E-Plan is Chicago’s online building permit platform. E-Plan includes two connected systems: the Permit Portal and ProjectDox.

The Permit Portal is the website where users start, finish, and track permit applications. To start an application, users provide basic information and pay initial fees through the Permit Portal. During the application process, users can track the status of their applications and update certain information. After a permit application is approved, users can pay the final permit fee and download the permit certificate from their Permit Portal account.

Note: While Chicago works to upgrade its IT systems in phases, there are two separate Permit Portals. Plan-based permits continue to use the city’s older Permit Portal. The Express Permit Program, which includes fire alarm system permits and stormwater management plan approvals, moved to the new Permit Portal in 2024. Plan-based permits are scheduled to move to the new Permit Portal in 2026.

ProjectDox is the City’s web-based document management and review system. ProjectDox is used with applications for plan-based building permits, fire alarm system permits, and stormwater management plan approvals. ProjectDox streamlines the process of submitting, reviewing, and approving documents electronically, reducing reliance on paper and improving collaboration.

Chicago’s ProjectDox for Building Permits is built on a platform developed by Avolve Software. Many cities use ProjectDox to support their permitting processes. In every city, ProjectDox is customized to local requirements and processes. Accordingly, please use this E-Plan User Guide to learn how ProjectDox is used in Chicago.

A plan-based building permit is one that, because of the scope of proposed work, requires drawings (or “plans”) prepared by a licensed architect or engineer to be submitted as part of the permit application. Plan-based building permits are required for almost all new construction and for most significant changes to existing buildings.

Most building permits in Chicago are not plan-based permits. To learn more about other types of permits, including Chicago’s Express Permit Program, please visit our Guide to Building Permits.

Concurrent plan review means that more than one city plan reviewer can review digital permit application materials at the same time. This helps the city to review permit applications and issue permits more quickly.

Before Chicago adopted electronic plan review in 2012, applicants submitted paper copies of plans for review. Plans were routed from one reviewer’s desk to another. Only one reviewer could review an application at a time. This was called sequential plan review.

Concurrent plan review avoids many of the delays and uncertainties of sequential plan review.

Anyone can access limited information about pending building permit applications using our Building Permit Application Status website and searching by street address.

Anyone who knows the application number (usually the applicant and others assisting the applicant) can use the Building Permit Application Status website to see additional information about the status of pending building permit applications, including the status of required reviews and approvals. This information is updated hourly.

Users with Permit Portal and ProjectDox accounts can use these systems to see detailed, real-time information about the status of permit applications they are involved with.

Only Illinois-licensed architects, Illinois-licensed structural engineers, and City of Chicago-licensed expediters can create an account in the Permit Portal to start and process a plan-based permit application.

Anyone can start an application for a fire alarm system permit, but you will need technical knowledge of fire alarm system requirements to successfully answer the required questions and prepare the required drawings in order to obtain a permit.

Usually, fire alarm system permit application materials are prepared and submitted by an employee of the City-licensed electrical contractor or Illinois-licensed private alarm contractor that will be installing the fire alarm system. Sometimes, these materials are prepared and submitted by an Illinois-licensed professional engineer. Sometimes, the contractor will work with a City-licensed expediter to submit materials and obtain permits.

Anyone can start an application for stormwater management plan approval, but you will need technical knowledge of stormwater management ordinance requirements to successfully answer the required questions and prepare the required drawings in order to obtain approval.

Usually, stormwater management plan materials are prepared and submitted by an Illinois-licensed professional engineer. Sometimes, the engineer will work with a City-licensed expediter to submit materials and obtain permits.

Both the Permit Portal and ProjectDox are tested to work with the latest version of most mainstream web browsers including Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox. You will also need software to view portable document format (PDF) documents. The Internet Explorer browser is no longer supported.

To prepare documents for submission through ProjectDox, you will also need software capable of generating portable document format (PDF) files that meet our requirements.

To create an account for the older Permit Portal, which is used to apply for plan-based building permits and sign permits, follow these instructions.

To create an account for the newer Inspection, Permitting and Licensing Portal, which is used for the Express Permit Program, including fire alarm system permits and stormwater management plan approvals, follow these instructions.

For both the newer and older Permit Portals, log in with the username and password that you created when you set up your account for that site.

Your account for each portal is separate, so you may have different usernames and/or passwords based on how you set up your accounts.

To recover your username or reset your password for the main (Hansen) permit portal, enter the email address associated with your account on the recover password page.

To recover your username or reset your password for the new permit portal, enter the email address associated with your account on the user account recovery page.

Your account for each permit portal is separate, so you may have different usernames and/or passwords based on how you set up your accounts.

To start an application for a plan-based building permit use the illustrated instructions for your project type in the Plan-Based Building Permit Instructions in the Guide to Building Permits.

Full access to ProjectDox always begins with the Permit Portal. You cannot independently create a ProjectDox account.

After you start a permit application in the Permit Portal and pay the initial fee, you will receive an email invitation to create a ProjectDox account. Your ProjectDox account must use the same email address used in your Permit Portal account.

You do not have a username for ProjectDox. You login to ProjectDox with your email address.

To reset your ProjectDox password, go to the ProjectDox sign in page and click “Forgot password / reset password?”

The ProjectDox Dashboard is designed to provide quick access to your pending tasks and issued permits. The Dashboard is not the best tool to see all applications associated with your account, especially if you are associated with many applications.

The “Projects” tab on your ProjectDox home page provides the ability to filter through all applications associated with your account.

From the ProjectDox Dashboard, click the “View All Projects” button at the bottom of the page to open your ProjectDox home page.

First, make sure your view is set to “All” not “Recent.” This option is in the upper right.

Second, make sure that the initial fee for the application is paid. You can confirm this in your Permit Portal account. A permit application will not exist in ProjectDox before the initial fee is paid.

A permit application will disappear from your account if it is withdrawn. A permit application can be withdrawn if an applicant submits a written request to the Department of Buildings. In most cases, a permit application is legally considered withdrawn if the applicant does not complete a ProjectDox task within 120 days.

Finally, records for issued permits may disappear from your account if the permit was issued more than one year ago. Records of issued permits are periodically archived to improve system performance.