Can Anybody Get a License?

You can’t just walk in off the street and expect to be awarded a roofing license in Illinois. It is a long and comprehensive process. The state government of Illinois relies on roofers as well, so they want to make sure the roofer doing work for them and anyone else is properly qualified. Other contractors in Illinois don’t need licences, but roofers definitely do.

The only place which issues roofing licenses in Illinois is the Department of Regulation. The application costs $125, and you must give detailed answers to a range of questions covering the scope of your roofing experience and business. You must obtain $250,000 property insurance, and $500,000 personal injury insurance, and be able to provide proof of this. On top of that, you also have to post a $10,000 bond (almost like a housing deposit) to the Illinois Department of Regulation.

Next Comes the Exam

Once you’ve done all that, you or someone from your roofing company has to take a written exam. It will be at least fifty questions long. The cost is around $200, but will vary depending on whether you want to be licensed for either homes or businesses, or if you want a license for both. If you fail to pass the exam, there are no refunds on either the application or exam fee.

The license expires after two years, so you will need to go through this process again.

Clearly, obtaining a roofing license in Illinois is not easy and it is very difficult to for a shoddy contractor to beat the system and get an underserved license. Any contractor who holds a license is sure to do an excellent job on your roof.