What type of project is considered "Commercial"?

Any project that does not involve a single-unit home, a two-unit building, or a townhome. Therefore, all multi-unit apartment and condo buildings, industrial buildings, educational buildings, gyms, restaurants, retail stores, etc., would be considered commercial properties.

Permitting Process

Below is a step-by-step outline of the commercial building permit process. If you have questions regarding these steps, please contact (847) 448-8207.

               
Application          Review                 Issuance              Inspection              Certificates

Application for a Building Permit 

An application for a building permit must be submitted through the Citizen Portal.  If exterior work is involved, then a separate Zoning Analysis Application may be requested by city planners either before or 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.

Plan Review

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.  When reviews will be required from Engineering for grading, storm water, or utility connections, the plan submission must include calculations.

Permit Issuance

Once the application has been reviewed and approved, the building permit application documents will be reviewed by our Permit Technicians. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, we will require the following:

• The total estimated construction cost for the project must be provided.
• The names of any contractor who will work on the project must be submitted.
  • All contractors must be registered with the City of Evanston. For more informstion regarding specific registration requirements, please refer to the Contractor Registration page.
• City of Evanston worksheets, signed by the respective contractors, will be required for any Electrical, Plumbing, or HVAC work.
  •  Refer to the Permit Documents page for these and other forms.
• Temporary construction fences are required when performing exterior work that may create a hazard for the public. For detailed requirements, please review the Construction Fence Checklist. The construction fence must be installed and inspected prior to permit issuance.

If information is missing, the applicant will be contacted. Once all of the required information has been submitted, the building permit fees will be calculated and the applicant will be contacted with the fee amount.

Building Inspections

As construction proceeds, various inspections by City staff will be required.  Refer to the Building Permit Inspections page for a complete listing of the inspections required.  Call (847) 448-8207 and select option 5 to schedule an inspection. Be sure to have both the permit number and project address when calling. The registered 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.  Same-day cancellations, missed, or failed inspections will result in a $70 re-inspection fee for each inspection.

Certificate of Occupancy

Once all required final inspections have been approved, planned development ordinance or other Zoning requirements have been met, and Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requirements (if applicable) have been fulfilled, a Certificate of Occupancy Request Form - Commercial/Multifamily can be submitted for review.  Once processed, usually within five business 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 one-time payment and a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) requires a monthly charge.   

For most projects, an FCO may not be issued without a notarized Sworn Statement of Construction Costs; only a TCO may be issued in those cases.