Yesterday, Governor Pritzker announced a 'Stay at Home' Executive Order as a new measure to contain the further spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to protect the health and safety of Illinois residents. This order takes effect today, March 21, 2020, at 5:00 p.m., and directs that residents stay home unless engaged in essential business and operations.

Pursuant to the order, construction is deemed an essential infrastructure exception. Construction projects may continue as long as management and workers comply with social distancing requirements, which include maintaining at least six-foot social distancing from other individuals, washing hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds as frequently as possible or using hand sanitizer, cover coughs or sneezes (into the sleeve or elbow, not hands), regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces, and not shaking hands. Many construction projects have implemented more stringent infection control measures, and if so, those should continue as well.

We continue to process permits and make ourselves available to answer questions and assist you in any way possible. As a reminder, the following protocol is available so you can manage your Department of Buildings needs via a call, email or online.

• To schedule a call with Commissioner Frydland, please contact dobcommissioner@cityofchicago.org.
• To schedule a call with Hal Hutchinson, Deputy Commissioner, please send an email to hal.hutchinson@cityofchicago.org.
• To schedule a call with Grant Ullrich, Deputy Commissioner, please contact Kevin Ayakhan at kevin.ayakhan@cityofchicago.org.
• For Easy Permits, please follow the interim procedure for online submission.
• You may schedule an inspection online here. If you need additional inspection information, please contact Marlene Hopkins, Managing Deputy Commissioner at marlene.hopkins@cityofchicago.org or Carl Byrd, Deputy Commissioner at carl.byrd@cityofchicago.org.
• For any other questions not covered here, please visit the DOB website or send an email to dobcommissioner@cityofchicago.org.

A heartfelt thank you to all our tradespeople for their tremendous dedication and service in keeping our nation moving forward in these unprecedented and challenging times. 

Again, for the most up-to-date information on the city's response to COVID-19, please visit www.chicago.gov/coronavirus, where you can also sign up for regular email updates.