Permits Required

The City of Champaign switched to an online portal on January 1, 2025, to apply for a building permit.  

Permits are required whenever an owner or authorized agent intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to install, enlarge, alter, repair, or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing, sprinkler or fire alarm system.   Work exempt from permits includes yard barns not exceeding 120 square feet, fences (Zoning regulations do apply), playground equipment, and minor repair work to electrical, mechanical or plumbing systems.  Please contact Building Safety if there are questions about when a permit is required.

OpenGov

The online portal (OpenGov) will provide an environmentally friendly, paperless process where everything is submitted through a secure website portal. Through the portal, applicants will be able to easily check the status of their application, ask questions, and submit additional information or documentation. Application and fee payments can also be made online.

Staff has pre-recorded training videos to help customers acclimate to the new software. Here are some links to the training videos.

Setting Up a New OpenGov Account:

https://vimeo.com/1014576765/23eef61cd3(External link)

and

Please take a moment and visit the Engage Champaign website for the Development Services Audit for more information on upcoming OpenGov end-user training.