St. Clair County, IL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Sec. 7-1-27 requires anyone who intends to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure" to first apply to the building official and obtain a permit before starting; the same section covers electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing system work tied to the project. A business that regularly employs its own tradespeople can apply for an annual permit instead of a separate permit for every alteration (Sec. 7-1-27(A)), but must keep a detailed record of the work done under it that the building official can inspect at any time (Sec.

7-1-27(B)). Sec. 7-1-28 lists what is exempt: one-story detached accessory buildings such as tool sheds and playhouses up to 120 square feet, fences not over 7 feet high, oil derricks, retaining walls not over 4 feet measured from footing to top, above-ground water tanks up to 5,000 gallons with a height-to-diameter ratio of 2 to 1 or less, sidewalks and driveways no more than 30 inches above grade, finish work like painting and tiling, above-ground prefabricated pools under 24 inches deep and 5,000 gallons, playground equipment, and window awnings projecting no more than 54 inches.

Exempt work still must comply with every other code and ordinance; it just skips the permit step. A permit is not valid until the required fee is paid (Sec. 7-2-45), and work found underway without a permit draws an added fee on top of the standard charge (Sec. 7-2-50).