City of Cairo
Alexander County, Illinois
Last verified September 17, 2026
City of Cairo is a jurisdiction in Alexander County, Illinois, which does not currently list an online permit database — contact the department directly by phone or email. Use the contact information below to reach the local building department.
Contact
Permit Search
No online permit database on file — contact the department directly by phone or email.
Additional Notes
No official City of Cairo government website could be located (cityofcairo.org is a privately-run history/advocacy site, not the city government; cairoil.us does not resolve). Alexander County's official site (alexandercounty.illinois.gov) lists its departments (Assessor, Circuit Clerk, Clerk & Recorder, Coroner, Highway Engineer, Sheriff, Treasurer, etc.) and none is a Building/Zoning/Permit office. Third-party aggregators cite a Cairo City Hall address (1501 Washington Avenue, Cairo, IL 62914) and phone (618-734-4127), and current mayor Thomas Simpson is referenced on an official U.S. Senate press release, confirming the city government is active (not dissolved) -- but no permit-department-specific fact could be confirmed on an official .gov/.us domain, so those fields are left blank per sourcing rules.
What You Need Before Applying for a Permit
Most building departments ask for the same core package before they'll issue a permit: a completed application naming the property owner and contractor, the contractor's state license number and proof of insurance (general liability, and workers' comp if employees are on the job), a notice of commencement or equivalent recorded filing for larger jobs where the state requires one, and scaled plans or a site plan for anything beyond minor repairs. Roofing, fence, pool, and solar permits typically have their own simplified checklists — City of Cairo's department (above) can confirm exactly what applies to your project.
Why this matters for insurance: permit history is one of the first things an underwriter or adjuster checks. Unpermitted work — a finished basement, an added bedroom, a rebuilt roof — can complicate a claim or even void coverage for that portion of the loss, and it routinely surfaces during a home inspection. Pulling the right permit up front, and keeping the closed-permit record on file, protects both the property's value and its insurability at resale.
More in Alexander County
See Alexander County property and court records →
Other building permit jurisdictions in Alexander County: