How to get a contractor license in Illinois
Illinois does not issue a state-level general contractor license; licensing happens at the city or county level. Illinois has no statewide general contractor license; GCs are licensed by municipalities (for example, the City of Chicago Department of Buildings), while the state licenses roofing contractors through IDFPR and plumbers through the Department of Public Health.
- Licensing level
- local
- Exam vendor
- See agency
- Verified
- Official source
Start at the source
General contracting here is governed where you work: contact the building department of the city or county for its licensing or registration requirements, and confirm whether any state-level registration also applies.
The path, wherever you are
- Confirm the licensing level above with the authority, then pull the current application checklist from its site.
- Where a trade exam is required, get the candidate bulletin: it names the exam vendor, the topics, and the exact reference editions allowed on the table.
- Buy the referenced code books in the exact editions listed, and tab them yourself within whatever marking the bulletin permits.
- Train the lookup, not just the knowledge: contractor trade exams are commonly open book, which makes finding the governing section fast the actual tested skill.
- Expect a separate business and law exam in many jurisdictions, with its own reference book.
Why open book changes your prep
An open-book exam gives you the answers and takes away the time to find them. The candidates who fail are rarely the ones who knew the least; they are the ones who found things slowest. That lookup skill is what this site trains:the free timed drill shows you your seconds-per-lookup in two minutes.
Other states
| Alabama | state |
| Alaska | state |
| Arizona | state |
| Arkansas | state |
| California | state |
| Colorado | local |
| Connecticut | state |
| Delaware | hybrid |
The kit that goes on the table
2024 IRCThe book itself
2021 IRCIf you register on 2021
2024 Fast-TabsPlace them yourself
Construction Master ProFeet-inch math, no errorsMatch the book and tabs to the edition you register for.Confirm which, first.
The 120-second study sheet
One page: every topic weight on all four residential exams, the plain-language to code-language glossary, and the two-week study sequence. Free, straight to your inbox.
No spam, no selling your address. One useful sheet and occasional exam-prep notes.