Illinois contractor license lookup
It issues state licenses for plumbing contractors and roofing contractors. Our survey found no state-level license for general contractors, electrical contractors and HVAC contractors, so check with the city or county. filtered to license type ROOFING CONTRACTOR lists 4,996 active contractor licenses as of October 5, 2026.
Look up a license
| Trade | Credential | Board | Official lookup |
|---|---|---|---|
| General contractor | No state license: cities and counties | None at state level (counties and municipalities license contractors) | Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level general contractor license. Check with the city or county where the work is done. |
| Electrical | No state license: cities and counties | None at state level (municipal registration) | Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level electrical contractor license. Check with the city or county where the work is done. |
| Plumbing | State license | Illinois Department of Public Health, Plumbing Program | Search plumbing licenses We could not load this lookup when we checked, so confirm the link on the board site. |
| HVAC | No state license: cities and counties | None at state level (municipal licensing) | Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level HVAC contractor license. Check with the city or county where the work is done. |
| Roofing | State license | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) | Search roofing licenses |
Where licensing happens locally
| Jurisdiction | Agency | Credentials | Lookup |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Chicago | Chicago Department of Buildings source | General contractor license (Class A to Class E), Electrical contractor license (General, Low Voltage), Plumbing contractor license | Search City of Chicago licenses |
| Unincorporated Cook County | Cook County Department of Building and Zoning source | Contractor registration (per trade, including electrical and plumbing) | Search Unincorporated Cook County licenses |
| City of Rockford | City of Rockford Construction & Development Services source | Electrical contractor registration | No online lookup found |
Verify a contractor
For homeowners hiring in Illinois.
- Ask the city or county building department where the work is done how they license general contractors.
- For plumbing work, also check the plumbing contractor lookup from Illinois Department of Public Health.
- For roofing work, also check the roofing contractor lookup from IDFPR.
- Check a roofing contractor's license on the IDFPR License Lookup. source Check a plumber's license on the IDPH Plumbing License Verification tool. source A roofing contractor must show its state roofing license name and number on all contracts, bids and advertisements for roofing work. source Plumbing ads must show the plumbing license number; sharing a number can bring a $1,000 fine. source In Chicago, check a general, electrical or plumbing contractor on the Department of Buildings Licensed Contractors site, which also shows recently expired or inactivated licenses. source
- Report a roofing contractor to IDFPR at 312-814-6910 or on its website. source Report suspected contractor fraud to your State's Attorney or the Illinois Attorney General. source
Homeowner protections in Illinois
- Any home repair or remodeling job over $1,000 needs a written contract stating the total cost and the business name and address. source
- For contracts over $1,000 the contractor must give you the Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights pamphlet before you sign. source
- You have 3 business days to cancel a contract signed at your home. source
- Homeowners 65 or older can cancel within 15 business days a contract signed at home with an uninvited solicitor. source
- Every home repair and remodeling business must carry liability insurance of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per occurrence bodily injury and $50,000 property damage, unless its net worth is at least $1,000,000. source
- Before roofing work starts, the roofer must give you a written contract signed by both sides listing the scope, dates and contact details. source
- Ask for a signed, notarized Sworn Statement listing subcontractors and suppliers before you pay, to guard against liens. source
- In Chicago, a licensed general contractor doing residential work must follow the same consumer protection rules as a licensed home repair company. source
- A Chicago plumbing contractor must file a $20,000 performance bond with the City Clerk before its license is issued. source
Get licensed
For a general contractor working in Illinois.
- Our survey found no state-level general contractor license in Illinois. Ask the city or county where you will work.
Other trades
- Plumbing: state license, $20,000 bond, $150 fee. Requirements
- Roofing: state license, $10,000 bond, $125 fee. Requirements
Requirements by trade
| Exam | The licensed plumber behind the contractor must pass the state plumber's exam, held at least every three month. source |
|---|---|
| Experience | At least 4 years as an Illinois licensed apprentice plumber before the plumber's exam. source |
| Bond | Plumbing contractor indemnification bond or letter of credit of $20,000. source |
| Insurance | General liability of at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate bodily injury, $50,000 property damage (or $300,000 combined single limit), and $500,000 workers' compensation employer's liability. source |
| Renewal | Every year: plumbing contractor registrations expire on the last day of September. source |
| Reciprocity | No reciprocity: a plumber licensed in another state must still pass the Illinois plumber's exam. source |
| Fees |
|
| Exam | The qualifying party must pass a state roofing exam (residential for a limited license; residential, commercial and industrial for an unlimited license). source |
|---|---|
| Experience | Not found on an official source. On an official source. |
| Bond | Continuous bond of $10,000 for a limited license or $25,000 for an unlimited license. source |
| Insurance | Liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence for personal injury and $250,000 per occurrence for property damage, plus workers' compensation. source |
| Renewal | Every two years: all roofing licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered year. source |
| Reciprocity | Not found on an official source. On an official source. |
| Fees |
|
General contractor: Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level general contractor license. Check with the city or county where the work is done.
Electrical: Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level electrical contractor license. Check with the city or county where the work is done.
HVAC: Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level HVAC contractor license. Check with the city or county where the work is done.
Licenses on record
4,996 active records in Professional Licensing, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, filtered to license type ROOFING CONTRACTOR, as of October 5, 2026. 0 expire within the next year.
| Trade | Active |
|---|---|
| Roofing (business) | 4,996 |
| License type | Active |
|---|---|
| Licensed roofing contractor (business license) (business) | 4,996 |
| Specialty | Active |
|---|---|
| Unlimited (business) | 3,166 |
| Limited (business) | 1,706 |
| Not stated (business) | 124 |
| Category | Active |
|---|---|
| Not stated | 4,769 |
| Unlimited | 3,989 |
| Limited | 3,472 |
1,044 disciplinary actions (Any time on record).
| City | Active |
|---|---|
| Chicago | 404 |
| Elgin | 94 |
| Rockford | 93 |
| Schaumburg | 62 |
| Springfield | 58 |
| Aurora | 53 |
| Joliet | 44 |
| Peoria | 44 |
| Palatine | 43 |
| Arlington Heights | 42 |
| Naperville | 42 |
| Des Plaines | 33 |
| Belvidere | 32 |
| Freeport | 31 |
| Lombard | 31 |
| Crystal Lake | 30 |
| Downers Grove | 30 |
| Elk Grove Village | 30 |
| Moline | 29 |
| Wheeling | 29 |
Show more cities
| City | Active |
|---|---|
| Champaign | 28 |
| Mchenry | 28 |
| Hoffman Estates | 26 |
| Bloomington | 25 |
| Loves Park | 25 |
| Northbrook | 25 |
| Waukegan | 25 |
| Burbank | 24 |
| Lemont | 24 |
| Oak Lawn | 24 |
| Plainfield | 24 |
| Tinley Park | 23 |
| Addison | 22 |
| Lake Zurich | 22 |
| Orland Park | 22 |
| Algonquin | 21 |
| Bensenville | 20 |
| Burr Ridge | 20 |
| Decatur | 20 |
| Rolling Meadows | 20 |
| Round Lake Beach | 20 |
| Dekalb | 19 |
| Homer Glen | 19 |
| Mount Prospect | 19 |
| Urbana | 19 |
| Collinsville | 18 |
| Frankfort | 18 |
| Belleville | 17 |
| Berwyn | 17 |
| Kankakee | 17 |
- A snapshot of the Professional Licensing, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, filtered to license type ROOFING CONTRACTOR as of October 5, 2026. The board's live lookup may differ.
- Counts are Illinois roofing contractor licenses issued by IDFPR. The 4,996 active count is business licenses (Licensed Roofing Contractor). Qualifying parties, the individual people named by those businesses, hold a separate credential; they are shown in their own table and never added to the business count.
- Illinois licenses only roofing at state level through IDFPR. General, electrical and HVAC contractors are licensed by cities and counties, and plumbing is licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, which publishes no download. Those trades are left out.
- Cities come from the address on file. 564 active business licenses with an out-of-state address are left out of the city table.
- 0 active business licenses expire in the year after October 5, 2026: in this file nearly every active business license carries the same expiration date, beyond that window.
- 1,044 business licenses (any status) are marked as ever disciplined in the dataset. This is a yes or no flag, not a count of separate actions.
- Contains information from the IDFPR Professional Licensing dataset, made available under the Open Database License (ODbL). These aggregated counts are a produced work from that database; the counts are a snapshot as of October 5, 2026.
How these counts are defined
- Disciplinary actions
- Business roofing licenses, in any status, that the state marks as ever disciplined. A yes or no mark per license, not a count of separate actions.
- Qualifying parties
- Active qualifying parties: the individual people a licensed roofing business names to meet the state's requirements, by license scope (limited or unlimited; not stated means the record carries no scope). A separate credential from the business license and never added to the active business count. Rows under 10 are not shown.
- Rows Total
- Every roofing contractor record in the state file, business licenses and qualifying parties together, in any status. Other professions in the same file are left out.
- Active Total
- Business roofing licenses with a status of active. Probation and every other status are left out.
- Active by license type
- Illinois issues one business roofing license. Qualifying parties, the individuals behind each business, are shown in a separate table.
- Active by specialty
- Active business licenses by scope: limited (residential) or unlimited (all roofing work). Not stated means the record carries no scope. Rows under 10 are not shown.
- Active by trade
- Roofing only. Illinois has no state general, electrical or HVAC license, and the state plumbing license has no public download.
- Cities
- City on the license address, for Illinois addresses only. Spelling is not corrected. Top 50 cities with at least 10 active business licenses.
- Active Out Of State
- Active business licenses with an address outside Illinois.
- Expiring within the next year
- Active business licenses that expire after October 5, 2026 and on or before October 5, 2027.
- Discipline
- Business roofing licenses, in any status, marked as ever disciplined.
- As Of
- The date the state last updated the dataset rows.
Counts only, no personal data. Small groups are left out. Rows marked business, individual or mixed count different holders and are never added together.
- Source: Professional Licensing (pzzh-kp68), Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, filtered to license type ROOFING CONTRACTOR, as of October 5, 2026. Data license: ODBL (Open Data Commons Open Database License). Contains information from the IDFPR Professional Licensing dataset (https://data.illinois.gov/d/pzzh-kp68), which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Publisher attribution: IDFPR.
Questions
- Does Illinois require a contractor license?
- It depends on where the work is done. Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level general contractor license. Check with the city or county where the work is done.
- How do I look up a contractor license in Illinois?
- The main local licensing offices are listed under Where licensing happens locally.
- How do I look up an electrician license in Illinois?
- Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level electrical contractor license.
- How do I look up a plumbing license in Illinois?
- The Illinois Department of Public Health, Plumbing Program keeps the record for plumbing contractors in Illinois. Use the official lookup linked in the Look up a license table, and treat the board's own record as final.
- Does Illinois have an HVAC license?
- Our survey of official Illinois sources found no state-level HVAC contractor license.
- Do roofers need a license in Illinois?
- The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) keeps the record for roofing contractors in Illinois.
- How many contractors are registered or licensed in Illinois?
- The Professional Licensing, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, filtered to license type ROOFING CONTRACTOR lists 4,996 active records as of October 5, 2026.
Sources
- https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/plumbing.html
- https://ildohplmprod.glsuite.us/GLSuiteWeb/Clients/ILDOHPLM/PUBLIC/Verification/Plumber_License_Verification.aspx
- https://idfpr.illinois.gov/profs/roof.html
- https://online-dfpr.micropact.com/lookup/licenselookup.aspx
- https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1346&ChapterID=24
- https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1343&ChapterID=24
- https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/forms/plumbing-contractor-application-renewal-042616.pdf
- https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068007500K11000R.html
- https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068014600000200R.html
- https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068014600000400R.html
- https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068014600000800R.html
- https://idfpr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idfpr/renewals/apply/forms/rf-qp.pdf
- https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2359&ChapterID=67
- https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=749&ChapterID=11
- https://webapps1.chicago.gov/licensedcontractors/home
- https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bldgs/provdrs/licenses/svcs/infocenter.html
- https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bldgs/supp_info/TLdetails/PLcontractor.html
- https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/contractor-registration
- https://secure.cookcountyil.gov/BZ/contractors_info
- https://rockfordil.gov/448/Electrical-Permits
- https://data.illinois.gov/d/pzzh-kp68
- http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/
This is not a government site. The licensing board's own record governs; always confirm on the official lookup. Information as of October 6, 2026.