Citywide permit type
New Construction processing times
Across Chicago, 8,073 issued new construction permits had a median processing time of 27 days.
Source: City of Chicago Building Permits · Issued-permit cohort · Updated Sep. 16, 2026
The short answer
For New Construction processing times, 8,073 issued permit records show a median processing time of 27 days; 75% were issued within 92 days and 90% within 195 days, covering January 2021 through September 15, 2026.
The median was 2 days faster than the previous 12 months.
New Construction processing times: wait distribution
For New Construction processing times, 8,073 issued permits are distributed across five elapsed-time bands from same-day issuance through waits of 91 days or longer.
Change over time
New Construction processing times: annual permit timing
New Construction processing times has 6 publishable issue-year cohorts spanning 2021–2026, representing 8,073 issued records in the annual table.
| Issue year | Records | Median | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,458 | 0 days | 55 days | 144 days |
| 2022 | 1,579 | 0 days | 58 days | 172 days |
| 2023 | 1,214 | 18 days | 85 days | 223 days |
| 2024 | 1,231 | 45 days | 115 days | 241 days |
| 2025 | 1,450 | 57 days | 125 days | 213 days |
| 2026* | 1,141 | 49 days | 105 days | 194 days |
*2026 is partial through Sep. 15. Year labels use the permit issue date, not the application date.
Context
New Construction processing times: All permit types, from shortest to longest median
New Construction processing times has 8,073 issued records, a 27 days median, and a 92 days 75th-percentile wait in this release.
| Report | Median | 75% within | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Permit Process | 0 days | 1 day | 33,486 |
| Elevator Equipment | 0 days | 0 days | 6,546 |
| Reinstated Permit | 0 days | 0 days | 1,775 |
| Scaffolding | 0 days | 0 days | 1,019 |
| Wrecking & Demolition | 0 days | 55 days | 4,023 |
| Express Permit Program | 1 day | 8 days | 91,329 |
| Signs | 23 days | 61 days | 13,362 |
| New Construction | 27 days | 92 days | 8,073 |
| Renovation & Alteration | 28 days | 85 days | 36,906 |
More New Construction processing times comparisons
The New Construction processing times cohort contains 8,073 issued records; related links retain separate location and permit-category cohorts.
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