DuPage County, IL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Under Sec. 8-112.1 of the County Building Code, it is unlawful to construct, add to, alter, relocate, remove, or demolish a building or structure, or to install equipment like water heaters, furnaces, HVAC systems, heat pumps, or EV charging stations, without first filing a written application with the Building Official and obtaining a formal permit. The permit duty covers structures broadly: accessory buildings, decks, patios, pools, hot tubs, arbors, sidewalks, fences, and signs are all named as "structures" subject to the requirement. Only the narrow exemptions in Sec. 8-101.2 (ordinary repairs/maintenance, single-overlay reroofing, qualifying agricultural buildings, and certain nonconforming structures left unchanged) fall outside it. A permit issued but unused for 180 days becomes void and requires a new amendment permit before work can start or resume.