The usual heating & cooling permit in Wheaton, IL, the biggest trade with a completion date, takes 398 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,060 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). Sewer & Water Service is quickest at 14 days; heating & cooling is also the slowest. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve it. Wheaton, IL's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in Wheaton, IL: For contractors with at least 8 permits a year or more old, the share the city marked complete, compared with permits of the same trade issued in the same quarter. Roofing isn't measured.
Speed: How long their permits take from issue to the last passed inspection, compared with other Wheaton contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits; for driveways it is an estimate from how long permits stay open, shown for firms with 20+ permits.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed out. A dash means the Wheaton, IL record has no completion date for that trade (roofing), so there is nothing to count days from; it does not mean those permits are slow.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating & Cooling | 1,060 | 398 | 47.4% | 11 |
| Roofing | 917 | — | — | 13 |
| Windows & Doors | 630 | 83 | 61.6% | 14 |
| Fence | 552 | 375 | 80.7% | 13 |
| Driveway, Walk & Stoop | 405 | 279 | 74.2% | 7 |
| Electrical | 398 | 159 | 52.1% | 5 |
| Remodel (Kitchen, Bath, Basement) | 283 | 132 | 93.1% | 6 |
| Sewer & Water Service | 261 | 14 | 79.7% | 6 |
| Plumbing & Water Heater | 217 | 34 | 70.8% | 4 |
| Patio | 188 | 104 | 75.1% | 3 |
| Deck, Porch & Pergola | 187 | 111 | 88.9% | 4 |
| Foundation & Waterproofing | 152 | 83 | 84.9% | 5 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the city's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual heating & cooling permit in Wheaton, IL takes 398 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,060 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 47.4% of heating & cooling permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
The usual windows & doors permit in Wheaton, IL takes 83 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (630 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 61.6% of windows & doors permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.8 months, the slowest quarter in 2.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
10 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL windows & doors contractors →
The usual fence permit in Wheaton, IL takes 375 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (552 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 80.7% of fence permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.1 months, the slowest quarter in 16.3 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
13 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL fence contractors →
The usual driveway, walk & stoop permit in Wheaton, IL takes 279 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (405 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 74.2% of driveway, walk & stoop permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0 months, the slowest quarter in 5.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL driveway, walk & stoop contractors →
The usual electrical permit in Wheaton, IL takes 159 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (398 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 52.1% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
The usual remodel (kitchen, bath, basement) permit in Wheaton, IL takes 132 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (283 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 93.1% of remodel (kitchen, bath, basement) permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.3 months, the slowest quarter in 4.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
6 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL remodel (kitchen, bath, basement) contractors →
The usual sewer & water service permit in Wheaton, IL takes 14 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (261 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 79.7% of sewer & water service permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.4 months, the slowest quarter in 0.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
6 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL sewer & water service contractors →
The usual plumbing & water heater permit in Wheaton, IL takes 34 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (217 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 70.8% of plumbing & water heater permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
The usual patio permit in Wheaton, IL takes 104 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (188 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 75.1% of patio permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.3 months, the slowest quarter in 2.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
3 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL patio contractors →
The usual deck, porch & pergola permit in Wheaton, IL takes 111 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (187 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 88.9% of deck, porch & pergola permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.1 months, the slowest quarter in 11.3 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL deck, porch & pergola contractors →
The usual foundation & waterproofing permit in Wheaton, IL takes 83 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (152 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 84.9% of foundation & waterproofing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2 months, the slowest quarter in 2.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wheaton, IL's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wheaton, IL foundation & waterproofing contractors →
No completion date or closeout on record for roofing, so no answer for that trade.
Source: City of Wheaton permits on homes (the city's permit application and inspection exports). The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Wheaton, IL →
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