STATE LICENSE
NoneSee what applies
There is no Illinois general contractor or home improvement license. What the state imposes is the Home Repair and Remodeling Act (815 ILCS 513): liability insurance of $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury and $50,000 property damage, a written contract for jobs over $1,000, and the 'Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights' pamphlet with a signed acknowledgment. Violations are Consumer Fraud Act violations.
Chicago is the heavyweight. A city general contractor license is required for most building construction, alteration, repair, and demolition, sorted by maximum project value: Class A unlimited, B $20 million, C $10 million, D $4 million, E $500,000. On January 6, 2026 the city raised Class A–D fees for the first time since 2003, doubled the B/C/D project caps, and raised Class C/D insurance to $2 million per occurrence.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Illinois leaves contractor licensing to local government. Chicago requires its own general contractor license for permitted construction, demolition, and rehabilitation; only one GC may be on a project at a time, and subcontractors working outside the GC's supervision need their own license and permit listing. Suburban municipalities run their own registration and permit regimes.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Illinois county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
First fee increase since 2003 for Classes A–D; B/C/D project limits doubled; fees adjust by CPI each year from 2027.
Chicago counts the fair market value of all labor and materials by all contractors across concurrent and consecutive work at the same site.
The Home Repair Act covers residential repair and remodeling on buildings of 6 or fewer units — not original construction of new homes.
A practical sequence for a new general contracting contractor in Illinois. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Every violation is a Consumer Fraud Act violation; pattern-or-practice suits by the Attorney General or State's Attorney, plus private damages.
Knowingly failing to insure is a Class 4 felony for owners and officers; extra-hazardous employers face ex parte work-stop orders and civil penalties of up to $500/day ($10,000 minimum).
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Penalties for unlicensed contracting under Chicago Municipal Code ch. 4-36 (ordinance text not reviewed) · Registration and licensing rules in suburban municipalities — confirm per city
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.