Illinois contractor licenses: what the state requires and what your city decides

Illinois is a split state. A few trades are licensed by a state agency and follow one rulebook from Cairo to Chicago. Most of the rest is decided by the city or county where the job sits. That means one Illinois company can need a state license for a reroof in one town and a separate city license for a panel upgrade in another. This page sorts the trades into those two groups, with the agency, the key thresholds and the penalties the statutes state. Our Illinois startup guide covers the business setup side: LLC filing, DBAs, workers' comp and call recording.

Which trades does Illinois license at the state level?

The table lists what we could confirm on the agencies' own pages and in the Illinois Compiled Statutes in October 2026.

The rest of this page walks through the trades that carry the most weight for a small service company.

Roofing: the Illinois license has a bond, an exam and a number you must print

Under the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act (225 ILCS 335), it is unlawful to run a roofing business, or hold yourself out as a roofing contractor, without an IDFPR license. All roofing work has to be done by a licensed roofing contractor or a qualifying party, and a seller of roofing services may subcontract only to licensed roofers.

The license comes in two sizes. A limited roofing license covers residential properties of 8 units or less. An unlimited license also covers commercial and industrial roofs, and the exam for it covers those practices. A company designates a qualifying party, an individual who takes the exam, works day to day in the business and, unless the firm is a sole proprietorship (where the owner is the qualifying party), must be an employee of the roofing firm. A qualifying party who receives a Form 1099 from the firm does not meet the statute.

The application requires proof of public liability and property damage insurance at amounts the department sets, workers' compensation for roofing (or self-insurance approval), an Illinois unemployment insurance account number, and a continuous bond to the department of $10,000 for a limited license or $25,000 for an unlimited one. Compare that with other states in our national roofing license guide.

Three rules reach your website and paperwork directly:

• License number and name on every contract and bid, and in every advertisement for roofing services. Knowingly leaving it off an ad, or letting someone else use your number, is a Class A misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine, and each day an ad runs counts as a separate offense (225 ILCS 335/5).
• Permits follow the license. A municipality or county that requires a building permit may not issue one to a roofer without proof of a current state license.
• Contract contents. A written, signed contract must include a street address other than a P.O. box, a phone number and an email address, identify your surety and liability insurer, and state your cancellation and deposit refund policy (225 ILCS 335/5.5).

The Act does not stop local government from charging occupational license and inspection fees on roofers or requiring plans, permits and inspections. It also exempts work on your own property, so the license is a rule for work done for others.

Plumbing and lawn sprinklers sit with the Department of Public Health

Illinois puts plumbing under the Department of Public Health, not IDFPR. The Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320/3) says all plumbing must be done by licensed plumbers or licensed apprentice plumbers, that at least one member of every firm or one corporate officer must be a licensed plumber, and that plumbing contractors must also register. Apprentices must be at least 16 and sponsored by a licensed plumber or an approved program. A plumber needs at least four years as a licensed apprentice plus approved coursework, and must complete 4 hours of continuing education with each annual renewal after the first. The Department says the license number must appear in all advertisements, and a violation can be a Class A misdemeanor with a fine up to $1,000.

A single-family owner who lives in the home may do their own plumbing, but may not hire anyone who is not a licensed plumber to help.

The same program handles irrigation contractors. A lawn sprinkler installer registers each year and must also register every employee who installs or supervises sprinkler systems, and tell the Department when that employee leaves. If you add sprinkler work to a mowing and landscaping route, you move into a regulated trade. The plumbing statute lets a registered irrigation contractor employ or contract with licensed plumbers for sprinkler work. For the route to a plumbing license in other states, see our plumber licensing guide.

Pest control and lawn chemicals are split between two agencies

Which agency licenses you depends on where the product goes. The Department of Agriculture says it certifies and licenses people applying pesticides in outdoor environments and in agricultural production, while the Department of Public Health licenses people applying pesticides in and on man-made structures, including rodent, bird and insect control.

Structures (Public Health). IDPH reports about 750 licensed structural pest control business locations. To get a business license you first need an employee who is a certified technician. Certification means passing the General Standards Examination with 70 percent, plus subcategory exams if you will use restricted-use pesticides. Certification renews by December 1 every three years, and the business license renews by December 1 every year. You must also show the required insurance by certificate.

Outdoor work (Agriculture). The Department's licensing page says anyone applying restricted or general-use pesticides in the course of employment must be licensed, and only someone applying a general-use product on their own property is exempt. A commercial applicator needs the 100-question General Standards exam (70 or better) and one or more 50-question category exams (35 correct). The categories include turf, ornamental (trees, shrubs and plantings), mosquito control, right-of-way and sewer line root control. The Department lists the 3-year commercial applicator license at $300 and the 3-year commercial operator license at $240, as listed in October 2026. Each organization needs a licensed applicator at each facility location. Operators must work for and be supervised by a licensed applicator.

A commercial applicator must also show financial responsibility: a surety bond or a certificate of liability insurance with a 30-day cancellation notice, with the figures the Department lists (for example $50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, or $100,000 combined single limit, with a $500,000 aggregate). Illinois offers a one-calendar-year license by reciprocity to people licensed in another state, if that is their state of residence and the license was based on a closed-book exam within the prior three years. Our pest control license guide covers the national picture.

What Illinois leaves to cities and counties

Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office has said general contractors are not required by state law to be licensed, but municipalities may require permits or have other local requirements, and owners should check with local government. That is the baseline for remodeling, carpentry, painting, siding, decks and handyman work.

Electrical work is the clearest example of local control. Chicago's Department of Buildings requires an electrical contractor license to install, alter or maintain wiring or equipment regulated by the Chicago Electrical Code, and the licensed business's employees must work under the supervision of a licensed supervising electrician. The city notes the license covers the licensed business and its employees, and does not cover people paid as independent contractors. A contractor licensed by the state as a private alarm contractor is exempt from that city license when acting within its license, but must register that license with the city to pull a permit.

Outside Chicago, expect the same pattern at different thresholds. We did not find a state license page for electrical or HVAC work among the agencies above, so the rule is the one in your job's village, city or county. Our licensing boards by state table links the official sources for every state, and the contractor license guide explains how local and state layers stack.

Septic, home inspection, locksmith and lead-safe work

Septic. Anyone who installs, repairs or maintains a private sewage disposal system other than their own single-family home must be licensed by the Department of Public Health as an installation contractor. Anyone who pumps or hauls waste needs a separate pumping contractor license. The license requires a written exam, and licenses expire December 31 (225 ILCS 225/4 and 225/5). A licensed plumber does not pay the annual fee but must still take the exam.

Home inspection. The Home Inspector License Act makes it unlawful to act as, or advertise as, a home inspector without a license; a first offense is a Class A misdemeanor and later offenses are Class 4 felonies. A single licensed inspector who operates as a sole proprietorship or single-member LLC does not need a separate entity license.

Locksmith. The Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act (225 ILCS 447/10-5) requires a license to act as a locksmith or to advertise as one. A sole proprietor with no employees may operate under an assumed name without an agency license if the name is first registered with the department.

Lead-safe work. The federal EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers renovation, repair and painting in pre-1978 homes. It applies in Illinois on top of everything above, so painters and remodelers should read the EPA's program page.

Trades with no state license page

We found no Illinois license page for mowing, house cleaning, pressure washing or junk removal. That does not mean you can skip the paperwork. These are the requirements that still apply:

• Sales tax. Illinois does not tax the service itself. The Department of Revenue says taxable tangible property you transfer in the job, such as parts or materials, falls under the Service Occupation Tax and requires registration and Form ST-1 if you have a physical presence in the state.
• Home repair contracts over $1,000. Under 815 ILCS 513/15 and 513/20, you give a written contract with the price, parts and materials, and your name and address, and you hand over the state's consumer rights pamphlet before signing.
• Workers' comp. Employers must carry it, while owners may exempt themselves. See our workers' comp by state page.

Adding weed control, fertilizer-with-herbicide or bug spray to a mowing contract puts you in the pesticide rules in the section above. That is the line that trips up lawn companies.

What to do before your first bid

1. Match each service you sell to the table above. If it is state-licensed, get the license before you advertise it.
2. Put the roofing or plumbing license number on your site, estimates and truck. Check each ad, including paid search and listing profiles.
3. For everything else, call the building department in each town you plan to work in and ask about contractor registration, permits and business licenses.
4. Confirm the numbers with the agency before you pay a fee. Fees, exam providers and forms change, and the dates on this page are October 2026.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Statutes get amended, and several of these Acts carry scheduled repeal dates between 2029 and 2032. Confirm with the agency before you act.

Frequently asked questions