Chicago Building Permit Lookup
Search 846,510 Chicago Department of Buildings records covering 2000 to 2026. See what was filed, who filed it, and what was never closed out.
Searching in Chicago, Illinois · Street address only, no city or state
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Navigating the Chicago permit registry
Building permits in Chicago are public records. Every renovation, addition and structural change that went through the proper process left a filing with Chicago Department of Buildings, and the gaps in that record are often more revealing than the filings themselves.
We pull directly from Chicago Department of Buildings, whose published records begin in 2000 and now run to 846,510 permits. That includes building work alongside the trade permits — electrical, mechanical and plumbing — that carry most of a house's renovation history. You can verify any permit at the source.
Work started without a permit, or started under one that was never closed out, can surface at the worst possible moment: during an appraisal, at closing, or when you make an insurance claim. A permit that shows as open or expired years after the work finished is the signal worth chasing.
Across Chicago's whole record, 485,427 permits closed out properly, 29,264 are still open, and 28,460 expired without ever being finaled.
Use Cases
Most filed in Chicago
- Express Permit Program322,887
- Easy Permit Process207,655
- Renovation / Alteration167,477
- Signs54,981
- New Construction31,874
- Elevator Equipment22,293
Source
- Authority
- Chicago Department of Buildings
- Feed
- Socrata
- Index refreshed
- September 2026
- Typical review
- ~18 days
Chicago Permit Registry FAQ
How far back do the records go?
Chicago's published permit records begin in 2000 and run through 2026. Work done before then will not appear here, even if it was properly permitted at the time.
How many permits are in the database?
846,510 for Chicago, pulled from Chicago Department of Buildings over Socrata. Our index was last refreshed in September 2026.
Are these records official?
Yes. Every permit shown comes from Chicago Department of Buildings through its public data feed. We reformat the records, we do not create them.
Can I see which permits are still open?
Yes. Of the 846,510 permits on file, 485,427 closed out properly, 29,264 remain open and 28,460 expired without ever being finaled. Expired is usually the more serious of the two.
What if I find work without a permit?
Unpermitted work is common and usually negotiable before closing. Get a contractor's estimate for bringing it into compliance, and raise it with the seller while you still have leverage.
Does every minor repair need a permit?
Most cosmetic work does not. Anything structural, electrical or plumbing almost always requires a filing, which is why those are the gaps worth checking.
How current is the data?
We query Chicago Department of Buildings's feed directly at search time. How fresh that feed is depends on the department, and some publish on a lag of days. The most recent permit in our Chicago index was issued 2026.
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Searching in Chicago, Illinois · Street address only, no city or state
Not sure what you’ll get? See a sample report