Chicago building permits, measured
How long does a Chicago permit really take?
PermitWait turns 196,519 official issued-permit records into practical wait-time ranges for every community area, ZIP code, and major permit type.
75% were issued within 17 days. The slowest 10% took 71 days or longer.
What this is: elapsed calendar days in the City’s PROCESSING_TIME field for permits that reached issuance.
What it is not: a promise, an approval forecast, or a count of denied and abandoned applications.
Choose the right comparison
Look up the wait from three angles
A permit type often explains more than geography alone. Use all three views before setting expectations.
Community areas
Compare all 77 official Chicago community areas and open locally filtered permit reports.
Explore areas →02ZIP codes
Browse location reports by Chicago ZIP boundary and see which permit types have enough evidence.
Explore ZIPs →03Permit types
See how express, renovation, signs, new construction, demolition, and other routes differ.
Explore types →The big split
Permit category changes the answer
The median was unchanged from the previous 12 months.
Express Permit Program
Median 1 day; 75% within 8 days.
Open report →36,906 issued permitsRenovation & Alteration
Median 28 days; 75% within 85 days.
Open report →33,486 issued permitsEasy Permit Process
Median 0 days; 75% within 1 day.
Open report →13,362 issued permitsSigns
Median 23 days; 75% within 61 days.
Open report →8,073 issued permitsNew Construction
Median 27 days; 75% within 92 days.
Open report →6,546 issued permitsElevator Equipment
Median 0 days; 75% within 0 days.
Open report →Built for cautious decisions
A median is a starting point, not a deadline.
Every report includes the 75th and 90th percentiles, annual history, sample size, and a plain-language caveat. That makes the long tail visible instead of hiding it behind one average.
Read the citywide report