Contractor licensing — Illinois

Illinois does not issue a statewide general contractor license. A general contractor working residential or commercial construction is regulated primarily by the city or county where the work is performed, not by a single state board. That municipal layer is load-bearing in Illinois and is where most of the paperwork lives. Two trades are carved out at the state level. - Plumbing. Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) licenses apprentice plumbers, journeyman plumbers, and plumbing contractors under the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320). Plumbing contractors register annually and must maintain liability, bodily injury, property damage, and workers' compensation coverage. IDPH's plumbing page is linked below for current fee and bond schedules. - Roofing. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) administers the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act (225 ILCS 335). The Act creates two license tiers: a Limited license, which requires a $10,000 continuous surety bond, and an Unlimited license, which requires a $25,000 continuous surety bond. Applicants must designate a Qualifying Party who sits for the exam. Current renewal fee published by IDFPR is $125 for the two-year cycle. Evidence of public liability and property damage insurance, workers' compensation, and unemployment insurance is required at application. Municipal layer. The City of Chicago licenses general contractors under Municipal Code Chapter 4-36. Section 4-36-030 defines five classes tied to the value of concurrent or consecutive regulated activity at a single site. - Class A: no value limit. - Class B: up to $10,000,000 per site. - Class C: up to $5,000,000 per site. - Class D: up to $2,000,000 per site. - Class E: up to $500,000 per site. Each class has its own application fee and minimum general liability insurance floor, set by the Department of Buildings and published at the Chicago GC license page linked below. Unincorporated Cook County, Aurora, Naperville, Rockford, and most other Illinois municipalities run their own contractor registration systems. Assume every job site requires a local check. Home improvement work. Illinois enforces the Home Repair and Remodeling Act (815 ILCS 513) statewide for residential jobs over $1,000. The Act does not create a license. It imposes written contract, consumer brochure, and disclosure duties on any person doing home repair or remodeling, and the Attorney General can pursue violations under the Consumer Fraud Act. Unlicensed work. Performing roofing work without an IDFPR license or plumbing work without an IDPH license is a statutory violation with fines and, for repeat conduct, potential misdemeanor exposure. Working in Chicago without the correct 4-36 license class exposes a contractor to administrative fines and stop-work orders from the Department of Buildings.