Department of Buildings Holds 2013 Self-Certification Permit Program Training Class

The City of Chicago Department of Buildings has announced the latest training class for the department’s Architectural Self-Certification Permit Program, to be held on November 28-30, 2012.
FitzGerald has had several successful experiences in over ten years of utilizing the Self-Certification program to receive expedited permits for qualifying projects, in some cases reducing the turnaround period by 50% or more.
The program—allowing self-certification by registered professionals of certain permit and construction drawings—simplifies the often painfully drawn-out permitting process for generally small-scale interior alterations to commercial spaces and small multi-unit residential buildings. At FitzGerald, self-certified efforts are led by a licensed architect who has completed such training classes and is granted oversight over a project’s code compliance with the Chicago Building Code. As a result of this qualification, the Department does not need to conduct their own technical reviews and, in FitzGerald’s experience, can issue permits in as little as one day. FitzGerald professionals are among the less than 10% of Illinois architects qualified with the Department to Self-Certify for its clients.