Chicago

As part of the City’s sustainability program, the Department of Buildings (DOB) offers expedited permitting for residential, commercial and industrial building projects that meet certain criteria. In addition to fast-tracking, projects achieving exceptional sustainability may be eligible for a fee waiver up to $25,000. Projects that include green technologies (green roofs, rainwater harvesting, solar panels, solar thermal panels, wind turbine and geothermal systems) are required to be submitted through the Green Permit Program. This metric tracks the average number of days DOB takes to process individual Green Permits, grouped by the week the permit was processed. The target average process time is within 71 days.

With a goal of reviewing landmark permits in one-day, the department strives to meet this goal no less than 95% of the time. The Historic Preservation Division staffs the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and reviews all permit applications for work involving designated and proposed Chicago landmarks and landmark districts.

Customers applying for a Building permit will create a web-based on-line Building permit application. As part of an initial review within the Building permit process, the zoning plan examination will be conducted to ensure compliance with the City of Chicago’s Zoning Ordinance which regulates land use. The applicant is able to schedule and be seen by a zoning plan examiner on average within two (2) business days from the date of the on-line application. An applicant may receive zoning approval within the first scheduled appointment if they have followed the instructions and do not require administrative relief for their project. If administrative relief or corrections are required, the applicant can re-submit the application for immediate review and approval upon completion of the corrections or administrative process. An applicant typically requires two plan review visits before the Department of Housing and Economic Development is able to approve the zoning part of the building permit.

The Developer Services Review Program is designed to meet the special needs of owners, developers, architects and contractors working on moderately- to highly-complex construction or renovation projects. Eligible projects include high-rise buildings, mercantile buildings with more than 150,000 square feet, other occupancies with more than 80,000 square feet, buildings with foundations deeper than 12 feet, and residential projects that contain more than 25 units. This metric tracks the average number of days DOB takes to process individual Developer Services Permits, grouped by the week the permit was processed. The target average process time is within 89 days. Click here for more information about DOB’s Developer Services Program.

The Easy Permit Process allows home and building owners to obtain a permit to repair or replace the same or existing elements of a building, without making any changes to the structure of the building. Eligible projects include repairing or replacing drywall, flooring, fences, sheds or garages. This metric tracks the average number of days DOB takes to process individual Easy Permits, grouped by the week the permit was processed. The target process time is within 1.3 days. For more information about the Easy Permitting process, go to http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/bldgs/provdrs/permit_proc.html.

The Department of Building (DOB) issues building permits to give individuals, insurance companies, neighbors and the City assurance that specific minimum standards are met in constructing, repairing or altering buildings by complying with the Chicago Building Code. This metric tracks the average number of days DOB takes to process Standard Plan Review Program building permits, grouped by the week the permit was processed. The target process time is within 53 days. The Standard Plan Review Program is designed for small to mid-sized construction or renovation projects requiring drawings. Eligible projects include buildings up to 80 feet high, institutional or mercantile properties under 100,000 square feet, residential properties of up to 12 units, and foundations no deeper than 12 feet. For more information, go to http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/bldgs/supp_info/overview_of_the_standardplanreviewpermitprogram.html.

Current permitted street closures in Chicago by location, date and type. Closures due to construction or other work being performed in the thoroughfare are indicated by the “Street Full Closure” permit type. Street closure permits are also granted for festivals, athletic events, block parties, parades, and movie or other filming. Data Owner: Transportation. Time Period: All closure permits for current day. Frequency: Data is updated daily. Related Applications: Today’s Street Closures (http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/StreetClosure/org/cityofchicago/streetclosure/cdot/getreport.do).

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) reviews applications for public right-of-way use permits, including parades. This dataset includes Parade Permits applied for, issued, amended and expired with permit start dates beginning January 1, 2011. Note a permit may be amended if any details are changed after the initial issuance. For more information about Public Right-of-Way Use Permits, go to http://bit.ly/w6VtJ9. You may also find more information about downtown (http://bit.ly/z1wYMG) and neighborhood (http://bit.ly/yonqCJ) parades on Explore Chicago, the City's Official Tourism Site.

Fees waived since January 1, 2012 by building permit. If you believe that any information in the published public data sets concerning your organization or business contains confidential information or has been published in error, please contact dataportal@cityofchicago.org so that we may address your concerns. Data Owner: Buildings. Time Period: January 1, 2012 to present. Update Frequency: Data is updated as needed.

This dataset includes applications for use of Daley Center Plaza, starting in 2012. The data includes the name of the requesting organization, the date each permit was requested and its status. A copy of the Regulations and Procedures for the Daley Plaza can be downloaded at: http://www.pbcchicago.com/content/contact/location_map.asp.

This Chicago Park District dataset includes information about event permits requested through the Chicago Park District, including the name of applicant, the name of the event and a brief description, contact information, time of event including set-up and tear-down times, the name of the Park and location, and estimated number of event attendees. Additional information may be included depending on the type of the event, including proof of insurance, route maps for all races and runs, security plans and medical services and required city documents. Permit levels issued by the Department of Revenue include picnic levels, athletic levels, corporate levels, media levels, promotions levels, and festivals/performances levels. For more information, visit http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/permits-and-rentals/.

Permits issued by the Department of Buildings in the City of Chicago from 2006 to the present. The dataset for each year contains more than 65,000 records/rows of data and cannot be viewed in full in Microsoft Excel. Therefore, when downloading the file, select CSV from the Export menu. Open the file in an ASCII text editor, such as Wordpad, to view and search. Data fields requiring description are detailed below. PERMIT TYPE: "New Construction and Renovation" includes new projects or rehabilitations of existing buildings; "Other Construction" includes items that require plans such as cell towers and cranes; "Easy Permit" includes minor repairs that require no plans; "Wrecking/Demolition" includes private demolition of buildings and other structures; "Electrical Wiring" includes major and minor electrical work both permanent and temporary; "Sign Permit" includes signs, canopies and awnings both on private property and over the public way; "Porch Permit" includes new porch construction and renovation (defunct permit type porches are now issued under "New Construction and Renovation" directly); "Reinstate Permit" includes original permit reinstatements; "Extension Permits" includes extension of original permit when construction has not started within six months of original permit issuance. WORK DESCRIPTION: The description of work being done on the issued permit, which is printed on the permit. PIN1 – PIN10: A maximum of ten assessor parcel index numbers belonging to the permitted property. PINs are provided by the customer seeking the permit since mid-2008 where required by the Cook County Assessor’s Office. CONTRACTOR INFORMATION: The contractor type, name, and contact information. Data includes up to 15 different contractors per permit if applicable. Data Owner: Buildings. Time Period: January 1, 2006 to present. Frequency: Data is updated daily. Related Applications: Building Data Warehouse (https://webapps.cityofchicago.org/buildingviolations/violations/searchaddresspage.html).

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) reviews applications for permits for the temporary use of the public way for construction projects, parades, festivals, block parties, athletic events, etc.This dataset includes permits applied for, issued, amended and expired with permit start dates beginning January 1, 2011. Note a permit may be amended if any details are changed after the initial issuance. For more information about Public Right-of-Way Use Permits, go to http://bit.ly/15ypkkL.