Who issues your permit
Suburban Cook County is about 120 cities, villages and towns plus unincorporated land, and the permit comes from whoever governs the address:
| Where the house is | Who issues the remodel permit |
|---|---|
| A city or village (Evanston, Schaumburg, Berwyn, Oak Park, Orland Park and the rest) | That village's building department, under its own code and fees |
| Unincorporated Cook County | Cook County Department of Building and Zoning, 69 W. Washington, Suite 2830, Chicago |
| The City of Chicago | Chicago Department of Buildings (not covered here) |
Check which applies in CookViewer (turn on the "Unincorporated Area" layer). The rest of this guide is the County's rule for unincorporated land; for a village, ask that village's building department, which often asks for the same documents.
The County's rule for unincorporated land
The County's building permits page (read 24 October 2026) says "All work in unincorporated Cook County, other than ordinary repairs" needs a permit. Electrical and plumbing work each go on a supplemental application, and furnace, boiler and AC replacement on the County's HVAC application.
The County's Interior Remodel Minimum Requirements sheet lists what to send:
- The full permit application with the Property Index Number (PIN), whether the house is on well and septic or water and sewer, and the estimated cost of work.
- A scope of work, proposal or contract describing every fixture to be replaced, drywall work and walls removed or moved.
- Drawings of the demolition and new work. Structural alterations, demolition or life-safety changes need drawings by a licensed architect; structural demolition also needs a permit or waiver from the County's Department of Environment and Sustainability.
- Electrical drawings showing lights, receptacles and switches, all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, IC-rated recessed lights, at least 75% high-efficacy lamps, tamper-resistant receptacles, and the size and location of the panel.
- Product sheets for any replaced furnace, AC or water heater.
- A signed letter of intent from every contractor, and from you if you do part of the work yourself.
Who can pull it
Every contractor working in unincorporated Cook County must register with Building and Zoning: $150 per trade, then $75 a year (Contractor Registration). Electrical registration needs a supervising electrician licensed by an Illinois municipality whose electrical commission gives an exam; plumbing registration needs an Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing contractor registration and a state plumber's license.
Homeowners "can perform work themselves, but have to be registered and listed on the permit." You must live in the house, carry homeowner's insurance with at least $1,000,000 of liability coverage naming Cook County Building and Zoning as additional insured, and get General registration free; any other trade on the permit is charged.
What it costs in unincorporated Cook County
From the County's fee schedule amendment, effective 1 December 2020:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Alterations, remodeling and miscellaneous construction | $73.50 minimum, plus $18.50 per $1,000 of estimated cost over $5,000 |
| Deposit at application (residential), credited to the fee | $100 |
| Permit extension (one allowed, six months) | 10% of the original permit fee, or $25 if greater |
| Second re-review of architectural plans | $150 (first re-review free) |
The estimated cost "shall be based on the cost as shown on contracts signed between the owner and all contractors." Electrical and plumbing items are charged on their own schedules, so a kitchen invoice has several lines.
How to apply and get it inspected
- Confirm the address is unincorporated in CookViewer and find your 14-digit PIN.
- Submit through the E-Permits portal or email intake.bnz@cookcountyil.gov (attachments up to 25 MB), and pay the $100 deposit.
- Five reviews run: architectural, electrical, plumbing, zoning, and permit control and contractor registration. Answer deficiency notices in one batch to permitcontrol.bnz@cookcountyil.gov.
- Pay the invoice posted to your online profile; the permit is issued.
- At issue the County names your field inspectors and the stages that need inspection. Book each one before the work is covered.
The permit lapses if the work is not finished within 12 months, unless you take out the one six-month extension.
What 36,624 suburban remodel permits show
From the Cook County Assessor's copy of the suburbs' permits, January 2024 to December 2025 (remodel and repair permits):
| Measure | Suburban Cook County remodels and repairs |
|---|---|
| Permits issued, Jan 2024 to Dec 2025 | 36,624 |
| Last 12 months on file (Jan to Dec 2025) | 18,188, about the same as the 18,436 the year before |
| Usual declared value | $9,000 (middle half $3,600 to $20,880) |
| Busiest month / quietest month | June (index 119) / December (67) |
| Most common type the suburbs filed | Other - Remodeling, 61% |
At the County's rate, a remodel declared at the usual $9,000 is four $1,000 steps over the $5,000 threshold. Remodels run high from April through October, so a winter application may meet a shorter queue. National cost figures are in home remodel cost, and other departments' rules in do I need a permit to remodel my house.
Checking the work and the contractor
To see permits already on your address, follow Cook County building permit search. For an Illinois roofer or plumber, check the state license with how to check a contractor's license in Illinois; in unincorporated areas, also ask for the contractor's Cook County registration number. The year and month breakdown is on permit statistics, and individual rows are on browse permits.
What this does not tell you
The Assessor's file holds only the permits a suburb sent in, names no contractor, has no ZIP code we can publish, and has no final inspection dates, so we cannot say how long a remodel permit takes to close. Village fees and rules differ from the County's.
How we know this
The unincorporated rules are from Cook County's building permits page, Interior Remodel Minimum Requirements sheet and Contractor Registration page, and fees from the Building and Zoning fee schedule amendment effective 1 December 2020, all read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the Cook County Assessor's Assessor - Permits file, read 20 October 2026: suburban permits issued January 2024 to December 2025, Chicago excluded.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen or bathroom in Cook County?
In unincorporated Cook County, yes: the County says all work needs a permit except ordinary repairs, and its interior remodel checklist asks for drawings, a scope of work and a letter of intent from every contractor. In a village such as Skokie or Oak Park, the village's building department sets the rule.
- Can a homeowner do their own remodel in unincorporated Cook County?
Yes. Cook County's contractor registration page says homeowners can do the work themselves if they live in the house, register (General registration is free), carry $1,000,000 in liability insurance naming Cook County Building and Zoning, and are listed on the permit. Electrical and plumbing still go through their own trade reviews.
- How much is a remodel permit in unincorporated Cook County?
The County's fee schedule (effective 1 December 2020) sets alterations and remodeling at a $73.50 minimum plus $18.50 for each $1,000 of estimated cost over $5,000, based on the signed contracts. A $100 residential deposit is paid up front and credited to the fee.
- How many remodel permits do Cook County suburbs issue?
36,624 remodel and repair permits were reported to the Cook County Assessor from January 2024 to December 2025, about 18,312 a year. The usual one declared $9,000.
- How long is a Cook County building permit good for?
For unincorporated Cook County, 12 months. The fee schedule ordinance lets you extend it once, for six months, at 10% of the original permit fee or $25, whichever is greater; after 18 months the permit ends.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
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- Building and Zoning Building Permits — Cook County (2026-10-24)
- Interior Remodel Minimum Requirements — Cook County Department of Building and Zoning (2026-10-24)
- Building and Zoning Contractor Registration — Cook County (2026-10-24)
- Fee Schedule Amendment, effective 12/1/2020 — Cook County Department of Building and Zoning (2026-10-24)
- Assessor - Permits (6yjf-dfxs) — Cook County Open Data (2026-10-20)