Tinley Park is a southwest suburb of about 55,000 residents that spans Cook and Will counties, a transit-served community with a strong retail and entertainment base. Building permits are issued by the Village of Tinley Park Building Division of the Community Development Department under the village’s home-rule code, wherever in the two counties a parcel sits.
This guide covers the building division, the two-county reality, the home-rule code, and how the statewide layers and registration work.
This guide covers work inside the Village of Tinley Park limits, across both counties. Unincorporated Cook and Will areas are separate authorities.
Tinley Park spans two counties, but for a building permit the village is a single home-rule authority. The building division issues the permit under Tinley Park’s code whether a parcel sits in Cook or Will; the county matters mainly for records. A transit-served downtown and retail base keep both residential and commercial volume steady.
What requires a building permit in Tinley Park?
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 the building division before work starts.
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Get a free quote →The statewide layers that apply everywhere
Three Illinois codes apply statewide: the Illinois Energy Conservation Code, which applies even where a town does not actively enforce it; the Illinois Plumbing Code, from the Department of Public Health, which also licenses plumbers (a local government may adopt a stricter plumbing code, and Chicago has its own plumbing and energy codes and licenses its own plumbers); and the Illinois Accessibility Code. In Tinley Park, the building division administers the village’s home-rule building code across both counties the village spans; the statewide Illinois codes apply on top, and the county matters mainly for records.
Illinois leaves building codes to local government, but since 1 January 2025 any local code must regulate structural design at least as strictly as baseline editions of the International Building, Existing Building and Residential Codes, and where no code was adopted the statute sets minimums for commercial buildings and new homes (Public Act 103-0510). Illinois codes and the statewide baseline
Who handles permitting in Tinley Park?
The Building Division issues permits for the whole village, across both counties; plan reviews and inspections are carried out for the village under contract by Lakeside Consultants, which inspects from 8am to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The division is at Village Hall, 16250 S. Oak Park Ave. (708-444-5100, building@tinleypark.org), open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Village of Tinley Park Building Division (Community Development) |
| Counties | Cook and Will |
| Serves | Work inside the Village of Tinley Park limits |
| Home rule | Village sets and amends its own code |
| Base | Transit-served downtown and retail |
| Code | Tinley Park home-rule building code, plus statewide Illinois codes |
| Plumbing | Statewide Illinois Plumbing Code and state-licensed plumbers |
| Registration | Village contractor registration for permit-pulling trades |
The Building Division issues permits across the entire Village of Tinley Park, which spans Cook and Will counties, with plan review and inspections by the village’s contracted consultant. As a home-rule village, Tinley Park issues the permit regardless of the county; the county line matters mainly for records. A transit-served downtown, retail corridors and an entertainment venue drive commercial work alongside a stable residential base.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The statewide Illinois energy, plumbing and accessibility codes apply on top of the village code, with plumbing tied to a state-licensed plumber.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work spans subdivisions, townhomes, infill and renovations across two counties. Re-roofs, decks, solar and EV chargers need permits, plumbing is tied to a state-licensed plumber, and contractors must hold current Village of Tinley Park registration.
Commercial permits
Commercial work runs from downtown and retail corridors to entertainment and offices, all under the village’s home-rule code, the statewide energy and accessibility requirements, and village 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 the building division; state licences for plumbing and roofing; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings from an Illinois-licensed design professional. Confirm what the building division requires for the specific building before filing.
Illinois licenses plumbers through the Department of Public Health and roofing contractors through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; there is no state general contractor or electrician licence, and many jurisdictions require local registration. Contractor credentials in Illinois
Tinley Park permit costs and fees
Budget the village building permit and plan-review fees, separate trade permits, and village contractor registration. Tinley Park publishes its own fee schedule; ask for the one in force on your filing date.
| 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 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →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 the building division for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Tinley Park 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
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
Plumbing follows the Illinois Plumbing Code and a licensed plumber (Chicago licenses its own plumbers); electrical and mechanical work follow the locally adopted codes and local licensing or registration. Trade credentials in Illinois
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Tinley Park building permit
Tinley Park issues the permit; unincorporated Cook and Will are separate authorities.
Village registration applies across both counties.
Plumbing and roofing are state-licensed on top of village registration.
Retail and entertainment work raises life-safety review.
The home-rule code carries its own amendments.
Confirm the sets and forms the village 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 the building division requires. Build the review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist before filing.
A building permit carries a validity period set by Tinley Park; confirm the expiry on phased or delayed work before it passes. Permit validity in Illinois
Inspections in Tinley Park
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. Retail and entertainment occupancies add life-safety and accessibility 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 the building division 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.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Tinley Park permit search and official resources
Permit records in Illinois sit with the local authority that issued them. Where the Tinley Park building division is the authority for the Village of Tinley Park 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.
- Village of Tinley Park, 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 Tinley Park building permit?
From the Village of Tinley Park building division, which issues permits for the whole village across both Cook and Will counties.
Does it matter which county my Tinley Park parcel is in?
For the building permit, no — the village issues it regardless. The county matters mainly for records, so confirm which county a parcel sits in where it matters.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Is Tinley Park’s code its own?
Yes. As a home-rule village, Tinley Park adopts and amends its own building code; the statewide Illinois codes apply on top.
Is plumbing handled locally?
Partly. The Illinois Plumbing Code and plumber licensing are statewide (Department of Public Health), but a local government may adopt a stricter plumbing code, and plumbing permits and inspections are handled by the local building department where it runs them. In Tinley Park, confirm with the department.
Do I register with the village or the county?
With the Village of Tinley Park for village work; village registration applies across both counties.
How do I run a Tinley Park permit search?
The village holds permit and inspection records for work inside the village, across both counties.
Simplify Tinley Park permitting with Alliance Permitting
Tinley Park is a two-county home-rule village, so the trick is treating it as one authority while tracking which county matters for records. Getting that right keeps a southwest-suburb project moving.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Tinley Park because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We confirm village limits and which county a parcel sits in.
- We register the trades with the Village of Tinley Park.
- We coordinate life-safety review on large occupancies.
- We assemble the plan set to Tinley Park’s 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 Tinley Park sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Tinley Park permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Illinois permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Tinley Park permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.