Chicago building permit lookup

By address

1. Open Search Building Department Records and choose “Get Started”.
2. Accept the user agreement and enter the address.
3. You’ll see the address range, building details, building permits, enforcement cases, inspections and any violations cited by the Department of Buildings.

By contractor

1. Open the Building Permits dataset on the City of Chicago Data Portal.
2. Filter one of the contact name columns by the contractor’s name, as it appears on the City license.
3. Each row is a permit, with its issue date, address, type of work and reported cost.

In the last 12 months the City issued 4,702 permits for masonry, roofs, porches, heating and windows alone.

Questions

How do I look up building permits for an address in Chicago?

Use the Department of Buildings’ Search Building Department Records page. Enter the address and it returns the building permits, inspections and code violations the City has on file for it.

Can I see which permits a contractor has pulled?

Yes. The City’s Building Permits dataset names the contractors on each permit. Filter it by the contractor’s name to see their jobs, with dates and addresses.

Why look up permits before hiring?

Ask a contractor for recent jobs and check those addresses. A firm that does permitted work should show up on them.