Bloomington, IL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Chapter 10, Article IV amends the adopted International Building Code with local permit rules the Department of Economic & Community Development enforces. A demolition permit is squarely required, under Sec. 2, before anyone demolishes or removes 50% or more of a building's floor area, or 50% or more of its structural elements, walls or facade; that threshold catches major teardown-and-rebuild projects even when the owner does not describe the job as a full demolition. Getting the permit itself is not optional busywork: Sec. 20 makes any contractor doing work that requires a building permit responsible for holding a current City contractor registration and for obtaining the appropriate permits before construction starts, and an owner-occupant of a single-family residence is allowed to pull permits without registering as a contractor for work on their own home.

If work happens first and the permit comes later, Sec. 7(f) adds a fee surcharge equal to 100% of the regular permit charge or $50, whichever is greater, on top of whatever the permit itself costs, and that surcharge is described as supplemental to any other penalty in the chapter. Demolition permits carry their own added steps once required, including a schedule for the work approved by the Director of Economic & Community Development, a performance bond or letter of credit of at least 100% of the contract value (waivable under $25,000), and liability insurance.