Express permit or full plan review
The Department of Buildings' Detached Frame Garage page (read 23 October 2026) sets the line:
| Garage | Express permit? |
|---|---|
| New detached garage up to 600 sq ft, wood or light-gauge metal frame, hip or gable roof, holds at least one car, residential (R) zoning | Yes |
| Demolishing the old detached garage on the same site, or reusing its foundation | Yes, on the same permit |
| Attached to or part of another building | No |
| Masonry walls | No |
| Flat or low-sloped roof (under 2:12), or gambrel (barn) roof | No |
| Upper level, storage loft or mezzanine | No |
| Heating, air conditioning or new plumbing | No |
| Lot outside a residential zoning district, or excavation over 5 ft | No |
Anything in the No rows needs a standard plan-review permit. For comparison, the City's small structures exemption covers only single-story sheds and similar buildings up to 15 feet tall, without plumbing, with a footprint of 150 square feet or less.
The rules the inspector measures
From the garage terms and conditions:
- Exterior walls at least 2 feet from the lot lines; eaves, gutters and other projections at least 20 inches from side lot lines.
- Clear floor space of at least 18 feet by 8 feet, a vehicle door, and access from an alley or permitted driveway.
- A concrete slab-on-grade or another foundation needing no excavation deeper than 5 feet.
- As-built dimensions within 6 inches of the application; otherwise the work "must be rebuilt to be consistent with the permit at the contractor or owner's expense".
- Roof drainage must discharge onto the same property, not onto neighbours, the alley or the street.
Confirm the zoning district on the Chicago Zoning Map before applying; the permit "is only valid for a lot in a residential (R) zoning district".
Who can pull it
Two contractors are named on every express garage permit: a licensed general contractor (Class A to E), and a licensed electrical contractor (general, not low voltage). You may act as general contractor on "an entirely residential property that is the individual's primary residence" with no more than 6 units and no building over 3 stories, for one property a year, filing Form 401 (GC license page). The same page says an owner without a GC license "cannot perform or oversee work that requires a demolition permit or excavation notice". If your job includes knocking down the old garage, ask DOB whether that applies before filing as owner. Check both contractors on Licensed Trade Contractors.
Documents and fee
Every application needs at least one photo of existing conditions and a site plan drawn to scale showing the garage's location, with dimensions matching the application. Oversized, irregular or alley-less lots also need an official survey by an Illinois-licensed land surveyor no more than 5 years old. Fees are set by section 14A-12-1204.2; the 2026 Amended fee tables (effective 6 January 2026) are linked from Calculate the Cost of a Building Permit. We could not open the tables, so we quote no amount.
What 1,821 Chicago garage permits show
| Measure | Chicago detached garage |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,821 |
| Firms that filed them | 286 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 130 |
| Usual filed value | $26,312 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value | $14,000 to $27,000 |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 60.6% |
| Marked complete (permits a year or more old) | 67.1% |
| Estimated usual days to completion | 106 |
| Busiest / quietest month | May (index 145) / January (23) |
Garage building in Chicago is a few-firm business: the five busiest builders filed 60.6% of all permits, and Garage 2017 LLC dba Danley's Garage World alone 23.7%. It is also strongly seasonal, at 23 in January against 145 in May on an index where 100 is an average month, so builders have the most open calendar in winter. Among the 15 builders with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm had 19.3% marked complete and the 90th 83.9%. Prices by job size are on the Chicago garage cost page.
See every Chicago garage builder by permits and completion →
Related
Other cities' rules: do I need a permit for a garage and for a shed. National prices: detached garage cost. Licenses: Chicago contractor license lookup. Chicago counts: Chicago permit statistics and how long a Chicago permit takes.
What this does not tell you
Our garage group is the express Detached Frame Garage permit only; garages that needed full plan review are not in this group. Chicago records no completion date, so days to completion is estimated. Filed values are the applicant's figure. We do not match Chicago firms to the City's license list.
How we know this
Eligibility, terms and contractor requirements are quoted from the City of Chicago Department of Buildings' Express Permit Program garage page and its terms and conditions, the small structures exemption and the general contractor page, and fee references from its Calculate the Cost of a Building Permit page, all read 23 October 2026. Counts are City of Chicago Detached Frame Garage express permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026. "Marked complete" uses permits a year or more old; usual days is an estimate because Chicago records no completion date.
Numbers come from City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to build a garage in Chicago?
Yes. A garage is not on the Department of Buildings' list of small structures exempt from a permit, which stops at sheds and similar buildings of 150 square feet or less. A wood or light-gauge metal garage up to 600 square feet with a hip or gable roof can use the Express Permit Program.
- Can a homeowner build their own garage in Chicago?
You can act as general contractor on your own primary residence (up to 6 units, no building over 3 stories, one property a year) with Form 401. The express garage permit still requires a licensed electrical contractor, and an owner without a GC license 'cannot perform or oversee work that requires a demolition permit'.
- How close to the property line can a garage be in Chicago?
Under the express permit, the outside faces of the garage's walls must be at least 2 feet from the lot lines, and eaves and gutters at least 20 inches from side lot lines. As-built dimensions may not vary more than 6 inches from the application.
- How much does a new garage cost in Chicago?
The usual Chicago detached-garage permit carried a filed value of $26,312, and the middle half of garage builders with 3 or more permits usually filed between $14,000 and $27,000.
- How much is a garage permit in Chicago?
The express garage permit's fee is set by section 14A-12-1204.2 of the Chicago Construction Codes. The City links its 2026 Amended fee tables, effective 6 January 2026, from its Calculate the Cost of a Building Permit page; the express application shows the amount before payment.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a permit to build a garage? The rule in 14 departments, and how many get filed
- Do I need a permit to build a garage in Denver? Zoning, building and sewer permits, fees and the old garage
- Do I need a permit for a shed? The size limit in 16 cities, and how many get filed
- Home improvement costs in Chicago, IL (2026): what 9 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Madison, WI? Furnaces, central air, $25 fees and 7,927 permits
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Madison, WI? All plumbing work, the owner exemption, fees and 10,392 permits
For one city
- Express Permit Program: Detached Frame Garage — City of Chicago DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Terms and Conditions for Express Permit Program: Detached Frame Garage — City of Chicago DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- What types of work do not require a building permit? Small Permanent Structures — City of Chicago DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Does my project require a licensed general contractor? — City of Chicago DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Calculate the Cost of a Building Permit — City of Chicago DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Licensed Trade Contractors — City of Chicago (2026-10-22)