Condo association approval for a Chicago remodel.

Where the approval requirement comes from

The Illinois Condominium Property Act makes the board responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the common elements, lets it adopt rules after notice to the owners, and gives it access to units when that is needed to maintain or repair the common elements or to make emergency repairs. The approval process for work inside a unit usually comes from each building's declaration and remodeling rules, which is why two buildings on the same street can ask for different things. The Act also lets an owner of adjoining units remove a partition between them, with at least 10 days' notice to the board, when the change does not weaken the common elements or other units.

• 765 ILCS 605/18.4: powers and duties of the boardIllinois General Assembly.
• 765 ILCS 605/29: alterations within unitsIllinois General Assembly.

What the application usually includes

• Drawings and a written scope of work detailed enough to show any change to plumbing, electrical, ventilation or walls.
• The contractor's details, and in many buildings the licenses of the plumber and electrician who will do the work.
• Certificates of insurance naming the association, and often the management company, as additional insured at the limits the rules set.
• A signed alteration or indemnity agreement in which the owner accepts responsibility for damage and for the cost of the board's review.
• A refundable damage deposit, and a schedule showing the start date and the phases that need elevator time or water shutoffs.
• City permits on file before work begins, where the scope requires them.

What one Chicago building actually requires

Rules vary, so a real example is more useful than a generic list. One Chicago high-rise's remodeling rules, revised in June 2024, require board approval of detailed plans and specifications before work begins, a pre-construction meeting with the contractor, and inspections before walls or floor underlayment are closed. Contractors' certificates must name the association and its management company as additional insured, with general liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, and the board keeps sole discretion to approve or remove any contractor. The owner also pays the board's legal and engineering review fees.

The same rules set a $1,000 damage deposit, charge $200 an hour for freight elevator time and $75 per set for isolating water by pipe freeze, booked at least a week ahead, and limit work to weekday business hours with no construction on Sundays or holidays. Plumbing and electrical work must be done by licensed trades, every new fixture needs its own shutoff valve, and nothing may be drilled or trenched into the concrete slab.

Flooring and sound rules

Hard flooring is where many remodels meet the building's rules. Buildings commonly require an approved underlayment beneath tile or wood so footsteps do not carry into the unit below, sometimes with a minimum impact-sound rating chosen by an acoustical consultant. In the building above, the consultant set the rating as the practical maximum for that slab rather than the highest number on paper. Confirm the product and its rating before flooring is ordered, and keep the documentation for the board's inspection.

How long approval takes

Plan on at least 30 days. A Chicago condominium attorney advises giving the board no less than that, because approvals are decided at board meetings, and a board that meets monthly can add weeks when a submission misses a meeting or comes back with questions. Complete drawings, insurance certificates with the exact additional-insured wording and a realistic schedule, all submitted the first time, are the most effective way to shorten the wait.

• Chicago condo kitchen remodel checklistThe other building-side items, from elevators to neighbors.
• How long a kitchen remodel takesWhere association approval sits in the schedule.

What boards look at in kitchens and bathrooms

• Plumbing: anything that touches risers, waste lines or vent stacks, and how far a sink, toilet or shower moves from the stack.
• Ventilation: whether a range hood or bathroom fan connects to a shared shaft, recirculates or needs a new route, and whether the building allows it.
• Floors and slabs: whether drain work cuts into or builds up the floor, and the underlayment beneath new hard flooring.
• Walls: which partitions come out, with confirmation that nothing structural or shared is altered.
• Electrical: new circuits, and whether the unit's panel and the building's service support them.

• Condo kitchen remodelingWhat usually can and cannot move in a unit kitchen.
• Condo bathroom remodelingStacks, slabs and ventilation in a unit bathroom.

How we prepare an association package

Reading the building's remodeling rules is part of planning rather than an afterthought. We prepare drawings and a scope in the format the building asks for, request certificates of insurance with the wording the rules specify, and build the schedule on the building's hours, elevator reservations and shutoff windows. The package goes in early, and construction starts only when the approval and any City permits are in hand.

• How our process worksWhere the association package fits among the four stages.
• What shapes the costCondo logistics as a cost factor.