Chicago Building Permit Activity — August 2026
Monthly findings from retained Chicago work permits, organized by issue / ready date.
What this month contains
2827 work permits naming 2095 source names. 2593 permits include a positive reported estimate. The median whole-job estimate among those records is $18,337.
The most frequent classified work category in these records is Other work, appearing on 1088 permits.
The collection's successful date windows cover this calendar month. Records can still be missing or corrected in the official source.
Collection last successfully checked Nov 2, 2026, 9:01 a.m. ET. This report updates when the retained records change.
Administrative and unclear-scope records, renewals and records absent from the current source are excluded. Each permit counts once; one project may have several permits. Issue / ready dates do not establish construction starts. Estimates are applicant-reported whole-job estimates, not company revenue or trade contract values. Zero and missing estimates are excluded from the median.
Work categories in August 2026
A permit can have several categories, so category counts can exceed the permit total.
| Work category | Permits |
|---|---|
| Other work | 1088 |
| Electrical | 779 |
| Roofing | 580 |
| Interior work | 400 |
| Plumbing | 283 |
| HVAC | 140 |
| Demolition | 91 |
| New construction | 43 |
| Site support | 32 |
Comparison with July 2026
A full-month comparison is unavailable because successful, current collection coverage has not been established across both calendar months. Partial counts are not presented as a market trend.
Supporting permit records
- 636 N St Louis Ave · #101076242 · Aug 31, 2026 · Interior work · HVAC · Electrical · Plumbing
- 3237 W Armitage Ave · #101078711 · Aug 31, 2026 · Interior work
- 11101 S Vincennes Ave · #101079470 · Aug 31, 2026 · View work details in the official source
- 3101 N Clybourn Ave · #101080455 · Aug 31, 2026 · Interior work
- 259 N Columbus Dr · #101081845 · Aug 31, 2026 · Interior work · HVAC · Roofing · Electrical
- 4755 S Michigan Ave · #101082148 · Aug 31, 2026 · Building work
- 3523 N Seeley Ave · #101082372 · Aug 31, 2026 · Roofing · Single-family home
- 856 W Fulton Market · #101082495 · Aug 31, 2026 · Signs