Cicero, IL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 22-4, "Building permits not required," lists 23 categories of homeowner or licensed-contractor work at residential properties needing no permit, including painting, replacing a broken window pane, installing carpet or wood flooring, minor patching of cement, tuckpointing, minor repairs to fences, minor repairs of wooden porches and steps, installing a new hot water heater, and replacing existing roof vent units. Awning or canopy installation is exempt only if the homeowner submits a plan showing size and design so the town can confirm compliance with other ordinances.

Section 22-5, "Permits required," then lists the work that needs a permit regardless of who performs it: any and all fences, decks, patios and demolition; any roof work other than replacing or repairing loose or missing shingles, including installing a new shingle roof; all concrete work such as sidewalks, stairs, patios or garage aprons; replacing kitchen cabinets, countertops or windows; swimming pools, chimney work, fireplaces, skylights and hot tubs; and any electrical work requiring new lines or circuits, new furnaces or central air, and flood-control systems, several of which must be installed by a town-licensed and bonded contractor.

Permit fees are set by Section 22-3 at two percent of construction cost for residential structures and three percent for commercial structures, with a notarized affidavit of construction cost required at application. 00-per-year do-it-yourself allowance for which the permit itself is free, though the homeowner must still apply for it, and Section 22-8 bars the building department from issuing any permit to a property owner once the town has filed an eminent domain complaint against that property.