25 is $900.

Low-slope or flat roofs and any structural reroof need a permit. Area above 5,000 sf is not given a separate listed dollar on this row, and this note does not invent one or treat that area as the $900 structural minimum.

The same cited page also records that roof repair limited to 25% of a roof surface, without cutting away part of a wall or roof, does not require a permit on any building. That 25% path is not a separate listed fee on this row.

City of Chicago DOB – HVAC exemptions; Table 14A-12-1204.2 (source retrieved Sep 1, 2026). The official typical path is an in-kind furnace, boiler, or air conditioning appliance swap in a Group R building of 4 stories or fewer.

The cited Department of Buildings page treats repairing or replacing (in-kind) a furnace, a boiler, or an air conditioning appliance as work that does not require a building permit in a residential building up to 4 stories above grade. In-kind means the same type, size, and shape.

This row records that path as Group R of 4 stories or fewer. That path does not require a permit.

No permit fee applies. The low fee, the typical fee, and the high fee are each $0.

The official typical project value is $7,500. Listed assumed valuations are $5,000 low, $7,500 typical, and $16,000 high.

Valuation is not an input, so those amounts are unused and do not change the $0 / $0 / $0 listed fees.

• Low $5,000: valuation is unused, so the low fee stays $0.
• Typical $7,500: valuation is unused, so the typical fee stays $0.
• High $16,000: valuation is unused, so the high fee stays $0.

If the exemption does not apply, the official extras stay informational and are not rolled into the low fee, the typical fee, or the high fee. The in-kind equipment stand-alone fee on Table 14A-12-1204.2 is $75 per equipment type per dwelling unit.

New AC serving one unit on Table 14A-12-1204.2 is $150. New AC, not-in-kind equipment, rooftop units, or buildings over 4 stories need a permit.

Those listed extras stay outside the $0 totals, and this note does not invent a fee beyond the official $75 and $150 lines.

Chicago 2026 Amended Building Permit Fee Tables; Table 14A-12-1204.2; EPP porch instructions (source retrieved Sep 1, 2026). The official typical path is a new deck.

The EPP porch instructions say the Express Permit Program cannot be used for an entirely new structure, and adding a new deck where one does not already exist requires a plan-based building permit. Express still sends new structures to plan-based review.

The fee is a flat amount. A permit is required on that typical path.

The low fee is $300, the typical fee is $602, and the high fee is $602. The official typical project value is $12,000.

Listed assumed valuations are $8,000 low, $12,000 typical, and $19,200 high. Valuation is not an input on these flat paths, so those amounts are unused and do not change the $300 / $602 / $602 listed fees.

• Low $8,000: valuation is unused, so the low fee stays $300.

That $300 is the Table 14A-12-1204.2 stand-alone line for a new deck no more than 6 feet above the ground. The official stand-alone extra is that $300 line.

It is the official low, not the typical. A zoning fee is also required on that stand-alone line.

The zoning amount is not in the DOB tables, so this note does not invent a zoning dollar and does not add one to the low fee, the typical fee, or the high fee.

• Typical $12,000: valuation is unused, so the typical fee stays $602.

The 2026 Amended Fee Tables set a plan-based minimum of $602. The official extra says CF x RF x A for a 300 sf Type V deck is $66, so the $602 floor applies.

That $602 is included as the typical and is not added on top of the $300 low.

• High $19,200: valuation is unused, so the high fee stays $602.

The high is the same plan-based minimum. The $602 high is not added again on top of the typical.

Cosmetic board replacement with no violation is the cosmetic exemption in the caveat. The city's published no-permit list treats replacing (in-kind) a non-structural element such as a deck board, stair tread, or railing picket, when there is no building violation, as work that does not require a building permit.

That cosmetic exemption is not the official typical path. It is not the low fee, the typical fee, or the high fee, and this note does not add a $0 line.

This note does not invent a fee beyond the official $300 and $602 totals.

Chicago Table 14A-12-1204.2 stand-alone fees; 2026 Amended Fee Tables (source retrieved Sep 1, 2026). The official typical path is a stand-alone interior alteration of 2,000 square feet or less in one unit, with no change of occupancy and no change to load-bearing elements or means of egress.

Table 14A-12-1204.2 prices that stand-alone scope at $500. The fee is a flat amount.

A permit is required on that typical path. The low fee is $0, the typical fee is $500, and the high fee is $602.

The official typical project value is $35,000. Listed assumed valuations are $15,000 low, $35,000 typical, and $75,000 high.

Valuation is not an input on these flat paths, so those amounts are unused and do not change the $0 / $500 / $602 listed fees.

• Low $15,000: valuation is unused, so the low fee stays $0.

The low path is the cosmetic exemption for cabinets, counters, or paint with no plumbing or electrical connections, and that path is the official the low fee of $0. The city's published no-permit list treats painting, wallpapering, tiling, carpeting, installing cabinets or countertops, or similar finish work, without plumbing or electrical connections, as work that does not require a building permit.

• Typical $35,000: valuation is unused, so the typical fee stays $500.

That $500 is the Table 14A-12-1204.2 stand-alone line for an interior alteration of 2,000 square feet or less in one unit, and the official extra is included as the typical. The caveat also records a $250 stand-alone line for an interior alteration of 500 square feet or less, with no change of occupancy and no change to load-bearing elements or means of egress.

That $250 line is not the low fee, the typical fee, or the high fee. The official typical stays the $500 path, and this note does not add the $250 line.

• High $75,000: valuation is unused, so the high fee stays $602.

Gutting walls is the plan-based Level 2 path. The 2026 Amended Fee Tables set a plan-based minimum of $602, and that minimum is the official high.

The $602 extra is included as the high and is not added on top of the typical. This note does not compute a CF x RF x A product, because valuation is unused and no separate area product is listed on this row.

Plumbing fixture replacement with no in-wall piping is an official extra of $75. Electrical work on existing circuits is an official extra of $75.

Those $75 extras are not rolled into the low fee, the typical fee, or the high fee. A zoning fee is extra on the stand-alone alteration lines and is not in the DOB tables, so this note does not invent a zoning dollar.

This note does not invent a fee beyond the official $0, $500, and $602 totals and the official $75 extras.