Illinois has no statewide general contractor license: general contractors are licensed at the city and county level, and Chicago runs its own general contractor licensing through the Department of Buildings with five license classes.
Requirements checked against the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation published requirements on September 29, 2026.
| Licensing board | No statewide general contractor license or board; the only statewide contractor licenses are roofing through IDFPR and plumbing through IDPH; general contracting is licensed locally |
|---|---|
| License required when | No statewide threshold since there is no state GC license; Chicago GC classes are capped by project value from Class E at 500000 dollars to Class A unlimited |
| What the state calls the qualifier | Qualifying party (roofing, licensed through IDFPR) |
| NASCLA exam accepted | no |
| Reciprocity and endorsement | none stated (roofing has no reciprocity; plumbing reciprocity exists in statute but no partner states are named) |
| Exam waivers | Roofing: no waiver, full process required. Plumbing: exam waived only if the home state's requirements are substantially equal and a reciprocal agreement exists; without an agreement the applicant must still pass the Illinois exam |
| Experience required | No state GC requirement; plumbing exam requires 4 years as an Illinois licensed apprentice plumber or an approved plumbing course plus 2 years of high school; roofing qualifying party must be actively engaged in the business, no years stated |
| Application and exam fees | Plumbing exam application fee 175 dollars (225 dollars for plumbers licensed in Chicago or out of state), filed at least 30 days before the exam date; roofing license application fee 125 dollars |
| Renewal | Roofing: two year cycle expiring December 31 of odd numbered years, 62.50 dollars per year renewal fee, new bond each cycle |
| Time to license | No published processing time for roofing or plumbing; Chicago GC application approved or rejected within 28 days with the license mailed within 10 business days after that |
| Bond and financial requirements | Roofing: continuous surety bond of 10000 dollars (Limited) or 25000 dollars (Unlimited) plus public liability and property damage insurance, workers compensation for all employees and an Illinois unemployment insurance number |
| Penalty for unlicensed work | Roofing Act maximum civil penalty raised to 15000 dollars by Public Act 104 0427 |
| Time to replace a qualifier | Roofing: both parties notify IDFPR within 30 business days; the license goes inoperative immediately; the licensee has 60 days from the date of its notice to name and register a replacement qualifying party |
| Companies one qualifier may qualify | Roofing: one licensee per qualifying party unless at least 25 percent ownership or management interest in each entity, or a licensee and its licensed subsidiary; plumbing: no numeric cap |
Facts checked on August 10, 2026.
Each line was checked against the state board’s published requirements on the date shown. Not stated means the board material we reviewed did not state it, so we do not guess. Boards change rules; confirm the current figure with the board before you file.
The state does license one construction trade statewide through IDFPR: every roofing contractor in Illinois needs a state roofing license, either Limited for residential properties consisting of 8 units or less, or Unlimited for residential, commercial, and industrial work. Every roofing license must carry a designated qualifying party, the individual who passes the state roofing exam and supervises day to day roofing operations, which makes roofing the one Illinois license with a true state level qualifier rule. Plumbing is also regulated statewide: the Illinois Department of Public Health licenses plumbers and registers plumbing contractors.
Electrical and HVAC licensing stays local.
Illinois requires a Qualifying Agent for all licensed contractor entities.
Illinois has no statewide general contractor license; that is handled locally, city by city. Illinois does license roofing (through IDFPR) and plumbing (through IDPH) statewide. Each licensed roofing company must designate a qualifying party who passes the required exam, and each plumbing contractor registration must list a licensed plumber, owner, partner, or officer as the responsible party.
Illinois IDFPR issues two roofing license types: a Limited license for residential roofing only, covering residential properties of 8 units or less, and an Unlimited license covering residential, commercial, and industrial roofing. Every licensed roofing company must designate one qualifying party who is actively engaged in the day to day roofing business.
That qualifying party must pass the required exam: the Illinois Residential Examination for a Limited license, or the Residential exam followed by the Commercial and Industrial exam for an Unlimited license. The Unlimited exam cannot be taken until the Residential exam has been passed, so an applicant planning to hold an Unlimited license must pass both exam forms in sequence before that license can be issued.
Continental Testing Services is the exam vendor for the roofing qualifying party exam. Each exam category costs 248 dollars (checked September 29, 2026), and the only two testing sites in the state are in Hillside and Springfield.
Following the Public Act 104-0427 amendment, effective August 15, 2025, Illinois roofing law states that a roofing qualifying party must be an employee who receives compensation from, and is under the supervision and control of, the licensed roofing contractor business. The business must provide proper tax withholding and workers compensation coverage for that qualifying party, and the qualifying party may not receive a Form 1099 from the business (Public Act 104-0427, Illinois General Assembly, checked September 29, 2026).
This is a real tightening from a looser prior standard. Whatever arrangement is used to place a qualifying party with an Illinois roofing business, it must be a true payroll employment relationship, with withholding and workers compensation coverage, rather than a 1099 contractor or consulting arrangement, or the arrangement will not meet the statute. This differs from the structure permitted in states without this restriction, such as Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Section 4.5 of 225 ILCS 335 caps how many companies one qualifying party can serve. A qualifying party named for one roofing contractor licensee cannot also be the named qualifying party for another licensee, unless one of two conditions is met: the person holds common ownership or management interest of at least 25 percent in each licensed entity being qualified, or the person qualifies one licensed entity and that same entity's licensed subsidiary.
There is no version of this rule that allows a qualifying party to serve multiple unrelated companies with no equity stake in any of them, which is how the qualifying party model works in states such as Georgia, Alabama, or Tennessee. A similar limitation applies under Nevada law. Combined with the employee only, no Form 1099 rule above, Illinois roofing qualifying party rules place two separate restrictions on how this arrangement can be structured: a limit on how many companies one qualifying party may serve, and a requirement on the employment form that relationship must take.
Under section 4.6 of 225 ILCS 335, when a qualifying party's association with a licensee ends, both the qualifying party and the licensee must notify Illinois IDFPR within 30 business days. The license becomes automatically inoperative immediately upon that termination.
The licensee then has 60 days from the date it notifies the Department of the disassociation, not 60 days from the disassociation date itself, to name and register a replacement qualifying party. The license stays inoperative the entire time, until a new qualifying party is on file.
A newly named replacement qualifying party must also pass the required exam within 7 months of Department approval, or the license automatically goes inoperative again (Public Act 104-0427, checked September 29, 2026). Any Illinois roofing qualifying party departure should be treated as urgent: the license does not merely risk suspension the way it might in some other states, it goes inoperative immediately.
Illinois does not appear on NASCLA's own list of participating state agencies for the Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors (NASCLA, checked September 29, 2026). That list currently includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and the US Virgin Islands; California and New Mexico have joined the list since the last check, and Illinois has never appeared on it. Because Illinois has no state general contractor license to begin with, a NASCLA credential provides no shortcut into Illinois contractor licensing, whether for a general contractor credential, which does not exist at the state level, or for the roofing or plumbing licenses.
Four testing programs matter most for Illinois contractor licensing: the two roofing qualifying party exam forms, which are both covered in one candidate bulletin, the state plumber's license exam, and the City of Chicago general contractor process, which carries no written exam at all. There is no PSI, Prov, or Pearson VUE program anywhere in Illinois contractor licensing. Continental Testing Services, Inc. (Continental Testing Services) runs the roofing program and the Chicago trade license programs on IDFPR's and the City's behalf, and the Illinois Department of Public Health runs its own plumber's license exam directly, with no outside testing vendor.
Vendor and scheduling. Continental Testing Services (CTS) administers this exam for IDFPR. A candidate applies for candidacy through IDFPR's application packet, then registers for a seat through CTS once accepted. CTS's registration deadline runs about four weeks ahead of each sitting; the next sitting listed is November 4, 2026, with registration due by October 7, 2026. The September 16, 2026 sitting has passed.
Question count and time limit. 80 multiple choice questions, 90 minutes.
Passing score. 70 or higher out of 100.
Open or closed book. Closed book in practice: only two Number 2 pencils and a non programmable, non printing, solar or battery powered calculator are allowed, with no reference books of any kind.
What it covers. Five sections: Safety and Employee Protection (25 questions), Roofing Preparation and Materials (12 questions), Steep Slope Roofing Systems (20 questions), Low Slope Roofing Systems (8 questions), and Rules, Regulations and Business Practices (15 questions), for 80 total.
Approved references. Nine references are named in the bulletin, most sold through the NRCA bookstore at National Roofing Contractors Association. NASCLA or NRCA membership is not required to sit for the exam.
Where to test. Two Illinois sites are listed: Hillside and Springfield.
Retake rules and fees. No makeup exams, no refunds. Each exam category costs 248 dollars, and a retake costs another full 248 dollars.
Vendor and scheduling. Same vendor, same bulletin, and the same CTS registration process as the Residential exam above.
Question count and time limit. The combined Residential, Commercial and Industrial form is 130 questions across two and a half hours. The standalone Commercial and Industrial add on form, for a candidate who already holds the Limited license, is 80 questions in 90 minutes.
Passing score. Same standard as the Residential exam, 70 or higher out of 100.
Open or closed book. Same as the Residential exam, closed book in effect.
What it covers. Six sections total: the same five areas as the Residential exam at higher question counts, plus Non Residential Roofing Systems on the unlimited forms.
Where to test. The same two Illinois sites, Hillside and Springfield.
Retake rules and fees. Same as the Residential exam, 248 dollars per exam form, no refunds.
Vendor and scheduling. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) runs this exam directly, with no outside vendor. A candidate files the Plumber's License Application for Examination form with IDPH's Plumbing Program in Springfield at least 30 days before the exam date.
Passing score. 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.310(f) requires an average of 75 or above across the examination and a grade of 61 or above on each individual part.
Open or closed book. Three parts: a Knowledge Assessment, a Construction Drawings or Plans component, and a Practical Application component. The written portions are closed book.
Fees. 175 dollars for an Illinois licensed apprentice plumber's initial exam admission, 225 dollars for an applicant registered or licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois, 175 dollars for a retake, and a 100 dollar returned check fee.
Where to test. A physical, in person, paper based exam at sites IDPH and the Board select for each sitting, rather than a standing network of test centers.
The City of Chicago General Contractor license application packet, hosted by Continental Testing Services on the City's behalf, contains a class selection, a business structure section, a controlling person and officer disclosure section, an insurance proof section requiring an A.M. Best rating of B+ or higher at minimums set by class, a photo ID requirement, a sworn affidavit, and mailing instructions to a Chicago PO Box. No written or practical exam is mentioned anywhere in the packet. A complete application is approved or rejected within 28 days, with an approved license mailed within 10 business days after that.
Sources checked for this page include Illinois IDFPR's roofing contractor page, Continental Testing Services's Illinois roofing profession page, a City of Chicago General Contractor 2026 fee update, Public Act 104-0427 from the Illinois General Assembly, NASCLA's participating state agencies page, the Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing page, and 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 750, all checked September 29, 2026.
Illinois roofing law contains no licensure by endorsement or reciprocity section. A reciprocal path into an Illinois roofing license from another state's credential is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. An out of state roofing contractor who wants to work in Illinois has to get the Illinois license the normal way: qualifying party, exam, and bond.
Illinois separates the individual credential from the business registration for plumbing. A Licensed Plumber is the personal, individual credential; a Plumbing Contractor is the business level registration required whenever a licensed plumber performs work for someone other than a single employer, and every plumbing contractor registration must list a currently licensed plumber, individual owner, partner, or corporate officer tied to that registration (225 ILCS 320 sections 2 and 13.1; per Illinois Department of Public Health).
To sit for the individual plumber's license exam, an applicant needs at least 4 years employed as an Illinois licensed apprentice plumber under supervision, or completion of an approved plumbing course through a college, university, or trade school in combination with at least 2 years of high school or equivalent (225 ILCS 320 section 10). The application for examination must be filed at least 30 days before the exam date, and the application fee is 175 dollars (checked September 29, 2026, per Illinois Department of Public Health).
Unlike roofing, the plumbing statute places no explicit numeric cap on how many plumbing contractor business registrations one licensed plumber can be tied to as the responsible licensed party. Section 13.1 requires a valid license on each registration but does not limit the count. Plumbing contractor registration requires an indemnification bond of 20,000 dollars, or a letter of credit in the same amount, plus general liability, bodily injury, property damage, and workers compensation insurance.
Reciprocity is available for plumbing. Section 17 of 225 ILCS 320 lets an out of state licensed plumber obtain an Illinois license without taking the exam if their home state's requirements were substantially equal to Illinois's and a reciprocal agreement exists between the two states. Even without a reciprocal agreement, a plumber from a state with substantially equal requirements can still be found eligible, though that path still requires passing the Illinois exam. Which specific states currently have an active reciprocal agreement with Illinois for plumbing is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page; confirm the current list with IDPH.
A holder of an active City of Chicago plumbing license has an official path toward the state license. The Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing page lists a department form titled "Plumber's License Application for Reciprocity for the City of Chicago Licensees," confirming the pathway is real and official. The page does not state whether this fully waives the state exam or only streamlines the application; confirm the exact terms with IDPH.
Per the Illinois plumbing exam application form and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1460.80, the application fee schedule is as follows: the plumbing exam application fee is 175 dollars (225 dollars for plumbers licensed in Chicago or out of state), filed at least 30 days before the exam date; the roofing license application fee is 125 dollars.
Any Illinois contractor doing residential repair or remodeling work should know this law exists, though it is not a licensing or registration requirement; it is a consumer protection statute. The Home Repair and Remodeling Act, 815 ILCS 513, excludes maintenance, service, or repairs under 500 dollars from its scope entirely, and separately requires a signed written contract before starting any home repair or remodeling job over 1,000 dollars, with the contract stating the total cost including materials and the business's name and address (815 ILCS 513 sections 10 and 15). It also sets minimum insurance levels of 100,000 dollars per person and 300,000 dollars per occurrence for bodily injury, 50,000 dollars per occurrence for property damage, and 10,000 dollars per occurrence for repairs not conforming to applicable code, unless the contractor's net worth is at least 1,000,000 dollars, in which case these specific minimums do not apply. This act does not require registering with IDFPR or any state agency.
Illinois issues two statewide contractor licenses through state agencies: roofing, through Illinois IDFPR under the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act, 225 ILCS 335, and plumbing, through the Illinois Department of Public Health under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, 225 ILCS 320. A third, smaller statewide credential covers fire sprinkler contractors under the Fire Sprinkler Contractor Licensing Act, 225 ILCS 317. Electrical and HVAC or mechanical contracting have no statewide license in Illinois; both are regulated only at the municipal level, so an electrical or HVAC contractor's licensing requirement in Illinois is a purely local question, not a state one.
A roofing contractor applicant must submit a continuous surety bond of 10,000 dollars for a Limited license or 25,000 dollars for an Unlimited license, plus proof of public liability and property damage insurance, workers compensation coverage for all employees, and an Illinois unemployment insurance number (225 ILCS 335 section 3; per Illinois IDFPR). Illinois roofing licenses run on a two year cycle and expire December 31 of odd numbered years, with a 62.50 dollar per year renewal fee and a new bond required at the start of each renewal cycle on January 1.
The statute gives an applicant 3 years from the date of application to complete the full application process. That is not a typical processing time; it is the outside deadline before an incomplete application lapses.
Public Act 104-0427 raised the maximum civil penalty for violations of the Act to 15,000 dollars and tightened the rules against license renting, the practice of letting an uninvolved qualifying party's name sit on a license for pay without a real employment relationship.
Illinois still has no statewide general contractor license, and the roofing and plumbing licensing framework described on this page is unchanged, according to Illinois IDFPR and the Illinois Department of Public Health (checked September 29, 2026). Two items are now more fully confirmed.
First, the 7 month replacement qualifying party re-exam window described below is confirmed directly in the text of Public Act 104-0427: a newly designated qualifying party must take and pass the required exam within 7 months after Department approval, or the license goes inoperative again. This matches the figure reported earlier by the Illinois Roofing Institute.
Second, a holder of a City of Chicago plumbing license has a real path toward the state plumbing license. The Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing page lists an official form, "Plumber's License Application for Reciprocity for the City of Chicago Licensees." That page does not spell out the exact terms of the reciprocity; confirm the details with IDPH before describing this to a client as a no-exam path.
Third, the roofing exam calendar has moved forward. The September 16, 2026 sitting has passed. Continental Testing Services now lists November 4, 2026 as the next Illinois roofing exam sitting, with registration due by October 7, 2026.
Fourth, NASCLA's list of participating state agencies has grown to include California and New Mexico in addition to the states named previously. Illinois still does not appear on that list. Because Illinois has no statewide general contractor license for a NASCLA credential to substitute for, this does not change anything for an Illinois contractor.
Note: the date at the top of this page briefly moved to September 29, 2026 during a pricing update that did not touch licensing content. The licensing information on this page was fully reviewed as of that date, following the review completed on August 10, 2026.
Illinois has no statewide general contractor license. There is no state board, no state exam, and no state issued credential that allows a company to call itself a licensed general contractor everywhere in Illinois, per Illinois IDFPR, whose list of licensed professions does not include a general contractor category. General building work is instead regulated locally, city by city and county by county, and Chicago runs the most developed local system in the state.
The City of Chicago Department of Buildings requires its own general contractor license, issued in five classes, A through E, each capped by project value: Class A is unlimited, Class B is capped at 20,000,000 dollars, Class C at 10,000,000 dollars, Class D at 4,000,000 dollars, and Class E at 500,000 dollars. Insurance minimums per occurrence are 1,000,000 dollars at Class E, 2,000,000 dollars at both Class D and Class C, 3,000,000 dollars at Class B, and 5,000,000 dollars at Class A. Class C and Class D share the same 2,000,000 dollar minimum, so the insurance requirement does not rise in a straight line from class to class (per the city's General Contractor 2026 fee update, checked September 29, 2026; confirm current figures with the city before quoting exact numbers to a client).
The 2026 annual license fees increased for the first time since 2003: 300 dollars for Class E, 900 dollars for Class D, 1,300 dollars for Class C, 1,800 dollars for Class B, and 3,500 dollars for Class A. This is a new figure worth noting for any existing Chicago licensed contractor who has not renewed since the increase took effect. Continental Testing Services processes Chicago's general contractor applications and renewals on the city's behalf.
Every other Illinois city or county can set its own rules, so a contractor's actual requirement depends entirely on which municipality the job sits in. Illinois does not offer the kind of statewide coverage found in states like Tennessee or Georgia.
Official Licensing Authority
All contractor license applications, renewals, and qualifying agent changes must go through this board.
We place a licensed qualifying agent with your company as a full time W-2 employee and prepare the qualifier filing with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Tell us your trade and what you have going on, and pick a time for a discovery call. Or call 615-219-2110.
Provide your information for a compliance assessment.
Contractor licensing and qualifying agent guides from The Licensing Company.
What a contractor license is, who needs one, and the board, dollar threshold and exams in every state.
Learn the definition, role, and legal responsibilities of a qualifying agent.
Get matched with a verified, licensed qualifying agent in your state and trade.
Turn your active contractor license into additional income by qualifying other businesses.
Understand qualifier requirements, the legal process, and how to find one in your state.
What a responsible managing officer and a responsible managing employee are, and how the two differ.