FAQs

When your goal is to complete a project as soon as possible with the highest quality possible, there’s no time to be caught up in the slow and inefficient bureaucracy of getting your permits approved. So much valuable time can be wasted in this process if you don’t have a group of construction permit expediting experts on your side. Sometimes approval can take many months and derail the progress of your building project. We know you can’t afford this massive loss in efficiency and momentum, which is why it’s so essential to seek the best building permit expediter services to enhance your company’s productivity and keep your buildings’ progress rolling smoothly! Once the permit application is submitted, you’ll also want to have top-quality service and support to make sure you smoothly move through any other complications or bureaucratic technicalities that may come up throughout the process.

Permit Studio can help your business by expediting obtaining the building permits you need to complete your building projects fast while maintaining governmental compliance with the City of Chicago. We have licensed expediters on our team that are experts in obtaining permits for all kinds of projects. These invaluable connections and experiences make all the difference in saving you time and money on your project and avoiding unnecessary delays in obtaining your permits. In addition to saving you time, helping avoid costly changes to decisions and plans, and keeping you on schedule, we offer expert solutions to any problems we spot, including making suggestions for improvements in architectural drawings where we see fit.

Our first step in the permit expediting process is to review your architectural plans and architectural floor plans. We will submit and upload all of your plans and any other required documents. Based on our many years of experience and familiarity with the City of Chicago specifications for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing layouts, our team will then take an extra-detailed look at your plans to make sure they are as efficient and cost-efficient as possible. We can schedule meetings and make sure everything is reviewed in a timely manner. Finally, once the architectural drawings are finalized, we submit them to be viewed by the Building and Zoning Department.

There’s no set wait time to see one of our permit specialists, but you can easily contact us to discuss your architectural plan or real estate vision, ask any questions about your architectural drawings or building permits, and get a free estimate by calling us at (312)-600-4966, emailing us at team@permitstudio.com, or submitting a “contact us” form on our website. One of our Chicago building permit expediters will contact you as soon as possible to assist you in assessing and executing your permit solutions to save you time, money, and stress.

The frequency of wall inspections can depend on the building's age, the materials used, and the local climate. However, a good rule of thumb is to inspect them annually, and immediately if any issues arise.

"Access" in building codes refers to the ability to reach different areas of a building, including rooms, utilities, and emergency exits. Building codes often have specific requirements to ensure adequate and safe access.

Our team of experienced design professionals and Chicago building permit expeditors are some of the most seasoned in the area. They have worked for decades with businesses throughout Cook, Lake, DuPage, and Kane counties. They have established long-term professional relationships with the regulatory officials in these counties and the greater Chicago area for years. This deep-seated trust leads to optimal results every time. Not only do your experts have top-flight knowledge, skills, and relationships in our communities, but our team has a diverse range of skillsets to tackle any challenge or vision, no matter how large the scope and ambition are. So, we have a unique ability to make connections across our teams to ensure you are getting the absolute best value out of our services.

Local municipalities require a building permit of Buildings for new building construction, plumbing or electrical work, the installation of cooling and heating systems, and renovations. The reason building permits are required is that your architectural project needs to meet the minimum criteria of the building codes in whichever municipality you’re planning to do construction in. Ultimately, these building codes and requirements are in place to ensure the public’s safety, welfare, public health, and overall wellbeing. In the city of Chicago, for example, if you are only repairing existing parts of any buildings (including replacing limited drywall, replacing light fixtures, replacing a single furnace, replacing a single hot water heater, roof replacement, replacing limited brick masonry, scaffolding wrecking, etc.), it may be possible for you to go through a different “easy permit process.” If you have bigger plans to construct a new building or do major renovations, you will most likely have to go through a more extensive permit process where you’ll surely want to enlist premier permit expediting services like from Permit Studio. We can also help with the Easy Permit Application to get your project approved and have the permit obtained the shortest time possible.

Building codes are permits to ensure the safety and quality of the work being done so that all work is compliant with the building, construction, and zoning codes. These codes or written authorizations issued by a local municipality are only in place to keep the citizens working, living, and being in these buildings safe and healthy! Without building permits, there runs a much higher risk for disease, injury, and even in rare cases, death for people working on and living in the buildings. If you skip getting a permit for your new construction project, you run the risk of so many problems in addition to endangering all parties involved. If the city found out you were building without the proper permits, they could easily double or triple your permitting fees. They could completely shut down your construction project or even require you to tear down the work you’ve already completed. All in all, it’s not worth the risk. It’ll only come back to cause you more headaches.

• Commercial Permits

These allow for any commercial property to be built or renovated. They also allow for all necessary temporary additions to the construction site, including construction trailers. Commercial construction is defined as any building that’s built to earn a return on an investment, which does not allow for residential purposes. Within the commercial permit umbrella, there are “foundation only” permits, remodeling permits, new commercial property permits, new solar component permits, and more.

• Residential for all additions and remodeling

Single houses or other residential properties that are built or remodeled require the owner to get a permit for any new changes to the layout. This means any significant remodeling jobs require permits. For both the demolition that’s involved, the interior remodeling portion, the addition of rooms, adding a roof over a deck or patio, adding a pool, spa, or hot tub, and for new decks with or without a roof.

• Single Family Dwelling permits for homes and Structures

Whether your home is a production home built based on an approved master or a custom home, you will need a building permit.

• Electrical permits in addition to building permits

In addition to a construction permit, an electrical permit is also typically required.

• Plumbing Permits

In addition to electrical and construction permits, a plumbing permit is also required to ensure the plumbing is done safely and correctly.

The timeline of obtaining proper construction permits varies by the local municipality you plan to build. Times will also vary depending on the kind of architectural project you’re planning to execute. More extensive, commercial real estate development projects may (for example) take longer than minor residential builds or renovations. The number of permits and the complexity of the permit review process will also affect the expected timeline of the permit approval process. We can consult on this based on the specifications of your vision and our knowledge of the Chicago area municipalities, and our experience working with their permit approval processes. Depending on all these factors, your permit could be approved in minutes or months. Regardless of the scope and scale of your project, you’ll expedite the process of obtaining your necessary permits by letting us work for you!

Similar to other situations, each municipality will have different legal requirements and policies, so check with the city or county government you will be operating in to be sure. But any legitimate businesses will have insurance for their services and company. At Permit Studio, we are always insured which means that we are always operating under the proper regulations. You will want to look out for this as a red flag if a company claiming to provide top construction permit expediting services does not have insurance for its business. As always, do all your research before choosing to work with a permit expediting service in Chicago.

Just like many other factors involved in the process of permit expediting, the cost of hiring a permit expediter depends on various factors. These factors include the size, scope, and complexity of your architectural vision. The more complex the vision and job, the permit expediting services are likely to cost more. The price also depends on the specifications of the local municipality’s building codes and how much your plan already cooperates or needs to be changed based on those codes. Regardless of how much you will pay for the professional permit expediting services, working with an expert with thousands of hours of experience and knowledge from Permit Studio will save you tons of time, money, and headache compared with trying to go at it alone without the proper knowledge, training, and expertise.

Each municipality has a different law/policy, but for most major cities like Chicago, companies need to have a license and pass a background check with the state of Illinois.At Permit Studio, we are fully licensed. Definitely do your due diligence on any company you’re considering working with. If a company wants to work with you but is not licensed by the state, you need to take a hard look at why.

We work primarily in Chicago and its environs. If you have a project outside of Chicago in Cook County or any nearby area, we will be able to provide you with any of our available services including building permits and code consulting.

Our service is designed to save you money by keeping your project on schedule, helping you avoid costly changes to your architectural plans, preventing building code violations and streamline your overall approval processes. For instance, we can help you acquire building permits faster which allows your project to get to completion quicker.

Yes. If you are having trouble with a building permit application or run into code violations, be sure to contact us right away. We are great at fixing problems that can bog down a construction project.

We are one of the few permit expediter services in the city of Chicago who also offer a full range of building development services. That includes code consulting, architectural drawings submission, and real estate visualization. Having all of these planning services under one roof makes it easier for you to bring your project to life.

Absolutely. Chances are that we have recently worked on a project that is similar to yours. Contact our office and we can walk you through the project from start to finish. Also, we can show you potential challenges your project may face and how we will be able to handle them.

The earlier the better. Your project will not be able to move past certain stages until you have applied for your permits or submitted architectural drawings. Our team can work quickly and communicate with city officials to get the clearance that you need to get your project going.

You can get started by setting up a free consultation call with us. Since we have worked on just about every type of conceivable project in the Chicago area, we are able to provide a rather fast and accurate estimate of our services for your project.

We can offer individual or package services. Our team can recommend which services may be best for you based on your needs.

We work with different artists, and we can provide professional renderings in a variety of styles. Whether you are looking for a traditional style or something more contemporary, we can create the ideal rending for your project.