Chicago Building Permit Search 2026: Records, Status & Inspections

Chicago, Illinois · 2026 permit records guide

Search Chicago Building Permits, Application Status and Inspection Records

Looking for a Chicago building permit can feel more complicated than it should because the City does not use one single search page for every stage of a project. An issued permit, an application still under review, an old inspection, and a new inspection request may each belong in a different City of Chicago system.

The easiest approach is to first decide what you are trying to find. If you want an issued building permit, use the Chicago Building Permits Search. If you are an applicant trying to see why a permit has not been issued yet, use the Building Permit Application Status system. If you want the permit and inspection history connected to a property, use the Building Permit and Inspection Records search.

Which Chicago Permit Search Should You Use?

Do not assume that a “no results” message in one system means there has never been a permit for the property. Each database has a different purpose, date range and set of records.

How to Search Chicago Building Permits by Address

For ordinary property research, start with the City’s issued-permit search. The Department of Buildings dataset contains permits issued from 2006 to the present and is updated regularly. The City states that permits later voided or revoked after issuance are excluded from this issued-permit dataset.

1. Open the official Chicago Building Permits Search.
2. Use the available filters and enter the street number and street name for the Chicago property.
3. If you already know the permit number, use it instead. A permit-number search is usually more precise than a broad address search.
4. Review the permit type, status or milestone where available, application and issue dates, work description and other displayed fields.
5. If several permits appear, compare the work description and dates to identify the project you are researching.

What Information Can a Chicago Permit Record Show?

The City’s building-permit dataset contains far more than a permit number. Depending on the record and permit type, available fields can include:

• Permit number
• Permit status
• Permit milestone
• Permit type
• Review type
• Application start date
• Issue date
• Processing time
• Property address
• Type of work
• Description of authorized work
• Permit conditions or reviewing-department comments
• Parcel index number information where available
• Contractor names, contractor type and related contractor information

This makes the City dataset useful for homeowners, buyers, architects, contractors, researchers and anyone trying to understand what construction activity was authorized at a particular Chicago address.

How to Check a Chicago Building Permit Application Status

If a permit has not been issued yet, the issued-permit dataset may not answer the question you really have. Use the City’s Building Permit Application Status system instead.

The City says this system generally provides information about applications started during the previous 36 months. Older permit applications and older issued permits may not appear there.

1. Open the official Building Permit Application Status page.
2. Accept the City’s terms of use when prompted.
3. Enter the building permit application number if you have it.
4. If you do not know the number, search using the property address, but expect less information.
5. Open the status results and review the permit type, review program, project description, reviews, corrections and holds.
6. If you are the applicant, pay special attention to any item marked incomplete, denied or subject to an unresolved hold.

What does a Chicago permit application number look like?

According to the City’s current status-search instructions, many building permit application numbers are nine digits and begin with 1. Some applications use a 10-character number beginning with B2. Applications in certain Developer Services workflows may use a number beginning with D and containing a hyphen.

Because the permit system has changed over time, copy the number exactly as it appears on your application, City email, plan-review notice or permit paperwork.

How to Understand Reviews, Corrections and Holds

Seeing a permit application in the system does not mean it is ready for issuance. The status page can show individual reviews and holds attached to the application.

A particularly useful detail is that zoning works differently from many other reviews. The City’s status guidance says zoning must generally show Approved or Waived. A zoning status of conditionally approved should not be treated the same way as a conditional approval from another review discipline.

Open Corrections and Completed Corrections

If you search with the permit application number, the City may provide more detailed pages for corrections.

Open Corrections are unresolved issues and can prevent the application from proceeding to permit issuance. Completed Corrections are items that have been resolved and include the date they were completed.

This is one reason an application-number search is much more useful to the applicant than simply typing the street address.

ProjectDox Status Reports for Plan-Based Permits

For qualifying applications involving plans prepared by an architect or engineer, such as new construction or renovation/alteration projects, the permit-status system can provide access to a real-time ProjectDox status report while the application remains under review.

The report can contain practical information such as:

• Current ProjectDox status
• Assigned Department of Buildings project staff
• Zoning coordination information
• Files uploaded to the project
• File dates and version history
• Individual review results
• Reviewer comments
• Important review dates
• Task-routing history
• Open review tasks
• Checklist comments and electronic plan-review annotations where applicable

If your permit appears to be “stuck,” this report can be far more useful than simply looking at a general status label because it helps identify which review or correction is still open.

How to Search Chicago Permit and Inspection History

The City also operates a separate Building Permit and Inspection Records system. This is useful when you are researching the history of an existing building rather than only tracking a current application.

1. Open the Building Permit and Inspection Records page.
2. Read the City’s database notice.
3. Select that you accept the terms to continue.
4. Search for the Chicago property.
5. Review the available permit and inspection entries associated with the property.
6. Open individual records when you need more detail about a particular inspection.

How to Request a Chicago Building Inspection

If you are working under an active permit and need a required Department of Buildings inspection, the City provides an online inspection-request form.

1. Open the official Chicago DOB Inspection Request.
2. Enter your permit number and property address.
3. Choose the appropriate inspection option and inspection type.
4. Enter the name, telephone number and email address of the person who will be available for the inspection.
5. Select your requested inspection date when applicable and provide useful comments about access or the work being inspected.
6. Submit one request and keep confirmation information for your records.

The City states that ordinary inspection requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis unless an appointment is requested for a particular date.

If you need to reschedule or cancel an already scheduled inspection, the City’s form says the request must be submitted at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment time.

Can You View Inspection Results Online?

Yes, depending on the permit and system involved. Existing property inspection history can be researched through the Building Permit and Inspection Records database. For projects handled through the City’s newer online permit workflows, inspection status and results may also appear within the applicable permit account.

Chicago’s Express Permit Program is web based and allows customers to apply, monitor status, pay fees and view inspection information for supported permit types.

If your property is in a nearby municipality instead of Chicago, do not use Chicago’s inspection form. For example, permit and inspection procedures for Berwyn are covered separately in our Berwyn Building Department guide.

Search the Inspection, Permitting & Licensing Portal

The City’s Inspection, Permitting & Licensing Portal also offers an application/permit search.

You can search supported records using:

• Permit or application number, or
• Address and date information.

The portal itself warns that not every permit or application type is available through that search page. If a record does not appear there, return to the Department of Buildings permit-status system or issued-permit dataset rather than assuming the permit does not exist.

Permit Issue Date Does Not Always Mean You Can Start Work

One detail in Chicago’s permit data is easy to overlook. For most permit types, the listed issue date can represent the date the City determined that the permit was ready to issue, subject to payment of the applicable permit fee.

The City states that work under a permit may not begin until the applicable permit fee has been paid. For Express Permit Program permits, the issue date reflects issuance based on full payment of the applicable fee.

If you are a property owner or contractor, verify that the permit is actually valid for work before construction begins rather than relying only on a date shown in a public search result.

Chicago Building Violations vs. Building Permits

A permit search and a violation search answer different questions. A permit shows construction or other work that was applied for or authorized. A violation records an issue identified through Department of Buildings enforcement or inspection activity.

The City’s Building Violations dataset contains Department of Buildings violations from 2006 forward and is updated regularly.

Violation records can be associated with complaint inspections, periodic inspections, permit inspections and registration-related inspections. More than one violation can be connected to a single inspection.

Why a Permit May Not Appear in Your Search

If you cannot locate the permit you expected to find, check these possibilities before giving up:

• Wrong database: you may be searching issued permits when the application is still under review.
• Address formatting: check the street direction, spelling and property number.
• Application-status date limit: the status system generally covers applications started during the previous 36 months.
• Issued-permit dataset period: the primary public issued-permit dataset begins in 2006.
• Revoked or voided permit: the City’s issued-permit dataset excludes permits voided or revoked after issuance.
• Different jurisdiction: the address may actually be in another municipality.
• Different permit system: not every permit/application category is available through every City portal.

When researching another Cook County community, use that municipality’s system. For example, properties in Calumet City follow a separate local process explained in our Calumet City permit and inspection guide.

What to Do When an Application Is Not Moving

If you are the applicant, do more than repeatedly refresh the status page. Use the information shown to identify the actual bottleneck.

1. Search by the full application number rather than only the address.
2. Look for blank or incomplete review activities.
3. Open the corrections section and identify unresolved reviewer comments.
4. Check whether an unresolved hold is listed.
5. For plan-based projects, review the ProjectDox status report and task-routing information.
6. Confirm that all contractors connected to the application have valid licensing and required insurance information on file where applicable.
7. Contact the architect, engineer or expediter responsible for a plan-based application when detailed E-Plan access is needed.

The permit-status system can show applicant information and, for City-licensed contractors, licensing status. An expired or inactive license or missing current insurance can prevent permit issuance.

Chicago Department of Buildings Help

For questions about a permit application that cannot be resolved through the public search tools, the City’s status guidance lists:

Before You Rely on a Chicago Permit Record

Public permit data is extremely useful, but it has limits. A permit can tell you what work was authorized and who was connected to the application, but it does not automatically prove that the work happened, passed every inspection or remains code compliant today.

For serious decisions such as purchasing property, resolving unpermitted construction, closing a permit, starting new work or responding to enforcement activity, compare the permit record with inspection information and the current physical condition of the property.

If you are planning new construction or repairs rather than researching an old record, first review the City’s Building Permit Application Instructions. Chicago requires permits before most construction, demolition and repair work, although limited minor work can qualify for an exemption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Information reviewed: October 23, 2026. This independent guide explains public City of Chicago permit and inspection resources and is not operated by the City of Chicago. Permit procedures, online systems and records can change; official City records control for an individual project.