Illinois to Nebraska: residential contractor license reciprocity

How the two layers fit together. The Nebraska Department of Labor registration is required everywhere in the state and is the first thing to get - a city will expect you to have it, and a contractor may not perform construction work in Nebraska without it. It does not entitle you to pull a permit or to hold yourself out as qualified; that comes from the city. Because cities differ sharply, identify the building department with jurisdiction over the address and ask what it licenses before you bid.

Omaha. Permits and Inspections licenses building contractors under Chapter 43, Article IX of the Municipal Code in Classes A, B, C, D and E, plus Master and Journeyman Sign Erector. Classes A and B cost $300.00 plus a $24.00 technology fee and require an examination; Class C costs $200.00 plus a $16.00 technology fee and requires an examination; Class E costs $100.00 plus an $8.00 technology fee and does not require an examination. Class D is now a renewal-only class - the city's own note is that it requires an 'Equivalent License From Another Jurisdiction... The Exam is No Longer Available, Renewal License Only.' The building examinations are published in the National Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin linked from the licensing page. Every license type needs a bond of at least $10,000.00, emailed with the insurance certificate to [email protected], and liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.00 for Classes A and B, $500,000.00 for Class C and $300,000.00 for Classes D and E. Renewal requires proof of nine contact hours of continuing education, which may come from construction-related college courses, from taking part in construction education outreach with school or university students, or from courses through agencies certified by the International Code Council, the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Home Builders or the Associated General Contractors of America. Applications and renewals run through the Accela portal at OmahaPermits.com. Because the class scopes and the level that fits a given job are set by the building code rather than the licensing page, confirm the class with Permits and Inspections on 402-444-5350 or [email protected] before applying.

Omaha's reciprocal license. This is the one route in Nebraska where holding a contractor license somewhere else is worth something, and it is a city route rather than a state agreement. The requirements as Omaha publishes them are: 'Must hold a valid contractor's license from another jurisdiction'; 'Proof of examination required'; 'Approval by the Building Board of Review'; and 'Payment of required fee - $100.00 + $8.00 Tech Fee.' Applications are filed online at OmahaPermits.com for Building Board of Review approval of reciprocation of a building contractor's license. The board is a seven-member body that also hears building code waivers, appeals from the Superintendent of Permits and Inspections and property maintenance code appeals; reciprocal license applications are heard on a quarterly cycle, so ask Permits and Inspections for the next hearing date and the filing deadline before you plan around it. The board decides case by case and publishes no list of jurisdictions it accepts, so nothing is automatic.

Lincoln. Building and Safety licenses trades and specialties - demolition, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, signs, street use and fire - and certifies master and journeyman tradespeople; there is no Lincoln general building contractor or remodeler license. What a residential builder does need is the state registration, the right permits, and insurance where a licensed trade is involved: liability of at least $500,000 each occurrence for demolition, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, sign, street use and fire alarm work, or $1,000,000 for fire sprinkler and chemical extinguishing work, on a certificate that names 'City of Lincoln as an additional insured' by endorsement, carries a policy number rather than a binder number and is signed by the agent. Plumbing, HVAC, electrical and fire contractors must also list a master's name on the certificate as an insured. No bond is required unless you work in the city right-of-way; sign, street use and excavation contractors post a $5,000 license and permit bond or a cashier's check for the same amount. Documents go to [email protected]; Planning and Development Services is at 555 S 10th Street.

Everywhere else. Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Papillion, La Vista and the rest each run their own building departments, and several license only the trades. None of them treats a license from another state as a qualification. Ask the city which licenses it issues, what insurance it wants and whether it registers contractors at all, and in every case hold the Nebraska Department of Labor registration first.

How it works in Illinois. There is no state license, no state application and no state exam for residential contractors. Each municipality decides who may pull a residential building permit, so a contractor must be licensed or registered separately in every jurisdiction where they build, and a credential from one Illinois city is not valid in the next. Almost all of these local programs are about identity, insurance, bonding and fees rather than trade competence, and none of them reviews or credits a residential contractor license held in another state. Roofing is the exception in the other direction: the State license is mandatory everywhere in Illinois, and cities from Rockford to Joliet to Cook County check it at the permit counter.

Chicago. This is the license that matters. 'A City of Chicago general contractor license is required to perform most types of building construction, alteration, repair, and demolition work within the City of Chicago', and it is needed to bid on, undertake, hire or supervise, or control the means and methods of work requiring a building, sign or demolition permit. Licenses are issued to businesses, including sole proprietorships, in five classes set by project value - the fair market value of materials and labor supplied by all contractors and subcontractors across all concurrent and consecutive work at the same site. The two classes a homebuilder or remodeler usually needs are Class D, capped at $4 million with ordinary demolition and $2 million per occurrence of insurance, at a $900.00 license and renewal fee, and Class E, capped at $500,000 with no demolition and $1 million per occurrence, at $300.00. There is no exam, no experience review and no qualifying party. The application asks for a statement of financial solvency in the format supplied, proof of authority to do business in Illinois (not required for sole proprietors), an Assumed Name Certificate from the County Clerk if a trade name is used, proof of insurance for the class from an insurer authorized in Illinois and rated B+ or better by A.M. Best, and government photo identification for the controlling persons. Continental Testing Services processes the application and renewal by mail for the Department of Buildings; the license runs one year and 'is automatically inactivated if the associated insurance policy expires.' Reinstatement costs $100.00 per year or part year expired.

Chicago, work that does not need a permit. A business that fixes, replaces, alters, modernizes, improves or adds to residential property but does not need a building permit takes a Home Repair license from Business Affairs and Consumer Protection instead: $1,000.00 for a two-year term, with a certificate of insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, and the rule that 'Home Repair licensees may not pull building permits.' A general contractor license replaces it - 'a home repair license is not required for a business that holds a General Contractor license', though a general contractor doing residential work must still follow the home repair consumer protection rules, which include a written estimate before work, a written invoice on completion, prior approval before exceeding the estimate, and the license number on contracts, advertisements and vehicles. Acquiring vacant land to build a new home, or renovating more than half of an existing building's floor area, requires a separate Residential Real Estate Developer license.

Cook County (unincorporated areas). 'All contractors performing work in unincorporated Cook County are required to register with the Cook County Department of Building and Zoning.' Registration costs $150 per trade initially and $75 per trade annually, due by December 31, and needs a $1,000,000 general liability certificate naming Cook County Building and Zoning at 69 W. Washington, Suite 2830, Chicago as certificate holder, filed by the owner or a corporate officer with the Articles of Incorporation or the current Annual Domestic Report. Roofing registrants must submit the State of Illinois roofing license and demolition registrants an approved bond. There is no exam. Homeowners who live on the property get 'General' contractor registration free of charge. Use the county's CookViewer tool first to check whether a site is actually unincorporated. Contact [email protected] or 312-603-0512.

Aurora. The Division of Building and Permits registers a General contractor for a $200 fee. The packet is the Contractor Licensing Application, a certificate of insurance naming the City of Aurora as primary and non-contributory additional insured with $1,000,000 general aggregate and $500,000 per occurrence, workers' compensation in compliance with Illinois statute, and proof the business is registered with the Secretary of State or a county DBA certificate. There is no test for the General category - Aurora's municipal testing applies only to electrical and mechanical contractors, who may use ICC certifications or a license from an accepted testing municipality instead. Roofing registration is also $200 and requires the state license, and workers' compensation cannot be replaced by an employee affidavit for roofers. Outstanding or expired permits will block a renewal. Submit to [email protected]; 77 S Broadway, (630) 256-3130.

Evanston. 'All contractors performing work within City limits are required to register with the City, including but not limited to General Contractors, Electrical, Carpentry, Concrete, Excavation, Masonry, Landscaping, Fence, Roofing and Sign contractors.' General Contractor registration is $150 and trade registration $125, both renewable annually through the Citizen Portal. Insurance must be general liability of at least $300,000 per occurrence, bodily injury of at least $100,000 per occurrence, property damage of at least $100,000 per occurrence and workers' compensation at statutory minimums, with Evanston as certificate holder; sole proprietors and partnerships with no employees may file an affidavit in place of workers' compensation, and right-of-way work needs $1,000,000 per occurrence naming the city as additional insured. State-regulated contractors submit a copy of the state license. An owner-occupant of a single-unit residence may act as their own general contractor.

Joliet. 'All contractors performing work within the City of Joliet must have current registration on file prior to permit issuance. There are no forms or fees for registration, unless you are a Sign Erector or for HVAC Testing.' Registration is a certificate of insurance naming the City of Joliet as certificate holder, with minimum limits of $250,000 bodily injury per person, $500,000 bodily injury per occurrence and $250,000 property damage per occurrence, emailed to [email protected]. Roofing needs the Illinois State Roofer's License, plumbing the Illinois Plumbing Contractor Registration, irrigation the state irrigation license, siding a Vinyl Siding Installers certificate, and electrical and HVAC a license from one of the municipalities Joliet accepts. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors also file a project-specific Letter of Intent, and all subcontractors must be listed on the permit application.

Rockford. 'General contractors are not required to be licensed.' Rockford requires a building permit for any structure over 120 square feet that is constructed, altered, enlarged, repaired or moved, and for all roofing work, and notes that 'roofing contractors are required to obtain a license from the State of Illinois Department of Professional Regulation.' Tent erectors and outdoor sign contractors need annual city licenses.

Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department's published list of applications contains electrical and mechanical contractor registrations and licenses and nothing else for contractors - there is no general contractor or home improvement registration. The city's building permit application collects the general contractor's name and address but asks for a license number only on the roofing line. Building and Zoning is at 300 South 7th Street, Room 304, (217) 789-2171.

Peoria. Peoria's Contractor Business Licenses cover only four activities - parking lot paving, sidewalk and driveway work, placing a dumpster or storage unit in the right-of-way, and sewer connections - at $25.00 or $60.00 a year with license and permit bonds of $5,000 or $10,000. Its trade licenses cover electrical and HVAC contractors at $150.00 each, issued to individuals rather than businesses and requiring an open-book ICC exam unless the applicant holds a Normal or Pekin license, plus boiler tender and stationary engineer licenses. There is no general building contractor or residential builder license in Peoria.

Everywhere else. Other Illinois municipalities set their own rules and most of them register rather than license residential builders. Ask the building or development services department of each city, village or county before contracting there, and confirm the current fee and insurance limits before buying coverage, because these are set locally and change independently.