Building Permits in Cook County, Illinois
We checked Cook County's own official pages for 5 types of projects (shed, fence, pool, solar panels, demolition). Permits are issued by Cook County. Every rule below links to the page it was taken from, so you can confirm it before you start work.
Cook County rules
Shed
- Height limit (ft)
- 15 source: cookcountyil.gov
Fence
- Permit required
- Yes source: cookcountyil.gov
- Height limit (ft)
- 6 source: cookcountyil.gov
Pool
- Conditions
- A private residential above ground swimming pool shall mean a manmade rigid or semi-rigid structure, basin or receptacle for water having a depth in excess of 24 inches or more at any point or with a surface area exceeding 250 square feet (IBC Section 3109), whose framework is installed primarily above ground elevation. source: cookcountyil.gov
Solar Panels
- Setback (ft)
- 10 source: cookcountyil.gov
- Height limit (ft)
- 15 source: cookcountyil.gov
Demolition
- Permit required
- Yes source: cookcountyil.gov
- Fee
- $300 for the first structure and $150 for each additional structure source: cookcountyil.gov
Where to apply
Cook County · official website
Illinois statewide rules
State defaults apply everywhere in the state; cities and counties may add stricter local rules.
- Issued by
- Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB), Division of Building Codes and Regulations source: cdb.illinois.gov
- Building code
- IRC (International Residential Code) current edition, effective 1/1/24 (excluding Parts IV and VII), applies to residential new construction in jurisdictions without a locally adopted building code source: cdb.illinois.gov
- Local changes allowed
- Limited source: cdb.illinois.gov