Chicago building permits & contractor rules
12,136 trade leads available now
Top trades: Electrical, Framing steel, Painting
☆ Add Chicago to favorites| Permit office | Chicago Department of Buildings |
|---|---|
| Address | City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 900, Chicago, IL 60602 |
| Hours | 9th-floor front desk Mon–Fri 8:30 am–4:30 pm (questions and document drop-off; no walk-in permit processing) |
| Phone | 312-744-3449 |
| Fee schedule | Building permit fee calculator and fee tables |
| Our data source | Chicago Data Portal: Building Permits |
Contractor licensing
- City: a Chicago general contractor license (Classes A–E by project value) is required for most construction, alteration, repair and demolition work. (source)
Bonding & insurance
- General liability by license class: A $5M, B $3M, C $2M per occurrence, down to E; insurer authorized in Illinois and rated B+ or better by A.M. Best (Municipal Code 4-36-090). (source)
Last checked Oct 2026. Lead count generated Oct 14, 2026 18:40 UTC from our live database. This page is for information only and is not legal advice. Requirements change: always verify with the city and state agencies linked here before bidding or starting work.