Aurora
City of Aurora Development Services Department
In short
City of Aurora Development Services Department issues 6 permits we publish for Aurora, last verified 2026-09-04. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Aurora Development Services Department | $232 for new construction, an addition, or a commercial remodel; a temporary certificate costs twice the standard fee | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-04 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Aurora Development Services Department | $173–$376 for a sign without electric service, or with it, combining the application, inspection and plan review fees | per sign | 2026-09-04 |
| Contractor Registration | City of Aurora Development Services Department | $200 annual fee | not confirmed in the source consulted | 2026-09-04 |
| Commercial Building Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Aurora Development Services Department | For a remodel: 2.5% of the portion of valuation under $100,000 plus 2.0% of the portion above, with plan review at 15% of that figure. For new construction or an addition: 0.5% of valuation, with a minimum permit inspection fee of $3,800 and a minimum application fee of $1,003. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-04 |
| Fire Alarm or Fire Suppression System Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Aurora Development Services Department | $384 combining application, inspection, plan review and certificate fees for a new fire alarm or fire suppression system | one-time per system installed | 2026-09-04 |
| Business Registration | City of Aurora Development Services Department | No fee | no stated expiration; a licensed business renews on an annual basis | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Certificate of Occupancy
A standalone Commercial Certificate of Occupancy application also exists for a tenant change with no construction work at all — the city's own form specifically flags automotive, food preparation, alcohol, tobacco and beauty-care uses as needing extra review at that stage.
Sign Permit
Digital signage is priced entirely differently, and by the side rather than the sign: $100 a side under 25 square feet, $200 a side from 25 to 50, $300 above that, and $1,200 a side for a digital billboard.
Contractor Registration
Required of any person, firm or corporation doing construction work in Aurora, and a certificate of insurance naming the City as an additional insured is required to register. A surety bond is required only for dumpster placement or other work obstructing the public right-of-way, not for ordinary construction generally.
Commercial Building Permit
A non-residential fire impact fee rides alongside this permit — $50 per 1,000 gross square feet if the building is sprinklered, $150 per 1,000 if it is not, on top of a separate $300 engineering plan review and site inspection fee.
Fire Alarm or Fire Suppression System Permit
The Fire Prevention Bureau separately lists a long roster of operational permits — hazardous materials, high-piled storage, LP gas over 60 gallons, tents of 120 square feet or more — but publishes no dollar figures for any of them online, and no general recurring annual commercial fire inspection fee could be confirmed either way.
Business Registration
No fee — the City states plainly there is no cost to register a business, applying to every for-profit and nonprofit operating within Aurora's boundaries except home-based businesses. This is separate from the fee any specific regulated license category, such as a mobile food unit or a contractor, may still carry.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Aurora
- Phone
- (630) 256-3130
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Aurora Fire Department — Fire Prevention Bureau operational permitsAurora Fire Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- City of Aurora — 2026 building permit fee scheduleCity of Aurora · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- City of Aurora — business registration is free of chargeCity of Aurora · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- City of Aurora — commercial certificate of occupancy applicationCity of Aurora · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- City of Aurora — contractor registration, $200 feeCity of Aurora · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Other offices serving Aurora
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Illinois jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.