Illinois trade license reciprocity

How local licensing works. Illinois has no state electrician license and no state electrical board. The Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5/11-33-1) allows each municipality to require registration of electrical contractors, with an annual fee of $25, and provides that a contractor registered in one municipality cannot be required to register or pay a fee in another. Anything beyond registration (examinations, experience requirements, supervising or master licenses) comes from each city's or county's own ordinance. Employees of an electrical contractor are expressly excluded from the statutory definition of 'electrical contractor', so state law does not require any personal license for a journeyman-level worker.

Chicago. The Department of Buildings licenses Supervising Electricians (individuals) and Electrical Contractors (businesses). There is no Chicago journeyman license. The supervising electrician exam requires age 21 and at least 2 years of experience under a supervising electrician or equivalent, verified by supervisor letters; general and low-voltage exams are offered through Continental Testing Services (2026 fees: $150 exam, $150 initial license, $150 annual renewal). For 'Class 1' work (buildings over 55 feet or large assembly occupancies before a certificate of occupancy), every worker must be a licensed supervising electrician or have completed or be enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor-recognized apprenticeship of at least 8,000 hours; this apprenticeship standard is the closest thing Chicago has to a journeyman qualification. All other work is done by employees under the contractor's supervising electrician. Chicago's pages do not describe any reciprocity or endorsement for out-of-state licenses.

Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department issues an Electrical License to individuals who document 5 years of electrical experience (2 supervisory) and pass the ICC National Standard Master Electrician exam (W16); the Springfield Electrical Commission approves applications and the fee is $25. A limited grandfather clause applies to licenses from other Illinois or out-of-state municipalities with reciprocal testing that were issued before 10/10/2007; otherwise the ICC exam is required. Contractors performing work in the city must also register.

Peoria. Electrical licenses are issued to individuals, not businesses ($150 annual). Holders of Normal or Pekin licenses may register without testing; everyone else must submit an ICC contractor exam certificate (2017 code cycle or newer).

Rockford. Electrical contractors are not licensed, only registered ($25 per calendar year, or free with proof of current registration or license in another Illinois municipality).

Naperville and Aurora. Both accept current ICC certifications (Standard Master Electrician for commercial, Standard Residential Electrician for residential) or a license from a listed testing municipality in lieu of local testing; Naperville stopped issuing its own electrical licenses after 2022 and now registers electrical contractors. Insurance naming the city is required.

Elgin. Requires a contractor's license from any Illinois city that gives a written NEC-based examination, or Elgin's own exam administered through CLEC Enterprises.

Unincorporated Cook County. Electrical contractors must register ($150 initial, $75 annual renewal per trade), provide $1,000,000 general liability insurance, and submit a supervising electrician's license from an Illinois city, town or village that has an electrical commission administering an examination.

Out-of-state holders. None of these jurisdictions publish a reciprocity or endorsement path for licenses from other states. In practice the portable credentials inside Illinois are the ICC National Standard Master/Residential Electrician exams and licenses from testing municipalities such as Chicago; an electrician arriving from another state should expect to take the ICC exam or the local exam and apply separately in each municipality that licenses individuals.

How local licensing works. Illinois has no state electrician license and no state electrical board. The Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5/11-33-1) allows each municipality to require registration of electrical contractors, with an annual fee of $25, and provides that a contractor registered in one municipality cannot be required to register or pay a fee in another. Anything beyond registration (examinations, experience requirements, supervising or master licenses) comes from each city's or county's own ordinance.

Chicago. The Department of Buildings licenses Supervising Electricians (individuals) and Electrical Contractors (businesses); the supervising electrician is Chicago's equivalent of a master electrician. Eligibility for the supervising electrician exam is age 21 and at least 2 years of experience installing, altering, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring under a supervising electrician or equivalent, verified by supervisor letters. General and low-voltage exams are administered by Continental Testing Services (2026 fees: $150 per exam, $150 initial license, $150 annual renewal). An electrical contractor license ($150 initial, $150 renewal) is issued to a business, including a sole proprietorship, that is owned by or employs at least one licensed supervising electrician, who must perform or supervise all of the contractor's electrical work and may be the primary supervising electrician for only one contractor. Chicago's pages do not describe any reciprocity or endorsement for out-of-state licenses.

Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department issues an Electrical License to individuals who document 5 years of practical electrical experience with at least 2 years overseeing and directing electrical work and pass the ICC National Standard Master Electrician exam (W16). Applications go before the Springfield Electrical Commission; the fee is $25 and licenses expire December 31. A grandfather clause allows applicants licensed in another Illinois or out-of-state municipality with reciprocal testing to substitute proof of that exam only if the license was originally issued before 10/10/2007 and has not lapsed more than two years; otherwise the ICC exam is required.

Peoria. Electrical licenses are issued to individuals ($150 annual). Holders of Normal or Pekin licenses may register without testing; all others submit an ICC contractor exam certificate from the 2017 code cycle or newer.

Rockford. Registration only ($25 per calendar year, or free with proof of registration or license in another Illinois municipality); no exam.

Naperville and Aurora. Both accept current ICC certifications (Standard Master Electrician for commercial, Standard Residential Electrician for residential) or a license from a listed testing municipality (Naperville lists Chicago, Elgin, Libertyville, Orland Park, Ottawa, Peoria and Woodstock) in lieu of local testing. Naperville no longer renews or issues its own electrical licenses as of December 31, 2022 and registers electrical contractors through its Civic Access portal; Aurora requires a certificate of insurance naming the city.

Elgin. Requires a contractor's license from any Illinois city that gives a written NEC-based examination, or Elgin's own exam administered monthly through CLEC Enterprises.

Unincorporated Cook County. Electrical contractors must register with the Department of Building and Zoning ($150 initial, $75 annual renewal per trade), provide $1,000,000 general liability insurance naming the department, and submit a current supervising electrician's license from an Illinois city, town or village that has an electrical commission administering an examination.

Out-of-state holders. No reciprocity or endorsement path for other states' master licenses was found in any of these jurisdictions. The practical route is to pass the ICC National Standard Master Electrician exam (accepted by Springfield, Peoria, Aurora and Naperville) or a testing city's exam such as Chicago's, then register as an electrical contractor in each municipality where work will be performed.

How local licensing works. There is no state HVAC license and no state mechanical board, so each municipality decides whether to license or register mechanical contractors, and the largest ones use the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam (G29/N29) as the test of competence. No verified jurisdiction licenses journeyman-level HVAC workers.

Chicago. The Department of Buildings licenses general contractors (Classes A-E, $300 to $3,500 a year with insurance from $1 million per occurrence) and specific trades such as supervising electricians, but has no HVAC or mechanical contractor or technician license; HVAC firms pull permits under a general contractor license and employees need no card.

Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department issues a Mechanical License to individuals (Residential: 5 years of experience and the ICC Master Mechanical G29 exam; Commercial: 7 years and the same exam) and separately registers mechanical contractors. There is no journeyman license; workers operate under the licensed individual.

Peoria. HVAC contractors are licensed or registered ($150 a year) on an ICC contractor test certificate from the 2018 code cycle or newer; holders of Normal or Pekin licenses register without retesting. No employee license.

Aurora and Elgin. Both accept the ICC Master Mechanical certification (Aurora N29, Elgin G29) or, in Elgin, a license from any Illinois city that gives a written exam; Aurora requires insurance naming the city and Elgin a $20,000 license and permit bond. The portable credential inside Illinois is the ICC Master Mechanical exam, which Springfield, Peoria, Aurora and Elgin all accept for the contractor-level license.

How local licensing works. Illinois has no state HVAC license. Each municipality licenses or registers mechanical contractors under its own ordinance; the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam (G29, formerly W29; residential W32) is the common denominator among testing cities.

Chicago. No HVAC or mechanical contractor license. Contractors obtain a General Contractor license from the Department of Buildings in Class A (unlimited project value, $3,500), B ($1,800), C ($1,300), D ($900) or E (projects up to $500,000, $300), each valid one year, with commercial general liability insurance from $1 million per occurrence (Class E) to $5 million (Class A) and a financial solvency statement, administered through Continental Testing Services; no trade exam.

Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department issues a person-held Mechanical License: Residential requires 5 years of practical experience in all types of mechanical work approved by the Mechanical Commission and proof of passing the ICC Master Mechanical Exam G29; Commercial requires 7 years and the same exam. Mechanical contractors also register with the city. A contractor licensed in another Illinois or out-of-state municipality with reciprocal testing may substitute that test only if the license was issued before 10/7/2007 (10/10/2007 in the earlier memo) and never lapsed; all others pass the ICC exam. Passing the exam does not itself guarantee a license.

Peoria. HVAC contractors must be licensed or registered ($150 non-refundable, calendar year) with an ICC contractor test certificate from the 2018 or newer code cycle; holders of current Normal or Pekin licenses register without retesting. Only the licensed contractor may pull permits and must attend inspections.

Aurora. Accepts a current ICC Master Mechanical certification (N29) in lieu of municipal testing; requires a certificate of insurance naming the City of Aurora as primary and non-contributory additional insured; registration through Development Services.

Elgin. Requires a mechanical contractor's license from any Illinois city that gives a written examination, or proof of passing the ICC Master Mechanical G29 exam, plus a $20,000 license and permit bond; the license is not required when an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer seals the plans and accepts responsibility.

Unincorporated Cook County. HVAC contractors register as 'all other trades' with the Department of Building and Zoning: $150 initial and $75 annual per trade, $1,000,000 general liability insurance naming the department; no exam.

Not verified. Naperville's contractor registration page was blocked when opened for this entry; Rockford publishes only electrical registration rules.

Out-of-state holders. None of these jurisdictions publishes reciprocity or endorsement for another state's master HVAC or mechanical license. The practical route is to pass the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam (accepted by Springfield, Peoria, Aurora and Elgin), then license or register in each municipality where work will be performed, and obtain a Chicago general contractor license for work in Chicago.

Chicago. Section 16 of the Plumbing License Law lets a municipality of 500,000 or more (only Chicago qualifies) adopt an ordinance 'substantially the same' as the Act with equivalent education or experience requirements and run its own board of plumbing examiners; within Chicago the state Act then does not apply except as the Act provides. The City of Chicago Department of Buildings issues that plumber license. Section 16(2) provides that 'any person licensed as a plumber pursuant to such ordinance, or licensed by the Department under this Act, may engage in plumbing anywhere in this State', so an IDPH license is valid in Chicago and a Chicago license is valid in the rest of Illinois; Section 13.1(9) also accepts a Chicago plumber license for state Plumbing Contractor registration. IDPH separately publishes a 'Plumber's License: Application for Reciprocity for the City of Chicago Licensees' for Chicago plumbers who want the state card as well. Local governments may adopt a plumbing code at least as stringent as the State code, require permits, and employ licensed plumbers as inspectors (Sections 18, 36, 37), but they cannot require a separate individual plumber license.

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 means a valid license where the trade requires one plus a certificate of insurance naming the City of Joliet as certificate holder, emailed to [email protected]. The city's Contractor Registration Guide does not publish minimum insurance limits, so confirm them with the Building Division before you bind coverage. Roofing needs the State of Illinois roofing license (a limited license is acceptable for residential projects of eight units or fewer), plumbing the Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing contractor license (a copy of the physical license, not a screenshot), siding a VSI certified-installer certificate, and electrical and HVAC a license from one of the municipalities Joliet accepts. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, generator and solar or EV-charging contractors also file a project-specific Letter of Intent (the plumbing letter notarized or sealed), 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.

How it works in Illinois. No Illinois agency issues a general, commercial, building or unlimited contractor license, and there is no Illinois qualifying party or state business-and-law exam for general building work. Home rule municipalities control commercial construction through the permit, and each one writes its own contractor ordinance, so a contractor is licensed or registered separately in every jurisdiction where they build. Where a city does license, the credential is generally based on insurance, financial solvency, entity documents and a fee rather than on a competence exam, and none of the programs reviewed recognizes a general contractor license issued by another state. What genuinely travels into Illinois is a state trade license: roofing under 225 ILCS 335, plumbing under the Department of Public Health, and the state elevator, fire sprinkler and alarm credentials, all of which cities check before they issue a permit.

Chicago. Chicago's General Contractor license is the one credential that shapes commercial work in Illinois. It is required to bid on, undertake, hire or supervise, or control the means and methods of any 'regulated activity' - work requiring a building, sign or demolition (wrecking) permit, a sewer permit, a Department of Public Health permit for sandblasting, grinding or chemical washing, work exempt from permit under Section 402 of the Chicago Construction Codes Administrative Provisions, or work under a stormwater management plan. Licenses go to businesses, including sole proprietorships, in five classes graded by project value, defined as 'the fair market value of materials and labor provided by all contractors and subcontractors as part of all concurrent and consecutive regulated activities at the same site': Class A unlimited value, ordinary or complex demolition, $5 million per occurrence of insurance, $3,500.00; Class B up to $20 million, ordinary or complex demolition, $3 million, $1,800.00; Class C up to $10 million, ordinary demolition, $2 million, $1,300.00; Class D up to $4 million, ordinary demolition, $2 million, $900.00; Class E up to $500,000, no demolition, $1 million, $300.00. The Class B, C and D project limits and the Class C and D insurance figures took effect January 1, 2026, and for Class C and D licenses issued before that date the higher insurance requirement is enforced when the policy on file expires. Commercial general liability must come from an insurer authorized in Illinois and rated B+ or higher by A.M. Best, covering bodily injury, personal injury, property damage and completed operations, with primary plus excess or umbrella policies allowed above $1 million; the full requirements are in Section 4-36-090 of the Municipal Code. The application also needs a statement of financial solvency on the supplied form, proof of authority to do business in Illinois, an Assumed Name Certificate where a trade name is used, and government photo identification for the controlling persons. There is no exam, no experience review and no qualifying party. Continental Testing Services handles applications and renewals by mail for the Department of Buildings; the license is valid one year and is automatically inactivated if the insurance policy lapses. A licensed general contractor's own employees and subcontractors under its supervision and control do not need their own general contractor license, but electrical, plumbing, mason, drain layer, elevator mechanic and board-up work must be done by the holders of those separate City licenses, and anyone contracting directly with the owner needs their own license and must be listed on the permit.

Cook County (unincorporated areas). Every contractor working in unincorporated Cook County registers with the Department of Building and Zoning: $150 per trade to start and $75 per trade annually by December 31, with $1,000,000 general liability naming Cook County Building and Zoning at 69 W. Washington, Suite 2830, Chicago as certificate holder. The owner or a corporate officer files, with the Articles of Incorporation or current Annual Domestic Report. Roofing registrants file the State of Illinois roofing license and demolition registrants a fully approved bond. No exam. Check the site against the county's CookViewer tool first, because much of suburban Cook County is incorporated and licensed by its own village.

Aurora. A General contractor registration costs $200 and consists of 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, statutory workers' compensation, and Secretary of State registration or a county DBA certificate. Aurora tests only electrical and mechanical contractors, accepting ICC certifications or licenses from named municipalities in place of its own exam; the General category has no test. Elevator, fire suppression, roofing and sign registrations are also $200, and a dumpster or right-of-way obstruction registration needs a $5,000 surety bond. Delinquent permits will block a renewal.

Evanston. General Contractor registration is $150 a year, renewable through the Citizen Portal, with general liability of at least $300,000 per occurrence, bodily injury and property damage of at least $100,000 per occurrence each, and workers' compensation at statutory minimums naming Evanston as certificate holder. Right-of-way work requires $1,000,000 per occurrence with the city as an additional insured. State-regulated contractors submit a copy of the state license. Trade registration is $125.

Joliet. Registration is required before any permit is issued but costs nothing: 'there are no forms or fees for registration, unless you are a Sign Erector or for HVAC Testing.' The requirement is a certificate of insurance naming the City of Joliet as certificate holder, plus a valid license where the trade requires one; the city's Contractor Registration Guide does not publish minimum insurance limits, so confirm them with the Building Division before you bind coverage. A general contractor needs no license of its own there. Trade credentials are checked separately: the State of Illinois unlimited roofing license for roofing (a limited license is acceptable for residential projects of eight units or fewer), the Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing contractor license for plumbing, the Office of the State Fire Marshal elevator contractor license with individually licensed mechanics on site, the State Fire Marshal's fire sprinkler contractor (FSC) license, the IDFPR private alarm contractor agency license, and a municipal electrical or HVAC license from Joliet's accepted list. Demolition needs a $50,000 wrecking bond, and right-of-way, utility and concrete work in the right-of-way a $10,000 street obstruction bond, each naming the City as obligee. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, generator and solar or EV-charging contractors 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 controls commercial work through the permit only, and enforces the State roofing license: 'roofing contractors are required to obtain a license from the State of Illinois Department of Professional Regulation.'

Springfield. The Building and Zoning Department publishes electrical and mechanical contractor license and registration applications and no general contractor registration at all; its building permit application asks for the general contractor's name and address but for a license number only on the roofing line. Building and Zoning, 300 South 7th Street, Room 304, (217) 789-2171.

Peoria. Peoria licenses electrical and HVAC contractors individually at $150.00 each, on an open-book ICC exam or a Normal or Pekin license, plus boiler tenders and stationary engineers. Its four Contractor Business Licenses cover parking lot paving, sidewalks and driveways, right-of-way dumpsters and sewer connections, at $25.00 or $60.00 a year with $5,000 or $10,000 license and permit bonds. There is no general building contractor license.

Everywhere else. Every other Illinois city, village and county sets its own rules; many suburban villages register contractors and charge an annual fee, while others require only a permit and proof of insurance. Confirm the requirement, the current fee and the insurance limits with each building department before you bid work there.