Des Plaines is an O’Hare-edge city of about sixty-one thousand residents in Cook County, straddling the Des Plaines River northwest of Chicago. Building permits are issued by the city’s Community and Economic Development department under the city’s home-rule code.
This guide covers the development department, the home-rule code, the river and floodplain context, and how the statewide layers and registration work.
This guide covers work inside the City of Des Plaines limits. Neighbouring municipalities and unincorporated Cook County are separate authorities.
Des Plaines runs its own home-rule development department, with the Des Plaines River giving the city a long floodplain history that shapes riverfront work. The city issues permits under its own code; airport-edge commercial and a casino anchor the commercial base. Confirm the parcel and check floodplain status on riverfront sites.
What requires a building permit in Des Plaines?
Illinois assigns building-code authority to local government, so for years different towns ran on different codes — and some had none at all. That changed with Public Act 103-0510, effective January 1, 2025, which requires a statewide baseline through the Capital Development Board: a jurisdiction that has not adopted its own building code must now follow the Board’s adopted International Building, Existing Building and Residential Codes. So the first question in Des Plaines is which local code and amendments apply — or the state baseline where none were adopted — and whether the parcel is municipal or in the unincorporated county.
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the adopted electrical code
- Plumbing under the statewide Illinois Plumbing Code, tied to a licensed plumber
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the energy envelope
- Re-roofing above the exempt scope, pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the local threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
Because the code edition and its amendments are set locally, the exempt list and thresholds differ from one jurisdiction to the next — a project waved through in one town needs a full permit set in the next. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the statewide energy or plumbing codes, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with Community and Economic Development before work starts.
The statewide layers that apply everywhere
Three Illinois codes apply statewide regardless of what a jurisdiction has adopted: the Illinois Energy Conservation Code, which you must meet even where a town does not actively enforce it; the Illinois Plumbing Code, owned and enforced by the Department of Public Health, which also licenses plumbers; and the Illinois Accessibility Code, which carries the force of a building code. In Des Plaines, Community and Economic Development administers the city’s home-rule building code, with significant Des Plaines River floodplain considerations; the statewide Illinois codes apply on top.
Who handles permitting in Des Plaines?
The development department handles plan review, permit issuance and inspections inside the city under the home-rule code.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Des Plaines Community and Economic Development |
| County | Cook |
| Serves | Work inside the City of Des Plaines limits |
| Home rule | City sets and amends its own code |
| River | Des Plaines River, with floodplain history |
| Code | Des Plaines home-rule building code, plus statewide Illinois codes |
| Plumbing | Statewide Illinois Plumbing Code and state-licensed plumbers |
| Registration | City contractor registration for permit-pulling trades |
Community and Economic Development reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction inside the city under Des Plaines’ home-rule code. The Des Plaines River gives the city a well-known floodplain history, so floodplain and stormwater review are central on riverfront and low-lying parcels. Airport-edge commercial, a casino and a stable residential base drive the pipeline. Neighbouring municipalities and unincorporated Cook County are separate authorities, so confirm the parcel first.
The statewide Illinois energy, plumbing and accessibility codes apply on top of the city code, with plumbing tied to a state-licensed plumber.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work spans established neighbourhoods, infill and flood-mitigation work. Re-roofs, decks, solar and EV chargers need permits, plumbing is tied to a state-licensed plumber, and contractors must hold current City of Des Plaines registration.
How Illinois contractor credentials work
Illinois splits contractor credentials between the state and the local jurisdiction. The state licenses plumbers through the Department of Public Health and roofing contractors through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. General contractors and electricians, by contrast, are licensed or registered locally — many municipalities and counties require contractors to register before they can pull a permit.
In Illinois the credential question has a state half and a local half. A plumber carries a state licence and a roofer a state registration, but the general contractor and the electrician are typically registered with the municipality or county that issues the permit. Confirm both halves before filing, since a missing local registration stops a permit as surely as a missing state licence.
Commercial permits
Commercial work runs from airport-edge development and the casino to retail and offices, all under the city’s home-rule code, the statewide energy and accessibility requirements, floodplain review, and city contractor registration, with plumbing tied to state-licensed plumbers.
Registration, trade licences and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on Illinois projects: local contractor registration with Community and Economic Development; state licences for plumbing and roofing; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings from an Illinois-licensed design professional. Confirm what Community and Economic Development requires for the specific building before filing.
Des Plaines permit costs and fees
Budget the city building permit and plan-review fees, separate trade permits, city contractor registration, and any floodplain or stormwater review. Des Plaines publishes its own valuation-based schedule with the code locked to your application year.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Based on project valuation or square footage; set by the local schedule |
| Plan review | A percentage of the permit fee or a flat charge, at submittal |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees |
| Contractor registration | Local registration fees for the trades pulling permits |
| Zoning and impact | Local zoning review, and impact or capital fees in growth areas |
| Re-inspections and revisions | Additional fees for failed inspections, revisions and expired permits |
Illinois sets one useful certainty in law: once a permit is issued, the code requirements in effect on January 1 of the year you applied govern for the life of that permit, so a mid-project code change will not move the target. Fee schedules, though, are local and change, so a figure from a neighbouring town is not reliable — ask Community and Economic Development for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Des Plaines project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade permits are separate from the building permit and, on projects that require one, generally cannot be issued until the building permit is in place. Plumbing is the clearest statewide case: it follows the Illinois Plumbing Code and must be performed under a state-licensed plumber, wherever the project sits. Electrical work follows the locally adopted electrical code and is tied to a locally licensed or registered electrician.
Plumbing is the one trade Illinois runs uniformly statewide. The Illinois Plumbing Code and plumber licensing come from the Department of Public Health and apply in every jurisdiction, so a plumbing permit is tied to a state-licensed plumber whether the job is in Chicago or an unincorporated county. Electrical, by contrast, follows the local code and local licensing — confirm both.
- Electrical work follows the locally adopted code and a locally licensed or registered electrician.
- Plumbing work follows the statewide Illinois Plumbing Code and a state-licensed plumber.
- Mechanical work follows the adopted mechanical and energy codes; the contractor registers locally.
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
How to apply for a Des Plaines building permit
Neighbouring municipalities and unincorporated Cook are separate authorities.
Riverfront and low-lying parcels can raise floodplain review.
City registration is required for permit-pulling trades.
Plumbing and roofing are state-licensed on top of city registration.
The home-rule code carries its own amendments.
Confirm the sets and forms the city needs.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Illinois, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over jurisdiction and the applicable code edition — filing under the wrong amendments, or with the county when a municipality should have it. After that come missing local contractor registrations, a plumbing scope not tied to a state-licensed plumber, energy-code documentation, and a submittal that did not match what Community and Economic Development requires. Build the review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist before filing.
Approvals do not stay live indefinitely. An Illinois building permit carries a validity period and can expire if work does not start or stalls. The code that applies is locked to the year you applied, but the permit itself still lapses — on phased or financed work, confirm the expiry before it passes.
Inspections in Des Plaines
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a certificate of occupancy before use. Riverfront and low-lying parcels add floodplain, elevation and stormwater verification.
Illinois is tightening inspector qualifications: from January 1, 2027, those who perform building inspections must hold International Code Council certification, with a grace period after hire. Confirm the notice Community and Economic Development needs and schedule around its inspection windows.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, energy documentation and your correction responses available on site.
Des Plaines permit search and official resources
Permit records in Illinois sit with the local authority that issued them. Where Des Plaines Community and Economic Development is the authority for the City of Des Plaines limits, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the certificate of occupancy. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — and confirm the code edition that was in force.
Confirm the authority having jurisdiction and the code edition first. Illinois’s local-adoption structure — with the statewide baseline now under it — means the applicable code and amendments vary by parcel. Confirm current requirements, fees and review turnaround for your filing date.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- City of Des Plaines, Illinois
- Illinois Capital Development Board (statewide codes)
- Illinois Plumbing Code (IDPH)
- Illinois DFPR (roofing and professional licensing)
- Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get a Des Plaines building permit?
From the city’s Community and Economic Development department, which issues permits under the home-rule code for work inside the city.
Do riverfront parcels have extra rules?
Often. The Des Plaines River gives the city a significant floodplain history, so floodplain and stormwater review can apply; confirm early.
Is Des Plaines’ code its own?
Yes. As a home-rule city, Des Plaines adopts and amends its own building code; the statewide Illinois codes apply on top.
Is plumbing handled locally?
No. Plumbing follows the statewide Illinois Plumbing Code and a state-licensed plumber, in Des Plaines as everywhere in Illinois.
Do I register with the city or the county?
With the City of Des Plaines for city work; unincorporated parcels file with Cook County.
How do I run a Des Plaines permit search?
The city holds permit and inspection records for work inside the city.
Simplify Des Plaines permitting with Alliance Permitting
Des Plaines runs a home-rule development department on a river with a real floodplain history, so the questions are jurisdiction, floodplain review, and city registration. Getting those right keeps an airport-edge project moving.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 22 years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Des Plaines because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We confirm city-versus-neighbour jurisdiction from the parcel.
- We check Des Plaines River floodplain status early.
- We register the trades with the City of Des Plaines.
- We assemble the plan set to Des Plaines’ home-rule code.
- We confirm state plumbing and roofing licences and track the review.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Illinois. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
Ready to break ground in Des Plaines sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Des Plaines permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Illinois permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Des Plaines permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.