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How long does a solar permit take in Chicago?

In Chicago, the typical solar permit took 8 days from application to issue, across 3,896 permits issued from September 2024 to September 2026.

8 daysfrom application to permitMiddle half: 4 days to 15 days

The two steps

How long solar installations take in Chicago, in daysApplication to permit issued: median 8 days, middle half 4 to 15 days, 3,896 permits.Application to permit issued: 8 days07 d14 d
Bars show the median; the line through each bar spans the middle half of jobs.
The numbers behind the chart
StepMedianMiddle halfPermitsPermits issued
Application to permit issued8 days4 days to 15 days3,896September 2024 to September 2026

Solar installers with the most jobs in Chicago

RankContractorJobsContact
1Sunrun Installation Services
Somerset
4,313
Visit website
2Bright Planet Solar Inc
751
Get a quote
3Freedom Forever Illinois LLC
Temecula
519
Visit website

See all 69 ranked solar installers

Get quotes from up to 3 solar installers

Five quick questions. We send your request to up to 3 contractors who work near you, and email you who they are.

You decide who to hire. Your details go only to the contractors you pick. How we use your details

1. Where is the job?

We match contractors who work near it. We never ask for your street address.

2. What do you need?

Pick any that fit.

3. When do you want to start?
4. What is your rough budget?

A range is fine. It helps contractors reply with a real number.

5. Where should we send it?

Your contact details go only to who you pick here.

Sent. We have your request.

Over the next few days we email you up to 3 contractors who fit, and pass your request to them. Replies usually come within a few days.

Your job room keeps the request, your photos and every reply in one place, with an assistant that checks prices against city permits. Keep its link: it is the key to your job.

Open your job room

Permit wait by year issued

Year issuedJobsMedianMiddle half
202469912 days7 days to 19 days
20251,9246 days2 days to 13 days
20261,27310 days6 days to 16 days

Why it takes this long

  • 3% of permits were issued the day they were applied for, and 91% within 30 days (3,896 permits).
  • The time to final inspection is not shown: the city's permit data has no final inspection date.

Days are counted between the dates on each city permit: application_start_date, issue_date. Median and middle half: half of the jobs took longer than the median; the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile. A figure is shown only when it rests on 30 or more permits. Kinds of work are sorted by the same rules as our contractor lists. Source: Chicago Building Permits (data.cityofchicago.org ydr8-5enu), read 2026-09-24. The same figures as data: solar.json.