City of Evanston
Home MenuCommercial Building Permit Process
Below is the step-by-step process of the commercial building process. If you have questions concerning these steps, please contact 847-448-8207.
Application Review Issuance Inspection Certificates
Application for a Building Permit
A completed Building Permit Application is always required when applying for a permit. If exterior work is included, then a Zoning Analysis Application may be requested by city planners during the review process. Any project that includes exterior work or an addition will also need a copy of a current Plat of Survey. Only electronic copies of plans are required, as the application process is online-only. Projects requiring a Food Establishment License may require additional information to be included on the drawings. Additional general discussion regarding building permits is given in Frequently Asked Building Permit Questions.
Review of a Building Permit
All projects are reviewed by Building and Zoning staff, with some projects requiring additional review from Engineering, Fire, Preservation, and/or Health Departments. All reviews are done concurrently by the various disciplines. Reviews by Engineering for grading; storm water, or utility connections will need calculations submitted.
Issuance of a Building Permit
Once the application has been reviewed and approved, the building permit enters the permit issuance step of the process.
The names of any contractor who will work on the projects must be submitted and registration is required for every contractor. For a list of types of contractors and their respective registration requirement refer to the Contractor Registration data. The total estimated value of the construction cost for the project must be submitted and City of Evanston worksheets signed by the contractors are required for any Electrical, Plumbing, or HVAC on the project.
Refer to Permit Applications and Forms for these and other forms. If information is missing, the applicant will be contacted. Once all of the required information is submitted, the building permit fee is calculated and the applicant is contacted to be given the fee amount.
Inspection for a Building Permit
As construction proceeds various inspections by City staff are required. Refer to Building Permit Inspections for a complete listing of the inspections required. Call 847-448-8207, opt. 5 to schedule an inspection. Be sure to have both the permit number and project address when calling. The contractor responsible for the area of work being inspected must be present at the time of inspection. On some projects, additional inspections by Fire or Health Department staff may be required and these can be scheduled with those departments. Effective March 16, 2015, any same-day cancellations, missed or failed inspections will result in a $45 re-inspection fee for each inspection.
Occupancy Certificates for a Building Project
Once all required final inspections have been made and approved a Certificate of Occupancy Request Form - Commercial/Multifamily can be submitted for review. When processed, usually in one to two days, a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued. This Certificate comes in two forms, Temporary and Final, depending on the information submitted. A Final Certificate of Occupancy (FCO) is issued with a onetime payment and a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) requires a monthly charge.
In general, on most projects, the lack for a Notarized Sworn Statement of Construction Costs means that only a TCO can be issued.