Trust pros to help cut red tape, build more suburban housing

As Cook County property taxes hit Aug. 1, businesses and residents inevitably will see tax hikes. These rising bills, along with burdensome government regulations, make Illinois No. 2 in the nation for high property taxes and the most expensive state in the Midwest to build and buy homes.

Luckily, there is a solution that would cut government red tape and home prices. Suburban politicians, businesses and developers should get behind an initiative that can make it easier for those who want to build and add housing — self-certification.

Self-certification allows developers, engineers and architects to be preapproved for construction permits in local municipalities and certify that a project plan complies with municipal building codes. It can reduce the hoops to jump through and time spent getting permits by entrusting local experts and businesses, rather than government, to design and approve plans and to ensure they meet code. Ultimately, this allows new developments to be built quicker — and time is money, so that means more affordably.

Suburban municipalities can emulate Phoenix’s successful model, where the time from permit application to approval is as little as five days.

After Phoenix launched the program in 2010, it was expanded to include all buildings except high-rises, stadiums and similar structures, plus buildings for manufacturing or other potentially hazardous activities. Phoenix has the second-highest rate of new housing construction, only slightly behind Houston.

To be eligible, a self-certifying architect or engineer must: Have a minimum of three years’ work experience in building code compliance, be registered in the state and take the self-certification training course offered by the city. Training must be renewed every three years, including maintaining sufficient liability coverage and completing a training class.

Safety precautions are considered as well. To self-certify a project, the architect or engineer must provide:

• Evidence they maintain sufficient professional liability insurance.

• A statement certifying they are eligible for self-certification, have not been convicted of or found liable for fraud or similar infractions and that the project complies with the requirements for self-certification.

• A letter from the owner or tenant ensuring they have authorized the work and will correct any errors or misrepresentations and will take any remedial measures to bring the project in compliance with the law.

• A “hold harmless” letter indemnifying the city from any costs or damages “connected with the design, construction, code compliance review or issuance of a building permit for the project identified in the building permit application.”

• The completed self-certification application.

All this can help bring development to towns in the Northwest suburbs, such as Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights and Palatine. Communities could even band together to offer training or create self-certification programs, as one local leader suggested.

The people in Illinois are burdened by housing shortages because the state lags the rest of the country in issuing new permits. Illinois’ housing crisis is just as much a supply problem as it is a tax problem. According to calculations from a 2023 report by Up for Growth, Illinois fell 113,000 units short of its housing needs in 2021 alone. Illinois has not even approved 100,000 new housing permits in total since 2019. Compared to other states with large cities including New York, California, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Texas, Illinois is in last place.

Business and residents are fleeing, in part because of these housing issues. It all contributes to a vicious cycle of decline.

The city of Chicago already has a self-certification program in place, but Chicago has stricter project eligibility requirements. The fee for training for registration as a self-certification professional is more expensive than that of Phoenix’s program. Chicago could improve its process by reducing its fees and expanding the types of projects eligible for self-certification.

By cutting government red tape, suburbs and municipalities throughout Illinois could reduce permit approval times for qualifying projects, which could help address housing shortages, attract businesses and stimulate growth in their cities.

Illinois doesn’t need more affordable housing gimmicks that damage taxpayers and the market. Slashing government bloat and regulations will create lasting change — making the state more attractive to developers and affordable for residents.

• Matt Paprocki is president and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute.