Who licenses what in Illinois
| Work | Who licenses it | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing, anywhere in Illinois | IDFPR. Limited license: residential, condos of 8 units or fewer. Unlimited: also commercial and industrial. Subcontracted roofers "must also be licensed" | IDFPR license lookup, 1-888-473-4858 |
| Plumbing, anywhere in Illinois | Illinois Department of Public Health (225 ILCS 320) | IDPH Plumbing License Verification |
| Any trade in Wheaton | City of Wheaton contractor registration, $75 a year, with a copy of the state license | Building and Code Enforcement, 630-260-2050; see our Wheaton lookup |
| General contracting, remodel, new homes, statewide | Nobody | City permit record |
| General contracting in Chicago | Chicago Department of Buildings, Class A–E | General Contractors (Active) |
| Electrical, plumbing contractors, masons in Chicago | Chicago Department of Buildings trade licenses | Licensed Trade Contractors |
| Electrical in Naperville | City of Naperville Electrical Contractor registration | Community Services, (630) 305-5300 |
Chicago's general contractor classes
| Class | Most a single project can be worth | Minimum insurance |
|---|---|---|
| A | Unlimited | $5 million per occurrence |
| B | $10 million | $3 million per occurrence |
| C | $5 million | $1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate |
| D | $2 million | $1 million / $2 million |
| E | $500,000 | $1 million per occurrence |
Source: Chicago Department of Buildings. "Project value" counts every contractor's labour and materials on the site, so a Class E firm cannot take a $600,000 gut rehab by splitting it. A homeowner may work on their own primary residence without a GC license if the building is three storeys or fewer, has six or fewer units and no commercial use; excavation and demolition are not covered, and the exception can be used for one property a year.
How to look a contractor up, step by step
- Roofer: check the license number on the bid "starts with #104-" (IDFPR brochure), then search it on IDFPR's lookup. A limited license is fine for a house; a commercial roof needs unlimited. The number must also be on the roofer's vehicles (225 ILCS 335/5.1).
- Chicago GC: open General Contractors (Active). It shows "License Type", "License Number", "License Expiration Date", "Insurance Expiration Date" and "License Inactive". Check the class covers your project value and that insurance runs past your finish date. The Active and Inactive list shows firms that have dropped off.
- Chicago electrician, plumber or mason: use the City's Licensed Trade Contractors search, which includes "trade contractors with recently expired or inactivated licenses".
- Plumber outside Chicago: ask for the IDPH license number and check it on IDPH's Plumbing License Verification page. Illinois requires plumbers to post the number at their business and on their vehicles (AG guide), so a plain van is a question worth asking.
- Naperville electrician: ask whether they are registered with the city as an Electrical Contractor; registration is through the city's Civic Access portal.
- Naperville GC: there is no city license to check. Look at the firm's permit history instead.
Penalties for unlicensed roofing
Under the Roofing Industry Licensing Act, any violation is "a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense" and "a Class 4 felony" on a second or later conviction, and "each day of violation constitutes a separate offense" (225 ILCS 335/9.8). IDFPR can add a civil penalty under Section 10a. The Act was due to lapse on 1 January 2026; Public Act 104-0427, signed 15 August 2025, extended it to 1 January 2031 and changed several penalty amounts, so check the current figure on ilga.gov before quoting one. Chicago's penalties for unlicensed general contracting are in Municipal Code chapter 4-36; we could not read the penalty section and do not quote a figure.
What the license does not tell you
In most of Illinois the GC has no license at all, so the permit file is the record.
- Chicago: renovation 7,764 permits from 2,592 firms, 34.4% closed, usual value $65,000. Roofing 64.7% closed, usually in 207 days. Electrical 12,436 permits from 855 firms, 38.4% closed.
- Naperville: remodel 1,057 permits from 467 firms, 77.7% finished, usually 175 days; electrical 64.6% finished from 196 firms.
Read the Chicago figures with one caveat. Chicago publishes no completion date: we count a permit as closed only when its status reads COMPLETE, and the usual days to close are estimated from how long permits stay open. Compare one Chicago firm with another in the same trade, not Chicago with Naperville.
Two checks take under five minutes. For a Chicago remodel, look the GC up on the City's active list, then open the firm's page with us and count how many of its renovation permits reached COMPLETE. For a roof anywhere in the state, check the 104- number on IDFPR, then the roofer's finished share in your city.
Red flags
- A roofer whose license number does not start with 104-, or a limited license on a commercial building.
- A Chicago GC whose class is below your project value, or whose insurance expires mid-job.
- Any contractor claiming an "Illinois general contractor license". There is none.
- A plumber who cannot give an IDPH license number.
- A Chicago firm that appears only on the Active and Inactive list.
How we know this
Our Illinois pages carry no license status: Chicago and Naperville permits are not yet matched to IDFPR's, IDPH's or the City of Chicago's license lists. The window is October 2023 to September 2026. "Finished" (or "closed") is the share of permits with a recorded final. Rules are quoted from the Illinois Attorney General, IDFPR, the Illinois General Assembly and the cities' pages, read 20 October 2026. The roofing civil-penalty amount is left out because the 2025 amendment's text we could read did not show which figure was struck.
Numbers come from City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal); City of Naperville building permits (the current permit system plus the city's older records); City of Wheaton permits on homes (the city's permit application and inspection exports), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Chicago roofer by their permit record →
Questions
- Does Illinois license general contractors?
No. The Illinois Attorney General says the state does not require general contractors to hold a license; some cities do. Chicago licenses general contractors in five classes by project size.
- How do I check an Illinois roofer's license?
Search IDFPR's license lookup (online-dfpr.micropact.com/lookup/licenselookup.aspx) or call 1-888-473-4858. An Illinois roofing license number "starts with
- What is the difference between a limited and an unlimited roofing license?
Limited roofers "can only provide services for residential properties", including condo buildings of eight units or fewer; unlimited roofers can also work on commercial and industrial buildings.
- How do I check a Chicago general contractor?
The City's General Contractors list at webapps1.chicago.gov/licensedcontractors/general shows license number, expiry, insurance expiry and whether the license is inactive. Classes run from E (projects up to $500,000) to A (unlimited).
- Does Naperville license general contractors?
We found no Naperville general contractor license or registration. The city requires electricians to register as an Electrical Contractor, and its permit guide says electricians, plumbers, irrigation and roofing contractors need a license.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Home Repair and Construction: How to Choose a Contractor — Illinois Attorney General (2026-10-20)
- Roofing contractor consumer brochure — IDFPR (2026-10-20)
- Division of Professional Regulation (license lookup links) — IDFPR (2026-10-20)
- 225 ILCS 335/5.1 Display of license number (Roofing Industry Licensing Act) (2026-10-20)
- 225 ILCS 335/9.8 Criminal penalties (Roofing Industry Licensing Act) (2026-10-20)
- Public Act 104-0427 (SB 2503): Roofing Industry Licensing Act extended to 2031 (2026-10-20)
- SB2503 bill status — Illinois General Assembly (2026-10-20)
- General Contractor License — City of Chicago Department of Buildings (2026-10-20)
- Trade Licensing — City of Chicago (2026-10-20)
- Licensed Trade Contractors — City of Chicago Department of Buildings (2026-10-22)
- General Contractors (Active) — City of Chicago (2026-10-20)
- Electrical Contractor Registration — City of Naperville (2026-10-20)
- Plumbing — Illinois Department of Public Health (2026-10-21)
- Contractor Registration Requirements — City of Wheaton (revised 2/19/2025) (2026-10-21)
- Guide to Building Permits — City of Naperville (2026-10-20)