CDPH Air Pollution Control Permit (kitchen hood, food-preparation unit, boiler, smoker) + annual Certificate of Operation: Chicago restaurant guide

Chicago Department of Public Health — Environmental Permitting

What it is

CDPH's environmental review inside your building permit. Kitchen hoods (equipment code 137), food-preparation units such as charbroilers and wood/charcoal smokers (Form FP), boilers and furnaces (Form FB) and emergency generators (Form EG) need an Air Pollution Control installation permit under Municipal Code 11-4-600 through 11-4-990, and regulated equipment then needs an annual Certificate of Operation.

When a restaurant needs it

Whenever you install a commercial kitchen hood, a charbroiler, wood-fired oven or smoker, a boiler, or a water heater of 200,000 BTU/h or more. Water heaters under 200,000 BTU/h are exempt.

How to apply

Your architect or engineer creates the ENVAIR application at ipi.cityofchicago.org, prints it to PDF and uploads it to the 'environmental' folder in ProjectDox under your E-Plan building permit, with the equipment form (FP, FB or EG). CDPH reviews it as one of the permit disciplines.

Documents you’ll need

Form FP (food preparation unit) — make/model, hood and exhaust CFM, stack height, pollution-control device
Form FB for boilers/furnaces
Equipment cut sheets
Odor/nuisance control plan for solid-fuel cooking

Fee

No additional fee when installed under a building permit (fees are paid with the permit); $150 per piece of equipment for permits requested after the fact. Annual Certificate of Operation $50–$1,250 per facility by category

Processing time

Reviewed with the building permit

Renewal

Certificate of Operation renewed annually; a new permit if equipment is replaced, moved or modified

Who files

Filed by the architect/engineer inside the E-Plan permit; the owner renews the Certificate of Operation.

Good to know

Form FP makes you agree to install an emission control device if odor or nuisance complaints arise — a real risk for wood, charcoal and charbroiler cooking under apartments. Skipping the APC permit or the annual Certificate of Operation is a code violation. Questions: 312-744-8026.

Official source

CDPH — Air Pollution Control permits in building permits · CDPH — APC permit FAQs (Certificate of Operation)

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Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Guidance only, not legal advice.