Weekly permit insights

Chicago Building Permits

Free weekly building-permit insights for Chicago, IL, computed from Chicago Data Portal, 3,151 permits filed in the latest period (through 2026-09-25), with the week-over-week trend and the busiest renovation, solar, pool, and remodel categories.

Updated weekly · latest data through 2026-09-25

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Permits this period

3,151

Trades tracked

Period ending

2026-09-25

Weekly trend: Jul 4: 656 · Jul 11: 685 · Jul 18: 639 · Jul 25: 673 · Aug 1: 761 · Aug 8: 697 · Aug 15: 734 · Aug 22: 709 · Aug 29: 691 · Sep 5: 617 · Sep 12: 820 · Sep 19: 730

Permits by trade in Chicago

Trade	This period	Share
Electrical	701	22.2%
Roofing	318	10.1%
Solar	262	8.3%
Plumbing	199	6.3%
HVAC	147	4.7%
Pool & Spa	3	0.1%

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Compare Chicago with weekly building-permit activity in nearby and same-state markets.

Columbia, IL Cook County, IL Des Plaines, IL East Peoria, IL Elmhurst, IL Glen Carbon, IL

Frequently asked questions

How often is Chicago building permit data updated?

Weekly. Permit Ledger pulls Chicago's building permits from Chicago Data Portal every week, then recomputes the total filed, the week-over-week trend, and the busiest permit and trade categories.

Is Chicago building permit data free?

Yes. The weekly Chicago overview is free to browse, total permits filed, the trend, and the top permit and trade types. The $39/mo dashboard adds the top ZIP codes, the most-active contractors, and a Monday email.

What types of permits does Permit Ledger track in Chicago?

Renovation, remodel, addition, and repair permits, plus solar and pool/spa trade permits. Each permit is classified into a single clear category, so you can scan the residential and trade work most useful to contractors, suppliers, and investors.

Where does Chicago's permit data come from?

Official public records from Chicago Data Portal, normalized into one consistent weekly format so every city reads the same way.

Which parts of Chicago have the most building-permit activity?

Permit activity spans Chicago's 77 community areas across the North, South, and West Sides. The free weekly overview shows the busiest permit and trade types citywide, while the $39/mo dashboard ranks the specific top ZIP codes filing the most work each week.

Does Permit Ledger cover the Chicago suburbs and metro?

The Chicago page tracks permits filed with the City of Chicago. Several nearby Illinois markets, including Naperville, Cook County, and Lake County, have their own Permit Ledger pages listed under nearby and related permit markets.

Need the raw permit records for Chicago? Permit data feeds.