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Lake County

Lake County Plan Commission — Planning & Building Department

In short

Lake County Plan Commission — Planning & Building Department issues 3 permits we publish for Lake County, last verified 2026-10-15. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Contractor and Specialty Contractor License (Unincorporated Lake County Contractors Board of Licensing)only if it applies to youLake County Plan Commission — Planning & Building Department$300 with the application: the $50 application and processing fee plus the $250 initial examination fee under Ord. 1628 Sec. 3-1(p), which the 2026 Contractor Licensing Packet totals as an Application and Examination fee of $300. A second examination after a failed first one is $50; initial issuance of the license is $100; annual renewal is $50 plus a $25 processing fee (Sec. 3-1-1(e)). Before issuance the applicant files a $5,000 Unified License Bond with the Lake County Recorder and proof of liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence or a $1,000,000 annual umbrella policycalendar year; all licenses expire at midnight December 31 (Ord. 1628 Sec. 3-1-1(a))2026-10-15
Commercial Building Permit, Inspections and Certificate of Occupancy (Unincorporated Lake County)only if it applies to youLake County Plan Commission — Planning & Building DepartmentBuilding Code No. 18 commercial schedule (building fee; minimum; zoning fee): new commercial buildings with public access (e.g. stores) $30 for the first $1,000 of valuation plus $10 for each additional $1,000, minimum $300, zoning fee $100; commercial additions $30 first $1,000 plus $10 each additional $1,000, minimum $100, zoning fee $50; remodelling $15 first $1,000 plus $5 each additional $1,000, minimum $100, zoning fee $50. Plumbing, electrical and mechanical fees are additional. Re-inspection $50. Permit renewal before expiry: 80% of the original building fee for a two-year renewal, 40% for a one-year renewal, minimum $10. Starting construction before obtaining a permit: a fee of three times the original building fee.two years from the date of issuance (Building Code No. 18 § 12, Ord. 2158 approved 9/12/06); one renewal if requested and paid before expiry2026-10-15
Zoning Applications under Unified Development Ordinance No. 2560 (Unincorporated Lake County)only if it applies to youLake County Plan Commission — Planning & Building DepartmentUDO Table 17-2: agricultural/residential rezoning $200; all other rezonings $400 plus $25 per acre or portion of an acre; special exceptions $200 plus $10 per acre or portion; site plan/rezoning plan $200 plus $25 per acre or portion, total not to exceed $780; use variance $400; all other zoning variances $200; appeals of administrative decisions $300 (refundable if the decision is reversed); zoning permit fees as established in Building Code No. 18; certificate of occupancy copies $1 each; special-called meeting of the Plan Commission $750, of the Board of Zoning Appeals $300.per application2026-10-15

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

Contractor and Specialty Contractor License (Unincorporated Lake County Contractors Board of Licensing)

Under Lake County Contractor Licensing Ordinance No. 1628 Sec. 3-1, any business entity that conducts business in unincorporated Lake County as a contractor or specialty contractor must be licensed by the Unincorporated Lake County Contractors Board of Licensing, which the Plan Commission administers. The application, on the Board's forms, names one individual as the License Holder, carries two character recommendations from unrelated county residents and two passport-type photographs, and the applicant must pass the Board's written examination; under Sec. 3-1(g) plumbers holding a valid Indiana Plumbing Contractor's License, and other professions examined and licensed by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, are not required to take the written test but must still be licensed by the Board. As set in Ord. 1628 Sec. 3-1(p), the application and processing fee is $50 and the initial examination fee $250, which the 2026 Contractor Licensing Packet (posted on the county's Contractor Licensing page) states together as a $300 Application and Examination fee; a second examination is $50 and initial issuance $100. Before a license issues, the applicant files a $5,000 Unified License Bond with the Lake County Recorder (Sec. 3-1(j)) and proof of liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence or a $1,000,000 umbrella policy (Sec. 3-1(k)). Licenses expire at midnight December 31; renewal costs $50 plus a $25 processing fee. Contracting without a license brings an immediate $500 fine. Plan Commission: (219) 755-3700.

Commercial Building Permit, Inspections and Certificate of Occupancy (Unincorporated Lake County)

The Lake County Plan Commission's Planning & Building Department issues building permits and conducts inspections; its page states "Jurisdiction authority extends to unincorporated Lake County. No jurisdiction in incorporated areas." Fees are those of Building Code No. 18 for unincorporated Lake County, which the state Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission approved April 5, 1988, whose commercial schedule carries the note "Revised permit zoning fees per Ord. 1564 dated 1/11/94", and whose permit validity and renewal sections date from Ord. 2158 approved 9/12/06. The county's Building Department Forms page lists the code, and UDO No. 2560 Table 17-2 sets zoning permit fees "as established in the Building Code (Ord. No 18)". Under the commercial schedule a new building with public access such as a store pays $30 for the first $1,000 of valuation plus $10 per additional $1,000 (minimum $300, zoning fee $100); an addition pays the same rate (minimum $100, zoning $50); remodelling pays $15 plus $5 per $1,000 (minimum $100, zoning $50). The posted schedule adds "plus fees for plumbing, electrical, mechanical – (see attached)"; those attachments are not part of the posted PDF, so ask the department for them at (219) 755-3700. A permit is valid two years; renewal costs 80% or 40% of the original building fee (minimum $10), and starting work before the permit costs three times the building fee. The department's Procedure for Requesting a Building Permit lists a $50 re-inspection fee, requires state Construction Design Release for commercial work, and states that no building may be used or occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy and/or Use is issued.

Zoning Applications under Unified Development Ordinance No. 2560 (Unincorporated Lake County)

Lake County Unified Development Ordinance No. 2560, adopted June 13, 2023 and posted in its August 2025 printing including Ords. 2571, 2574 and 2590, governs zoning in unincorporated Lake County; § 154-1-040 states "The provisions of this UDO apply within unincorporated Lake County. They do not apply within incorporated cities", and a site inside a city or town follows that municipality's zoning. The Plan Commission handles zone changes, subdivision approvals, change of use permits, special exceptions and variances, with the Board of Zoning Appeals deciding variances and appeals. As set in UDO Table 17-2 (§ 154-17-010(D)(4)), an agricultural or residential rezoning costs $200 and any other rezoning $400 plus $25 per acre; a special exception $200 plus $10 per acre; a site plan or rezoning plan $200 plus $25 per acre up to $780; a use variance $400 and any other zoning variance $200; an appeal of an administrative decision $300, refundable if the decision is reversed; and certificate of occupancy copies $1 each. A special-called meeting costs $750 before the Plan Commission and $300 before the Board of Zoning Appeals. Zoning permit fees themselves follow Building Code No. 18. Under UDO § 154-17-010(D)(5) an application is complete only when accompanied by the required fee.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Lake County
Phone
(219) 755-3700

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.

  1. 2026 Contractor Licensing PacketLake County Plan Commission, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  2. Building Code No. 18, Unincorporated Lake County, Indiana (amended through September 2006)Lake County Plan Commission, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  3. Building Department FormsLake County Plan Commission, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  4. Contractor LicensingLake County Plan Commission, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  5. Contractor Licensing Ordinance No. 1628 (amended through Amendment #2312, August 10, 2010)Lake County, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  6. Lake County Plan CommissionLake County, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  7. Lake County Unified Development Ordinance No. 2560 (August 2025 printing)Lake County Plan Commission, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  8. Procedure for Requesting a Building PermitLake County Plan Commission, Indiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15

Other offices serving Lake County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

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Indiana jurisdictions

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