The Committee on Standards and Tests is a panel of distinguished building industry professionals and city staff that assist the Department of Buildings and the Chicago Fire Department with project-specific evaluation of building products, systems, equipment, and design solutions not addressed by the Chicago Building Code.

The Committee considers requests to use: (1) materials, products and systems shown to be equal to or better than the requirements of the Chicago Building Code; and (2) comprehensive building design solutions that may not meet a specific requirement of the Chicago Building Code but are shown to meet the intent of the code.

If you are a building permit applicant, you may be notified that a material, product or system that you wish to use for your project requires approval by the Committee prior to the issuance of a building permit.

The Committee meets on the third Wednesday of every month and hears up to six cases at each meeting. Cases are scheduled for review by appointment through the Department of Buildings on a first-come first-served basis and there is a $750.00 application fee for each case.

If you have questions about the Committee, please contact the Department of Buildings’ Manager of Regulatory Review, Robert Fahlstrom at robert.fahlstrom@cityofchicago.org.

Applications to appear before the Committee should be filed using the form available below. Filing and payment instructions are included on the form.

Forms and Instructions:
Application to Appear and Fee Payment Form
Mailing Labels and Instructions (formatted for Avery 5160-compatible labels)

Meeting Information and Decisions:

The Committee usually meets at 1:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month and hears up to six cases at each meeting. Cases are scheduled for review by appointment through the Department of Buildings on a first-come first-served basis and there is a $750.00 application fee for each case.

Decisions will be posted following each meeting.