Planning guide
Permits for a Chicago kitchen remodel.
A kitchen can be refreshed without a permit or rebuilt under several. The difference is what the work touches, not how the finished room looks.
- Author
- By Lakefront Interiors
- Published
- Reading time
- 8 minute read
The short answer
Cosmetic work that replaces finishes in place generally falls outside permitting, while work that changes structure, electrical circuits, plumbing lines, gas or ventilation generally falls inside it. Chicago requires a permit before most construction, repair and alteration work, and designated landmarks add a preservation review. The only reliable answer for your kitchen comes from your exact scope, your address and the Department of Buildings, so treat this guide as orientation rather than a ruling.
Why permits come up in kitchen remodels
The City of Chicago states that a permit is required before beginning most construction, demolition and repair work, and that permits exist to make sure the work meets the minimum safety standards in the Chicago Construction Codes. A kitchen remodel is unusual among home projects because one room can involve structure, electrical, plumbing, gas and ventilation at the same time. That is why a project that looks like a cabinet replacement from the outside can still carry several permits.
Work that commonly involves a permit
Structural changes
Removing or opening a wall, adding a beam or header, cutting a new opening for a window or door, or altering floor framing to route a drain are structural changes. These are the projects most likely to require architectural drawings and a structural engineer, and they go through the City's plan-based permit process rather than the express one.
Electrical work
New circuits for a range, dishwasher, disposal or microwave, relocated outlets and switches, new lighting circuits and any panel work are electrical work. The City's Express Permit Program lists Electrical Work as one of its guided worktypes, which is how most kitchen electrical scope is permitted when no structural change is involved.
Plumbing and gas
Moving a sink, adding a second one on an island, rerouting drain or supply lines, adding a pot filler or relocating a gas range are plumbing and gas work. Plumbing Work is also an Express Permit worktype. In Illinois, the people who install and alter plumbing systems must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, so the permit and the licensed plumber go together.
Ventilation and mechanical
A new duct route for a range hood, a make-up air system for a large hood or changes to heating and cooling in the kitchen are mechanical work, with its own Express Permit worktype. In condominiums, whether an exterior duct route exists at all is a building question before it is a permit question.
Nonstructural interior alteration
Removing non-load-bearing partitions, reconfiguring a pantry or building a new soffit can fall under the Express Permit worktype for nonstructural interior alteration. Standard Plan Review, by contrast, is described by the City as the main process for applications that require architectural plans, which is where structural kitchen projects land.
Work the City describes as not needing a permit
The City's Guide to Building Permits states that a building permit is not needed for a limited range of site work, nonstructural repairs, minor alterations and non-occupied structures. Painting, replacing a faucet in the same location or swapping hardware are the kinds of like-for-like repair that usually sit in that range. The City publishes the full list by type of work; read it for your specific items rather than assuming, because the boundary between repair and alteration is where most surprises happen.
- What types of work do not require a building permit?City of Chicago Guide to Building Permits.
How Chicago's permit processes are organized
| Aspect | What it is for | What a kitchen project looks like here |
|---|---|---|
| Express Permit Program | Online applications for most building repairs, administrative changes and a limited range of small improvement projects, with guided worktypes including Electrical Work, Plumbing Work, Mechanical (HVAC) Work and Interior Alteration (Nonstructural) | A kitchen that keeps its walls but adds circuits, moves the sink along the same wall or ducts a new hood |
| Standard Plan Review Permit Program | The main process for applications that require architectural plans; the City notes it requires an architect to prepare the drawings and that every project needs zoning approval first | A kitchen that removes a load-bearing wall, adds a beam or extends into an adjacent room |
| Landmark Permit Review | Review by the Historic Preservation Division of all permit applications for work involving designated and proposed Chicago landmarks and landmark districts | Any permitted work on a designated property, with pre-permit review encouraged |
Process names and worktypes are as published by the City in 2026. The Express Permit Program replaced the earlier paper-based Easy Permit process in November 2023.
Two details matter for homeowners. First, when an Express Permit application says a licensed contractor will do the work, the City notifies that contractor by email and requires them to accept the job before the permit is issued, which is meant to prevent license fraud. Second, inspections for Express Permits are visible to the owner online, so you can see for yourself that rough-in was inspected before the walls were closed.
- Express Permit ProgramCity of Chicago Department of Buildings.
- Standard Plan Review Permit ProgramCity of Chicago Department of Buildings.
- Illinois plumbing licensingIllinois Department of Public Health.
Landmark and historic-district considerations
Chicago's Historic Preservation Division, which staffs the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, reviews all permit applications for work involving designated and proposed Chicago landmarks and landmark districts. The review is meant to make sure a project does not adversely affect the significant historical or architectural features of the property. The Commission encourages owners to seek its advice before filing, and a pre-permit submission can clarify what applies and speed the later review.
For most kitchens the practical question is whether the work changes anything the designation protects. Interior kitchen work that stays inside the walls is usually a different matter from a new window, a new vent through a facade or an addition, but the designation for your particular property decides that, and the Division confirms it. If your home is in a Chicago landmark district, plan for this review in the schedule rather than discovering it at the permit counter.
The suburbs run their own programs with their own rules. Evanston's Preservation Commission, for example, states that it has no purview over interior projects with no exterior change, while Hinsdale and Wilmette review exterior alterations to landmarked properties through certificates of appropriateness. Our local pages describe what each village publishes.
- Landmark Permit ReviewCity of Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
- Kitchen remodeling in EvanstonPreservation review and registered-contractor inspections.
- Kitchen remodeling in Oak ParkThree historic districts and electronic permitting.
Why the answer depends on scope and jurisdiction
- Scope. Two kitchens with the same finishes can differ entirely in permitting because one moves the sink and opens a wall and the other does not. Settle the layout before asking what the permits will be.
- Address. Chicago, Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Hinsdale, Oak Park and Park Ridge each publish their own permit rules, fee schedules and inspection requirements. What is an express worktype in the city may be a full application in a village.
- Building type. Condominium work adds association approval and often a building engineer's sign-off on top of the municipal permit.
- Designation. A landmark or historic-district property adds a review that has its own timeline.
- Time. Programs change. Chicago moved demolition permit applications to a new online portal in August 2026, and the Express Permit Program itself is only a few years old. Check the current process at the time you apply.
How we handle permits
Permits are part of the scope, not an extra. During the in-home visit we identify which parts of the design involve structure, electrical, plumbing, gas or ventilation. The proposal names the permits the scope is expected to require, and once it is approved we prepare the drawings and application, file them, and build the inspection points into the construction schedule so rough-in is not covered before the inspector has seen it. Construction starts only when permits are in hand.
- How our process worksWhere permits sit among the four stages.
- What shapes the costPermits and structural work as cost factors.
- Open concept remodelingThe structural project that most often needs plan review.
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