InstaBidsHow much does it cost to replace a roof in Chicago?
$16,654 was the median declared permit value for data years 2023-2026 in Chicago, IL. One- and two-family home roof replacement permits issued in Chicago declared a typical range (middle half of 804 City of Chicago permit data points, Chicago, IL, 2023-2026) of $11,299 to $25,039.
Updated 2026-10-28
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| What was measured | Median declared value | Declared value range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| One- and two-family home roof replacement permits issued in Chicago declared | a median declared value on building permits of $16,654 | the typical range (middle half of 804 City of Chicago permit data points, Chicago, IL, 2023-2026) was $11,299 to $25,039 |
Declared permit values are what applicants reported to the city; final contract prices can differ.
How measured: residential single-job permits; declared values below the low-value floor for the same job removed (8 rows). Source: City of Chicago, Department of Buildings 'Building Permits' (ydr8-5enu), data read 22 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from City of Chicago, Department of Buildings 'Building Permits' (ydr8-5enu), data years 2023-2026, read 22 October 2026, for Chicago, IL. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
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What the job includes, the line items to ask for and how to compare bids: the national roof replacement cost guide.
What do Chicago roof permits declare?
Chicago’s roofing sample contains 804 permits: 812 matches with declared values, less eight below the job’s low-value floor. The city data has no residential flag, so the description must identify a house, bungalow or one- or two-family home, or an express asphalt-shingle reroof no larger than 3,000 square feet.
The filter removes 1,566 records outside existing-home work and 171 that name another job. Descriptions naming apartments, condominiums or three or more dwellings do not enter this sample. A declared valuation records an application, not the final bill.
Roofing survey reports for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
| Area or whole-house size | Typical middle | Middle half range | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | a median of $14,000 | the typical range (middle half of 66 American Housing Survey data points, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, 2021-2023) was $10,000 to $21,000 | 66 |
How measured: hired-out finished jobs, survey-weighted, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data read 16 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data years 2021-2023, read 16 October 2026, for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
Full national guide: How much does it cost to replace a roof?
How does Chicago compare with the national survey?
For the national picture, the Census Bureau's American Housing Survey asked households about the work done on their home and whether they hired it out. Its roofing item reads "Added or replaced roofing", so full tear-offs and smaller partial replacements share one range.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.
| What was measured | Median | Typical range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Households in the American Housing Survey that hired out a roof replacement reported | a median of $10,000 | the typical range (middle half of 1,820 American Housing Survey data points, the United States, 2021-2023) was $5,800 to $16,000 |
| When the household did the roofing itself | a median (260 American Housing Survey data points, the United States, 2021-2023) of $5,600 | — |
How measured: hired-out finished jobs, survey-weighted, not adjusted for inflation; do-it-yourself jobs the same way. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data read 16 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data years 2021-2023, read 16 October 2026, for the United States. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
Full national guide: How much does it cost to replace a roof?
The Chicago median declared value sits above the national survey median for hired-out roof jobs.
The two are different kinds of record: a survey answer is what a household remembers paying, while a permit value is what an applicant wrote down before the work began. This page keeps them apart and never blends them into one number.
Chicago roof permit rules for tear-off, recovering and insulation
Example rule, Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306 roof permit: replacement tear-off: “Roof replacement shall include the removal of all existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck.”
Source: Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306 roof permit: ice-barrier exception: “Exception: Where the existing roof assembly includes an ice barrier membrane that is adhered to the roof deck, the existing ice barrier membrane shall be allowed to remain in place and be covered with an additional layer of ice barrier membrane in accordance with Section 1507 of the Chicago Building Code.”
Source: Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306 roof permit: insulating value: “In no case shall a roof replacement or roof recover reduce the insulating value of the roof.”
Source: Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306 roof permit: wet roof recover exclusion: “The existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing.”
Source: Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306 roof permit: multiple layers recover exclusion: “The existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering unless approved based on a condition report complying with Section 104 of the Chicago Minimum Requirements for Existing Buildings that establishes the capacity of the roof structure to support additional weight.”
Source: Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306 roof permit: flashing reconstruction: “Flashings shall be reconstructed in accordance with manufacturer’s installation instructions.”
Source: Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306, read 7 November 2026.
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Sources for the figures on this page
- City of Chicago, Department of Buildings 'Building Permits' (ydr8-5enu), https://data.cityofchicago.org/Buildings/Building-Permits/ydr8-5enu, read 22 October 2026. InstaBids computed medians and middle-half ranges. This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/2023/ahs-2023-public-use-file--puf-.html, read 16 October 2026. U.S. government work; no endorsement implied.
- U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/2023/AHS 2023 Value Labels Package.zip, read 16 October 2026.
- Chicago Building Rehabilitation Code 14R-3-306, codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2673955, read 7 November 2026.