Overview
Illinois licensing turns on a New York-style split: no statewide license for general contracting or most trades, with the work handled locally instead. Chicago runs one of the most demanding local systems in the country. Then comes the exception. Roofing is licensed at the state level, full stop. Anyone doing roofing work anywhere in Illinois needs a Roofing Contractor License from the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), regardless of city or county. So two things matter here: whether your locality licenses your trade (it does, especially in Chicago), and whether you roof (if so, the state license stacks on top). This guide covers both.
Local Licensing for Most Work
For general contracting and most specialty trades, Illinois hands licensing to cities and counties. What you need depends entirely on where the job sits. Requirements shift from one jurisdiction to the next, and a license in one place buys you nothing in the next one over. Find the city or county your job is in and work to that jurisdiction's rules, because no statewide GC standard exists to fall back on. A contractor running jobs across the Chicago metro can answer to several local licensing authorities at once.
The Roofing Exception
Roofing is the one place Illinois goes statewide. The Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act requires anyone performing roofing work in the state to hold a Roofing Contractor License from IDFPR, and it binds every locality equally. You pass a roofing exam, carry the required general liability insurance, and post a bond, all set by the Act. Two tiers exist: a limited license covers residential roofing on small residential properties, and an unlimited license covers commercial and large-scale work. Roof anywhere in Illinois and this state license is mandatory on top of whatever your locality demands.
Chicago Is Its Own World
Chicago runs one of the most comprehensive contractor licensing systems in the country. The city handles its own licensing with proctored exams, bonding, and heavy insurance requirements spanning general liability, auto, and workers' compensation, far past what most jurisdictions ask. A license from elsewhere in Illinois won't cut it. Neither will the state roofing license. Chicago stands separate. Treat city work as its own project: pin down the exact license type your work requires, plus the bond and insurance levels, with the city directly. It's a huge market, and the rules match.
The State Roofing License In Depth
Roofing is the one trade where Illinois reaches past city hall and licenses you statewide. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation runs two tiers under the Roofing Industry Licensing Act. A Limited license covers residential work on structures of eight units or fewer, and its exam runs 80 questions. An Unlimited license adds commercial and industrial roofs, and its exam runs 130 questions. Either way, a designated qualifying party has to sit and pass that test before the company can pull roofing work legally. The money side has real teeth. A Limited license demands a $10,000 surety bond, while Unlimited climbs to $25,000. On top of the bond, the state wants public liability coverage with minimums of $250,000 for property damage and $500,000 for general liability, plus workers' compensation once you have employees. The application fee is $125 for both tiers. Licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years, and renewal costs $62.50 alongside a fresh certification that your bonding and insurance still hold. Skip the license and you are not facing a polite warning. You are operating a regulated trade without authority, and that exposes you to penalties and uninsurable liability.
State Plumbing Licensing Through IDPH
Plumbing answers to a different agency entirely. The Illinois Department of Public Health, not IDFPR, governs every plumber in the state under the Illinois Plumbing License Law. That placement tells you how Illinois views the trade: a public health matter, because bad pipe work contaminates drinking water and sewage systems. The ladder starts with an apprentice license, open at age 16 to anyone sponsored by a licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program. From there the path to a full plumber's license is long. Candidates need roughly four years of work as a licensed apprentice plus formal classroom instruction through a college, university, or trade school before they qualify to test. The licensing exam probes the Illinois Plumbing Code, trade math, pipe sizing, drainage calculations, and safety. Applicants file the Plumber's License Application for Examination at least 30 days before the test date and pay the required fee. Licensed plumbers also carry annual continuing education obligations to keep the credential active. None of this overlaps with the GC question. A general contractor in Chicago or anywhere else cannot perform plumbing on the strength of a GC license. The plumbing work has to flow through a licensed plumber, every time.
How Chicago Sorts Contractors By Project Size
Chicago does not hand out one generic contractor license. It sorts you into a class based on the dollar value of the projects you intend to run, and 2026 brought a meaningful expansion. Under Chapter 4-36 of the Municipal Code, five classes stack from smallest to largest. Class E caps individual project value at $500,000. Class D now reaches $4 million, Class C goes to $10 million, and Class B tops out at $20 million after the city doubled the limits for the B, C, and D tiers. Class A carries no ceiling at all. Insurance scales right alongside project value. Class E requires $1 million in commercial general liability per occurrence, C and D each sit at $2 million, B climbs to $3 million, and A demands $5 million. The annual fees track the same curve: $300 for Class E, $900 for D, $1,300 for C, $1,800 for B, and $3,500 for A. The application asks for more than a check. You submit a statement of financial solvency, proof you are authorized to do business in Illinois, proof of insurance at your class minimum, and certification that your insurer carries a B+ rating or better. Pick your class honestly, because the city checks the value of what you actually build.
Registering As A Plumbing Contractor
An individual plumber's license and a plumbing contractor registration are two separate credentials, and conflating them gets businesses in trouble. The personal license proves a human passed the IDPH exam. The contractor registration authorizes a business to offer plumbing for hire and to employ licensed plumbers on jobs. Any licensed plumber who performs work for another person operates as a plumbing contractor in the state's eyes and must register accordingly. That registration runs $150 per year and carries financial backing the individual license does not. Contractors file a $20,000 surety bond, and Illinois structures it on a fixed cycle: the bond expires September 30 and cannot be written as a continuous instrument, so it gets renewed on schedule rather than rolling indefinitely. Insurance minimums apply as well, with general liability around $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 for bodily injury, and $50,000 for property damage, plus workers' compensation once staff are on the payroll. Applications go to the IDPH Plumbing Program in Springfield. The practical takeaway for anyone hiring: a plumber waving a personal license is only half the picture. The company doing the work needs its own active registration and bond, and both are verifiable through the department before a single pipe gets cut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Illinois have a state contractor license? Not for general contracting, that's local. The lone statewide exception is roofing, which requires a state Roofing Contractor License from IDFPR.
Who licenses general contractors in Illinois? Cities and counties. Chicago has an especially comprehensive system; other localities vary. No statewide GC license exists.
Do I need the state roofing license? Yes, if you do roofing work anywhere in Illinois. It's required statewide regardless of locality, with limited (residential) and unlimited (commercial) tiers.
Is Chicago different? Very. Chicago runs one of the most demanding local licensing systems in the country, with proctored exams and high bond and insurance requirements. Its rules stand apart from the state and other localities.
What if I work across jurisdictions? Expect multiple local licenses, plus the state roofing license if you roof. Check each locality where you work.
Does a Chicago general contractor license let me do my own plumbing or roofing? No. The GC license authorizes general construction, but plumbing must run through an IDPH-licensed plumber and roofing requires the separate IDFPR state roofing license. Holding a GC license never substitutes for either trade credential.
Which roofing license do I need, Limited or Unlimited? If your work stays on residential buildings of eight units or fewer, the Limited license fits and carries an 80-question exam plus a $10,000 bond. If you touch commercial or industrial roofs, you need the Unlimited license, a 130-question exam, and a $25,000 bond.
Why is plumbing regulated by the health department instead of IDFPR? Illinois treats plumbing as a public health issue because faulty work threatens drinking water and sewage systems. That is why the Illinois Department of Public Health, not the professional regulation agency, administers plumber licensing under the Illinois Plumbing License Law.
What is the difference between a plumber's license and a plumbing contractor registration? The license certifies an individual passed the IDPH exam. The contractor registration, which costs $150 annually and requires a $20,000 surety bond, authorizes a business to offer plumbing for hire. A company needs both the licensed plumber and the active registration.
Editor’s Note
Illinois is a two-part puzzle. Local licensing governs general contracting, with Chicago a serious system in its own right, and one statewide license, roofing, reaches everywhere. The contractors who get burned go all-in on one read: treat it as fully local and miss the state roofing requirement, or treat it as fully statewide and miss the local GC rules. Sort it by your work. Roof, and you need the IDFPR state license; for everything else, you need whatever your city or county requires, and in Chicago that's a heavy lift. Exam, bond, and insurance amounts run highest for roofing and for Chicago.