When a Chicago roof needs a permit
From the Department of Buildings' roofing exemption list and its express reroofing page (read 23 October 2026):
| Job | Permit? | Architect or structural engineer? |
|---|---|---|
| Patch or repair up to 25% of a roof surface, no cutting into walls or roof | No (any building) | No |
| Shed or gazebo roof, where the shed itself needs no permit | No | No |
| Repair, recover or replace a roof pitched 2:12 or more, home up to 4 stories or its garage | No | No |
| Replace a low-slope (under 2:12, "flat") roof | Yes, express | No |
| Recover over 1 existing layer, where a permit is needed | Yes, express | No |
| Recover over 2 or more existing layers | Yes, express | Yes, structural calculations |
| Structural repair to the roof structure | Yes, express | Yes, drawings |
| Reroofing a building with an unpermitted rooftop feature, such as a roof deck | Not eligible for express | — |
The exemptions "may not apply" to a Chicago Landmark or a landmark district, asbestos rules still apply, and putting a dumpster or materials on the street, alley or parkway needs a separate CDOT permit. Exempt work must still meet the Chicago Construction Codes.
So for a house, the question to ask first is the roof's pitch: under 2:12 means a permit; 2:12 or steeper, with no structural work, means none.
Who can pull it
The express permit asks for two parties (reroofing page):
- A licensed general contractor, Class A to E by project cost, or the owner acting as general contractor. The City's GC license page allows that 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; the application then needs Form 401 and government ID showing you live there.
- An Illinois roofing contractor license for whoever does the roofing. The terms say reroofing "must be performed by persons working under a valid Illinois roofing contractor license" (terms and conditions). Check it on IDFPR's license lookup.
A licensed electrical contractor is added if the job includes electrical work. If there is rooftop solar, the electrician on the permit may remove it, but reinstalling it needs a separate solar permit.
How to apply, and what it costs
Apply online through the Express Permit Program with the property PIN, the owner's details, the Illinois roofing license number and at least one photo of the existing roof. Condo buildings also need an association approval letter. Fees are set by section 14A-12-1204.2 (stand-alone permit fees); the 2026 Amended fee tables (effective 6 January 2026) are linked from the City's Calculate the Cost of a Building Permit page. We could not open the tables, so we quote no amount; the application shows it before payment.
Afterwards, search your address on Building Permit and Inspection Records. For a pitched roof with no permit, the record to keep is the roofer's contract and Illinois license number, since the City will have nothing on file.
What 1,586 Chicago roofing permits show
| Measure | Chicago reroofing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,586 |
| Firms that filed them | 433 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 226 |
| Usual filed value | $18,693 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value | $11,475 to $23,000 |
| Marked complete (permits a year or more old) | 64.7% |
| Estimated usual days to completion | 207 |
| Busiest / quietest month | August (index 164) / January (36) |
Roofing is strongly seasonal in Chicago: filings in January run at 36 on an index where 100 is an average month, against 164 in August. Because pitched roofs on houses are exempt, these permits should be mostly low-slope and structural jobs, so do not read them as the price of a shingle roof. Among the 22 roofers with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm had 32.6% marked complete and the 90th 83.6%. Prices by job size are on the Chicago roofing cost page.
See every Chicago roofer by permits and completion →
Related
Other cities' rules: do I need a permit for roof replacement. National prices: roof replacement cost. Choosing the roofer: hiring a roofer. Licenses: Chicago contractor license lookup. Chicago counts: Chicago permit statistics and how long a Chicago permit takes.
What this does not tell you
Exempt pitched-roof jobs leave no permit, so our roofing figures describe permitted (mostly low-slope) roofs only. Chicago's permit file has no completion date, so days to completion is estimated from status and age, and many permits are never marked complete. We do not match Chicago roofers to IDFPR's license list; run the lookup yourself.
How we know this
Exemptions, express eligibility, contractor requirements and terms are quoted from the City of Chicago Department of Buildings' roofing exemption, Express Permit Program reroofing, reroofing terms and general contractor pages, and fee references from its Calculate the Cost of a Building Permit page, all read 23 October 2026. Counts are City of Chicago Reroofing 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 replace my roof in Chicago?
Not if the roof is pitched at least 2:12 and the house is up to 4 stories: the Department of Buildings exempts repair, recover or replacement of such a roof on a home or its garage. A low-slope (flat) roof, or any structural repair, needs a permit, usually through the Express Permit Program.
- Can a homeowner pull a roofing permit 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 and ID. But the express reroofing permit requires that the roofing itself be done by someone with a valid Illinois roofing contractor license.
- How much is a roofing permit in Chicago?
The express reroofing permit's fee is set by section 14A-12-1204.2 of the Chicago Construction Codes (stand-alone permit fees). The City's Calculate the Cost of a Building Permit page links the 2026 Amended fee tables, effective 6 January 2026; the express application shows the amount before you pay.
- How much does a flat roof cost in Chicago?
The usual Chicago reroofing permit, which by the City's rules is mostly low-slope or structural work, carried a filed value of $18,693; the middle half of roofers with 3 or more permits usually filed between $11,475 and $23,000.
- Can I put a new layer of shingles over the old roof in Chicago?
Over one existing layer, yes, on the express permit where a permit is needed. Over two or more layers, the City requires structural calculations from an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer showing the roof can carry the extra load.
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 roofing permit in Anaheim? The $375 reroof fee, the one-layer rule and two inspections
- Do I need a roofing permit in Bernalillo County? The re-roof application, the tile rule and two inspections
- Do I need a roofing permit in unincorporated Boulder County? Yes past one square, with a Class A roof and a photo final
- Do I need a roofing permit in Boulder? Yes: Class A roofing, a D-2 roofer and photo inspections
- Do I need a permit to build a house in unincorporated Maricopa County? Owner-builder proof, drainage, standard plans, and 222 days
- Do I need a roofing permit in Marin County? Yes: the online maintenance permit, the fee add-ons, and timing
For one city
- What types of work do not require a building permit? Roofing Work — City of Chicago DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Express Permit Program: Reroofing — City of Chicago DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Terms and Conditions for Express Permit Program: Reroofing — 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)
- Check License — Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (2026-10-22)
- Building Permit and Inspection Records — City of Chicago (2026-10-23)