Understand the records.
Explore construction records, compare source dates, and follow links to confirm current information.
Locations and sources
Chicago building permits, selected zoning and planning filings, ADU preapprovals, and public bid notices appear in separate views. Evanston building records and construction-map entries have their own coverage. Coverage & sources lists available dates, supported sources, and known gaps.
Coverage is incomplete. A missing record does not establish that no permit, application, business, or project exists.
Dates, statuses, and estimates
Chicago issue dates usually mean ready to issue, subject to fee payment. Planning and application dates retain their source meaning. Evanston portal dates are not verified issue dates. None of these dates alone establishes when construction started or finished.
Reported costs are applicant estimates, not verified budgets, trade contract values, or company revenue. Estimates across permits are not added into a project value. Check official bid notices for closing times, amendments, eligibility, and submission instructions.
Read records separately
One permit is not necessarily one project. Multiple trades, units, and separate jobs may share an address. Related records and property timelines help research; an address match does not establish a shared parcel, project, or purchasing responsibility.
Work categories summarize the source description and can be wrong. Read the permit description and official source. Planning proposals, zoning decisions, and ADU preapprovals do not establish a building permit, construction start, or open bid.
Company information
Contractor names and roles come from permit records. Company profiles show available reviewed contact details, official register entries, and linked company sources. A company name can refer to different businesses; compare the listed address and source before relying on a match.
Published contacts do not establish reachability, current availability, buying authority, or assignment to a particular project. A listed city does not establish delivery or service coverage. Source listings do not independently verify insurance, ownership, or work quality.
Service suggestions use permit work categories and listed company offerings. Confirm products, project requirements, service areas, and availability directly with the company.
Searches, maps, and history
Maps show available source locations. Nearby distances are straight-line distances, not driving distances. Chicago address and contractor histories include available records since January 1, 2006; each page shows its dates and any limit on results.
Application searches cover available applications started within the past three years. Earlier work, missing dates, and incomplete source results can limit what appears. Separate units and namesakes may require further checking. Open the official source for the latest details.
Free accounts can request five history lookups an hour. Recently checked results may be reused for up to 24 hours. Public exports include up to 10,000 records.
Updates and your privacy
Check each record's source date and last-checked date. Updates can be delayed and source corrections can change the information shown. Earlier observations may remain available after a record leaves the current results; that alone does not establish cancellation or revocation.
Your saved notes, follow-up dates, and contact feedback are private. Checked source histories and public record changes remain public. Email updates require your opt-in and available delivery. Older imported records do not trigger new alerts.
City of Chicago data notice
This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk.