When it is worth it, and when it is not
| What you see | Tuckpointing | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mortar crumbling or recessed in the joints, brick still sound | Worth it | This is what repointing fixes; NPS lists "disintegrating mortar, cracks in mortar joints, loose bricks or stones, damp walls" as the signs |
| Damp patches under a leaking gutter or downspout | Fix the gutter first | NPS warns repointing will not fix problems with other causes, such as leaking gutters or rising damp |
| Brick faces spalling (popping off) next to hard grey mortar | Worth it, with the right mortar | Hard portland-cement mortar "less permeable than the soft bricks" traps moisture and damages the brick (NPS, figure 5) |
| Wall bulging, parapet leaning, lintels cracked | Ask about rebuild instead | Chicago's masonry permit covers lintel replacement up to 6-foot spans and parapet rebuilds up to 2,500 sq ft; that is a bigger job than tuckpointing |
| A few cracked joints in one area | Spot repair | Ask for a price on that area only |
What tuckpointing costs in Chicago
| Measure | Chicago | St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| Masonry and tuckpointing permits | 5,706 | 98 |
| Firms that pulled them | 563 | 57 |
| Usual filed value | $9,600 | $15,626 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value | $5,600 to $15,000 | $9,000 to $23,272 |
| Permits with a value filed | 35.5% | 79.6% |
| Firms with 10 or more permits | 157 | 1 |
The Chicago range is wide because the category is wide: a chimney repoint and a full three-storey facade both file as masonry. The middle half of Chicago firms usually file $5,600 to $15,000, so a quote for one wall of a bungalow at the top of that range is worth a second quote. The market is not concentrated: the five busiest firms hold 13.4% of permits, and 133 firms filed exactly one.
See every Chicago masonry and tuckpointing firm →
Chicago's permit and license rules
Tuckpointing in Chicago goes through the Department of Buildings' Express Permit Program for masonry. From the City's page (read October 2026):
- Scope: "routine maintenance and repair for masonry walls, such as tuckpointing, up to 50,000 square feet of work", plus replacing the outer wythe, lintels with spans up to 6 feet, and parapet rebuilds up to 2,500 square feet.
- Who applies: "A licensed mason contractor (Class A, B or C)". An owner may act as mason contractor with the Owner as contractor form (Form 401) and government ID showing they live at the address.
- Class limits: "For brick work, you cannot use a Class C mason." "For concrete work, you cannot use a Class B mason."
- Fees: set by the Chicago Construction Codes, sections 14A-12-1204.2 and 14A-12-1204.3; the page does not list amounts.
So before you sign: ask the mason for their Chicago mason contractor license class, check it on the City's contractor license lookup, and ask who is pulling the permit. A mason who suggests you pull it yourself is handing you the contractor's responsibilities.
Three questions that separate a good repoint from a bad one
- "What mortar will you use, and how does it compare with my brick?" NPS shows what hard portland-cement mortar, "less permeable than the soft bricks", does to an old wall. A good answer refers to your brick, not to a default mix.
- "How deep will you rake the joints?" Ask for the depth in writing. A thin skim over loose mortar is the job that fails early.
- "What is causing the damage?" If the answer is a gutter, a downspout or a missing cap, that goes in the contract too.
What our numbers cannot tell you
Only 35.5% of Chicago masonry permits carry a filed value, so the usual value rests on that share. The category includes concrete work as well as tuckpointing. Many Chicago permits are never marked complete in the city's file, so the finished share for Chicago masons (40.8%) mostly measures record-keeping, not workmanship; we do not use it to compare them with other cities. We have not matched Chicago masons to the City's license list, so license status is not on our pages: check it yourself.
How we know this
Counts and values come from City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal) in the Masonry & Tuckpointing category, 2023-10 to 2026-09; St. Louis from the City's residential building permits for the same months. Usual value is the median declared value of priced permits; the firm range is the 25th to 75th percentile of firms' own medians for firms with 3 or more priced permits. The permit rules are quoted from the Chicago Department of Buildings page and the repointing guidance from NPS Preservation Brief 2, both read 20 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal); City of St. Louis building permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to tuckpoint in Chicago?
Tuckpointing is listed under the Department of Buildings' Express Permit Program for masonry, which covers "routine maintenance and repair for masonry walls, such as tuckpointing, up to 50,000 square feet of work". The application must come from a licensed mason contractor (Class A, B or C), or from the owner acting as mason contractor on Form 401 with ID showing they live at the address.
- How long does tuckpointing last?
The National Park Service's guidance on repointing says a good job should last "at least 30 years, and preferably 50-100 years". A job that fails in a few years usually used the wrong mortar or did not fix the water source.
- How much does tuckpointing cost in Chicago?
The usual filed value of a Chicago masonry and tuckpointing permit was $9,600; the middle half of masonry firms usually filed between $5,600 and $15,000. Only 35.5% of these permits carry a value, so treat it as a guide.
- When is the best time of year to tuckpoint?
Chicago masonry permits peak in September (index 122, where 100 is an average month) and bottom out in December (66).
- Can a Class C mason tuckpoint my brick house?
Not for brick work. Chicago's Express Permit page says: "For brick work, you cannot use a Class C mason." Ask which class the contractor holds and check it on the City's contractor license lookup.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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- Masonry Work (Express Permit Program) — City of Chicago Department of Buildings (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Preservation Brief 2: Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings — National Park Service (Mack and Speweik, 1998) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Contractor License Lookup — City of Chicago (2026-10-20)