Scope.
Municipal Code of Chicago § 14A-4-406.1
in effect14A-4-406.1 Scope.
All excavation work on private property must comply with Chapter 10-21 of the Municipal Code and Chapter 33 of the Chicago Building Code. A permit is required before beginning excavation work on private property that will be either:
1. More than five feet (1524 mm) vertically below existing grade and within ten feet (3048 mm) horizontally of either the public way or an existing building or existing structure.
2. More than 10 feet (3048 mm) vertically below existing grade at any location.
The permit application must clearly identify excavation in the scope of work and be accompanied by documents establishing compliance with the requirements of Section 14A-4-406. In this section, "excavation work" includes demolition of foundations or other below-grade structures.
Exceptions:
1. The City itself is exempt from obtaining a permit for excavation work, however contractors performing work on behalf of the City must obtain a permit for excavation work.
2. Excavation required for emergency repairs is not required to obtain a permit but must comply with the insurance requirement in Section 14A-4-406.6.
(Amend Coun. J. 10-7-20, p. 21791, Art. I, § 8; Amend Coun. J. 1-26-22, p. 43756, Art. I, § 4; Amend Coun. J. 5-20-26, p. 43489, § 3)
Source: City of Chicago, Municipal Code of Chicago (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2661168Fetched: 10/24/2026