Chicago, IL
Chicago electrical permit cost
A Chicago electrical permit is priced from a list of stand-alone fees
not from a formula and not from a share of the building permit. Table 14A-12-1204.2 fixes an amount for each named scope: a service alone is $75.00 below 400 amperes, $300.00 from 400 to just under 1,000, and $750.00 at 1,000 or more; new circuits on one service are $150.00 up to ten, then $300.00, $600.00, $1,500.00 and $2,250.00 across the printed bands; a low-voltage system is $75.00 per system per floor; a permanent power generator is $750.00, or $75.00 for a residential building of three or fewer units; emergency lighting is $125.00; solar under 13.44 kW is $225.00; temporary service is $150.00; and monthly maintenance is $75.00 per building per thirty days. The electrical permits are issued through the Department's Express Permit Program.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation of up to 10 new circuits on a single servicePermit fee | $150.00 flat fee | new circuits is provided and new circuits up to 10 | — |
| Installation of 11 to 20 new circuits on a single servicePermit fee | $300.00 flat fee | new circuits is provided and new circuits at least 11 and new circuits up to 20 | — |
| Installation of 21 to 40 new circuits on a single servicePermit fee | $600.00 flat fee | new circuits is provided and new circuits at least 21 and new circuits up to 40 | — |
| Installation of 41 to 80 new circuits on a single servicePermit fee | $1,500.00 flat fee | new circuits is provided and new circuits at least 41 and new circuits up to 80 | — |
| Installation of 81 new circuits or more on a single servicePermit fee | $2,250.00 flat fee | new circuits is provided and new circuits at least 81 | — |
| Installation of emergency lighting systemPermit fee | $125.00 flat fee | electrical item is emergency lighting | — |
| Installation of permanent power generator, whether required or discretionaryPermit fee | $750.00 flat fee | electrical item is permanent generator | — |
| Permanent power generator for a residential building with 3 or fewer dwelling unitsPermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | electrical item is residential generator | — |
| Installation of low-voltage electrical systemPermit fee | $75.00 per low-voltage point | low voltage points is provided | — |
| Electrical maintenance permit, per building, per 30 daysPermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | electrical item is maintenance | — |
| Repair or alteration of devices on existing electrical circuits, per servicePermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | electrical item is repair devices | — |
| Installation of electrical service only, 1,000 amperes or morePermit fee | $750.00 flat fee | service amperage at least 1000 | — |
| Installation of electrical service only, 400 to less than 1,000 amperesPermit fee | $300.00 flat fee | service amperage at least 400 and under 1000 | — |
| Installation of electrical service only, less than 400 amperesPermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | service amperage is provided and service amperage under 400 | — |
| Solar panel installation of less than 13.44 kWPermit fee | $225.00 flat fee | electrical item is solar small | — |
| Temporary electrical servicePermit fee | $150.00 flat fee | electrical item is temporary service | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A 200-ampere electrical service and eighteen new circuits on a single service, permitted together in Chicago — two listed scopes on one application.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| New circuits | 18 |
| Service amperage | 200 |
Example total
$375.00
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 2Rules considered 16
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Installation of 11 to 20 new circuits on a single servicePermit feeTable 14A-12-1204.2: "Installation of 11 to 20 new circuits on a single service" — $300.00. The band the count falls in decides the whole amount, so eleven circuits cost the 11-to-20 fee and not the first band plus a rate.Show the working
| $300.00 flat fee | $300.00 |
Installation of electrical service only, less than 400 amperesPermit feeTable 14A-12-1204.2: "Installation of electrical service only, less than 400 amperes" — $75.00. A stand-alone fee under §14A-4-412.1, charged when the permit covers this scope, and stacked with any other listed scope the permit covers.Show the working
| $75.00 flat fee | $75.00 |
| Total | $375.00 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Installation of up to 10 new circuits on a single service — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of 21 to 40 new circuits on a single service — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of 41 to 80 new circuits on a single service — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of 81 new circuits or more on a single service — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of emergency lighting system — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of permanent power generator, whether required or discretionary — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Permanent power generator for a residential building with 3 or fewer dwelling units — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of low-voltage electrical system — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical maintenance permit, per building, per 30 days — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Repair or alteration of devices on existing electrical circuits, per service — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of electrical service only, 1,000 amperes or more — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Installation of electrical service only, 400 to less than 1,000 amperes — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Solar panel installation of less than 13.44 kW — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Temporary electrical service — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Both rows are stand-alone fees and both are charged, because §14A-4-412.1 says a permit covering more than one listed scope pays each applicable fee. A 200-ampere service is below 400 and so is the $75.00 row; eighteen circuits fall in the 11-to-20 band, which is $300.00 for the band rather than a rate per circuit. The permit is $375.00.
Three variations show the parts that catch people out. Adding a permanent power generator for a residential building of three or fewer dwelling units is the $75.00 row rather than the $750.00 one, so the permit becomes $450.00; the general generator row is $750.00. A 450-ampere service is in the 400-to-under-1,000 band and costs $300.00 on its own. Splitting the circuits across two permits does not save money: two applications of ten circuits each pay $150.00 twice, which is the same $300.00 as one application of twenty, and each permit is a separate fee.
A caution belongs with the number. The band an item falls in decides the whole amount it contributes, so the amounts are not smooth: ten circuits cost $150.00 and eleven cost $300.00, and that step is the schedule's, not this calculator's approximation of it.
What is different in Chicago
The rule that makes this page different from a valuation-priced city is §14A-4-412.1: a permit that covers more than one listed scope pays each applicable fee. The rows are added, not compared. A 200-ampere service and eighteen new circuits on the same permit are $75.00 plus $300.00 — $375.00 — and adding a residential generator makes it $450.00. The other thing to know is that the bands charge the whole band rather than a rate: eighteen circuits pay the 11-to-20 amount of $300.00, not a rate multiplied by eighteen. Where a row carries footnote c it is charged in addition to any permit fee computed under the building formula, which is what makes a generator next to a new building add to that building's permit fee rather than replace part of it.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This estimate is the electrical stand-alone fees of Table 14A-12-1204.2 that can be computed from a count or a choice the applicant gives. It excludes:
- Outdoor illumination, priced at $75 per 1,000 square feet of parking lot or landscape area — a second area figure this calculator does not ask for, distinct from the building's floor area. The rate is named here rather than applied to the wrong area.
- Solar arrays of 13.44 kW or more, priced at $250 per array with a $1,000 minimum, which needs an array count. Below 13.44 kW the fee is the flat $225.00 this page computes.
- The zoning fee that the solar rows note applies to them, and any fire, sprinkler or regulated-equipment review fees another department or article charges.
- The deposit and process fees of Table 14A-12-1204.1 — the $600 permit fee deposit credited against the fee, the $25.00 stand-alone review fee, the $30.00 pre-permit debt check and the 25% extension charge — which are process steps rather than fees for the work.
- Re-inspection and enforcement charges (§14A-5-503) and stop-work-order penalties, which are charged for a second visit or a violation rather than for the permit.
What you need before applying
- Stand-alone fees stack when a permit covers more than one listed scopeRequired
§14A-4-412.1: a permit that covers only scopes listed in Table 14A-12-1204.2 pays that table's fee, and a permit whose application includes more than one listed scope pays each applicable fee. So a permit for a 200-ampere service and eighteen new circuits pays $75.00 and $300.00 together, not the larger of the two. Several rows also carry footnote c, which puts that row in addition to a permit fee calculated under §14A-12-1204.3.
Common questions
How are Chicago electrical permits priced?
From the stand-alone fees of Table 14A-12-1204.2: a fixed amount for each named scope, with no formula and no valuation. A service alone is $75.00, $300.00 or $750.00 by size; new circuits are banded from $150.00 to $2,250.00; a low-voltage system is $75.00 per system per floor; generators, emergency lighting, solar and temporary service each have their own row.
Chicago Construction Codes, Table 14A-12-1204.2
Do the electrical fees add together or does the largest apply?
They add. §14A-4-412.1: a permit covering only listed scopes pays the table's fee, and a permit whose application includes more than one listed scope pays each applicable fee. A 200-ampere service and eighteen circuits on one application are $75.00 plus $300.00 — $375.00 — not $300.00.
Chicago Construction Codes §14A-4-412.1
How much is an electrical permit for new circuits?
It depends on the count on a single service: $150.00 up to ten circuits, $300.00 for 11 to 20, $600.00 for 21 to 40, $1,500.00 for 41 to 80 and $2,250.00 for 81 or more. The band decides the whole amount — eighteen circuits cost $300.00, not a rate multiplied by eighteen — so the fee steps rather than grows smoothly with the count.
Chicago Construction Codes, Table 14A-12-1204.2
How much is a generator permit?
$750.00 for the installation of a permanent power generator, whether it is required or discretionary — but $75.00 where it serves a residential building with three or fewer dwelling units and no mixed occupancy. The 2026 ordinance also gave both rows footnote c, which means the generator fee is charged in addition to a fee calculated under the building formula rather than instead of part of it.
Ordinance SO2025-0021719 §8, Table 14A-12-1204.2
Where do I file an electrical permit in Chicago?
Through the Department of Buildings' Express Permit Program, launched in November 2023 and expanded in September 2024, which replaced the older Easy Permit and Short Form routes. It offers guided worktypes for electrical work and for monthly electrical maintenance — the latter at $75.00 per building per thirty days.
Express Permit Program, chicago.gov
Is the electrical permit part of the building permit fee?
No. It is a separate stand-alone permit under §14A-4-412.1, and its fee is not a share of the building permit. Several rows do carry footnote c, which puts them in addition to a permit fee calculated under the building formula — so those specific fees stack with a building permit rather than being included in it.
Chicago Construction Codes §14A-4-412.1 and Table 14A-12-1204.2
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25, sha256 beginning `2512a02138641748`. Carries §14A-4-412 in full — the formula `CF × RF × A`, the stand-alone-fee route of §14A-4-412.1, the process fees of Table 14A-12-1204.1 and the stand-alone fees of Table 14A-12-1204.2 — plus footnote d taking demolition out of the formula. The stand-alone table lives in the code rather than in the annual PDFs, so this document plus the 2026 ordinance is the current version of the trade fees; Table 14A-12-1204.2 gets its first automatic CPI adjustment on 2027-01-01 under the §14A-12-1204.2.1 the ordinance inserts.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.