Getting a Green Permit in Chicago

To get a permit to wreck a house (yes, you need a permit to wreck a house) you need to get a permit to build a house. The city wants to see that another house will be built, as opposed to creating a vacant lot. When applying for the demo permit, there was a debate if you needed an asbestos and/or rodent inspection. The decision came down that all we needed was a rodent inspection. Maybe the logic was that asbestos would settle down after demolition, but the relocation of rats would have a much more lasting effect on the neighborhood.

The great news regarding permitting when going the green route is that this is a priority for the City of Chicago. Major Daley wants to have a much greener city and has directed the Chicago Department of Construction and Permits to fast track any permit request that has embraced green construction. I am sure the city's website can do much more justice to the intricacies of the green permit process than I, so check out their website http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Environment&entityNameEnumValue=13

Whatever preconceptions you may have about city bureaucracy, we did not experience it while obtaining our permit. The alderman also has a say in this process and Ald. Gene Schulter completely supported our cause and offered any help that his office could provide. We did not meet with him, but the Green Home Partners, through 2 meetings, passed on the positive feedback we got from the Alderman's office.

In the end, there were some notifications that needed to be made to neighbors that we thought initially would delay our start date, but there were many more items that were able to delay our start than simple notifications to neighbors. The actual permit process took around 15 days and would have been a significant plus if we had everything ready to go.

We also believe the city and state will be providing some relief in support of our green cause though grants or rebates. We are applying for a grant for our green roof, which will have about 500 sq feet of plants in a 4" planting bed on the flat part of our roof. We are also looking to get a rebate on our thermal solar system that we are installing.