The City of Chicago is committed to providing a modern and efficient process for receiving and reviewing building permit applications and issuing building permits based on plans prepared by Illinois-licensed architects and engineers. The City’s plan-based building permitting platform, known as E-Plan, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere an internet connection is available.

E-Plan allows licensed architects, engineers, and permit expediters to create permit applications, submit plans and related documents to the city for review, receive comments from city staff, check permit status, pay permit fees, and download approved plans and building permit certificates from anywhere. E-Plan can also e-mail permit applicants (clients) with status updates throughout the application process if their e-mail addresses are provided.

E-Plan consists of two connected online systems: the Permit Portal where users start, finish, and track permit applications, and ProjectDox, the City’s document management and review system. Separate accounts and passwords are required for each system. A user must provide the same e-mail address for both accounts.