What PermitWait does
PermitWait is an independent data project. It turns official Chicago permit records into location and permit-type reports with medians, cautious percentiles, annual trends, evidence counts, and clear limitations. The current edition analyzes 196,519 issued permits.
Why this exists
Applicants often ask one deceptively simple question: “How long will my permit take?” Public records can describe what happened to comparable issued permits, provided the analysis separates permit types and shows the full distribution. That is the job of this site.
Independence
PermitWait is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the City of Chicago. It does not submit applications, expedite permits, provide legal advice, or predict an individual approval date.
Corrections
Every report links to the methodology and source records. If an official source changes or a transformation is wrong, the responsible fix is to document it and rebuild the complete site.