Fire Damage Restoration Chicago: $3,083 to $52,031 (2026)

National figures before insurance; we found no Chicago-only fire restoration price.

Do this now: after a fire in a Chicago home

1. Do not go back in until the Chicago Fire Department says it is safe.
2. If you smell gas, leave and call Peoples Gas at 866-556-6002 or 911 from outside.
3. Need a place to stay tonight? The American Red Cross Greater Chicago Chapter is at (312) 729-6100.
4. Call your insurer, and photograph every room and damaged item before anything is thrown out.
5. Secure the house. The U.S. Fire Administration says protecting against further damage from weather, theft or vandalism is your responsibility once firefighters leave.
6. Do not sign an assignment of benefits or any contract that hands your claim to a contractor.

Is it urgent? What to deal with in the first 48 hours

The first 48 hours after a fire are urgent because water from the hoses starts mold and open windows invite weather and theft. HomeGuide says to hire a restoration company "as soon as possible, usually within 48 hours of the fire," and the EPA says wet materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually do not grow mold. Smoke odor and soot can wait a few days for a full estimate. FEMA says to keep the main electrical power and water systems off until you or a professional can make sure they are safe. National steps: fire damage restoration and smoke damage restoration.

How to get a Chicago Fire Department report

Your insurer will usually ask for the fire report. The Chicago Fire Department releases fire and investigative reports on closed or inactive cases through a Freedom of Information Act request to its FOIA officer at 3510 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653, by email at [email protected] or by fax at 312-745-3900. Include the exact location and date of the fire. The CFD notes that requests and requester names are posted on the City's website.

Signing with a restoration company in Illinois

Illinois' Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires a written contract before home repair or remodeling work over $1,000, and the contractor must give you the Attorney General's "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights" pamphlet before you sign; for work over $1,000 you sign an acknowledgment. The pamphlet says you have 3 business days to cancel a contract signed at your home. After a fire, people knock on doors fast. Take the pamphlet, read the contract and call your insurer before you sign.

Chicago's older homes and fire repairs

Chicago's median home was built in 1953, against a U.S. median of 1980, and 495,715 of the city's 1,277,054 housing units (38.8%) were built in 1939 or earlier, the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey shows. Fire damage in an older two-flat or frame house often reaches old wiring, plaster and balloon framing, so ask for a structural inspection before the estimate is final; HomeGuide puts one at $350 to $900 nationally. Rewiring after a fire runs $900 to $3,000 in HomeAdvisor's 2026 data. Electrical work needs a City-licensed electrical contractor, and a water-soaked basement after firefighting is covered on water damage restoration in Chicago.

Local rules, programs and climate for Chicago, from the official pages listed under Sources.

Questions to ask a Chicago fire restoration company

1. Will you give me a written, room-by-room estimate and the Illinois home repair pamphlet?
2. Do you follow the IICRC S700 fire and smoke restoration standard?
3. Who will board up the house tonight, and what does that cost?
4. Does anything you want me to sign assign my insurance benefits to you?

More Chicago restoration help

Water from firefighting: water damage restoration in Chicago. Roof burned through: roof repair in Chicago. Other cities: fire damage restoration in Columbus and fire damage restoration in New York. All prices: home repair costs. Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job (how calls work).