There is no statewide Illinois electrician license. Illinois leaves electrical licensing to cities and villages, so rules change from town to town. Chicago licenses electrical contractors through its Department of Buildings, while many suburbs register contractors or accept licenses earned elsewhere. Your local building department is the office that can confirm who may work at your address.
This guide explains how that works in Chicago and the suburbs, how to verify an electrician and what to know about permits and codes. To compare companies that serve your area, start with our ranked list of Illinois electricians.
How does an Illinois electrician license work?
State law lets municipalities decide how to license or register electrical contractors, and there is no state board or statewide exam for the trade. As a result, a contractor who works across the Chicago area may hold a Chicago license, a license from a suburb that tests electricians, and registrations in several other towns.
Chicago’s rules
The City of Chicago requires an electrical contractor license to install, alter or maintain any wiring or equipment covered by the Chicago Electrical Code, whether or not the job needs a permit. The license lets the business and its own employees do the work under the supervision of a licensed supervising electrician. It does not cover workers paid as independent contractors, and if another company’s employees work on the job, that company must also be licensed and listed on the permit.
The Department of Buildings license page lists only two exceptions, for public utilities and for state-licensed private alarm contractors. It does not list a homeowner exception, so plan on hiring a licensed contractor for electrical work in Chicago.
The suburbs
Suburban rules vary. Naperville, for example, requires electrical contractors to register with the city before they can pull a permit. It stopped renewing its own electrical licenses at the end of 2022 and now accepts a current International Code Council certification or a license earned by testing in a participating municipality such as Chicago, Elgin or Libertyville.
For the insurance, quote and contract checks that apply everywhere, see our guide on how to hire an electrician.
How the rules differ by place
| Where you live | Who licenses electricians | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Department of Buildings | Contractor license and expiration date in the city lookup |
| Naperville | City registration; accepts ICC certification or a license from a testing municipality | Registration with Naperville before the permit |
| Other cities and villages | Set locally, from full licensing to simple registration | Ask the local building department |
How do I check an electrician’s license in Illinois?
In Chicago, use the city’s licensed electrical contractor lookup, which shows license numbers and expiration dates. Chicago licenses must be renewed, and expired licenses can only be renewed within three years of expiration, so check the date as well as the name.
Outside Chicago there is no central lookup. Use these steps:
- Ask the company which license it holds and which municipality issued it.
- Call your own city or village building department and ask whether the company is licensed or registered there.
- Confirm the name on the license matches the name on your quote and contract.
When do you need an electrical permit in Illinois?
Each town decides, so check with your local building department before work starts. Many require a permit for almost everything: Naperville states that all electrical work requires a permit. Panel changes, new circuits, rewiring, generators and EV chargers need a permit in most communities.
In practice, the licensed or registered contractor pulls the permit and schedules inspections. Our guide to electrical permits and inspections explains the rough-in and final inspection steps.
Can Illinois homeowners do their own electrical work?
There is no statewide answer. In Chicago, the license rule applies to work regulated by the Chicago Electrical Code whether or not a permit is needed, with no homeowner exception listed. In the suburbs, each city or village sets its own homeowner permit rules, so ask your building department whether an owner who lives in the home may pull a permit before you buy materials.
In Chicago, a contractor that sends independent contractors to do the work is not covered by its license. Ask who will be on site and whether they are the company’s employees.
Which electrical code applies in Illinois?
Illinois has no single statewide electrical code. Counties and municipalities adopt their own edition of the National Electrical Code, often with local changes, so two neighboring suburbs can enforce different editions. Chicago uses its own Chicago Electrical Code, Title 14E of the Municipal Code, which is built on the NEC. Ask your building department which edition applies to your permit. An electrician who works in several suburbs has to follow each town’s adopted edition, which is one more reason to hire someone who knows your local office.
What climate and housing issues drive electrical work in Illinois?
NOAA’s Illinois climate summary notes that severe thunderstorms are frequent in late spring and early summer and can produce tornadoes. On August 10, 2020, a derecho crossed the state with widespread damaging winds and 15 tornadoes in northeastern Illinois. The Chicago area also gets occasional heavy lake-effect snow.
Lightning and storm-related surges are why many owners add whole-home surge protection at the panel, which usually needs a local permit.
Housing age drives the rest. Chicago has many older brick bungalows and two-flats, where panel upgrades and rewiring are common. If an older home still has original wiring, read our whole-home rewiring guide and compare Illinois electricians who replace knob and tube wiring.
What should you ask an Illinois electrician before hiring?
With no state license to lean on, the questions you ask matter more in Illinois than in most states:
- Which municipality issued your license, and are you registered in my town?
- In Chicago: who is your licensed supervising electrician, and will your own employees do the work?
- Which NEC edition does my town enforce, and does the quote follow it?
- Will you pull the permit in your company’s name and attend the inspections?
If the answers are vague, call the building department yourself before you sign.
Which Illinois cities do we cover?
Our list includes companies serving Chicago, Aurora, Joliet, Naperville and Rockford, plus Elgin, Springfield, Peoria and other cities. Aurora spans four counties, so its permits come from the city rather than a county office. Check the local rules for your address before hiring from our Illinois list.
Compare licensed electricians in Illinois
Ask which municipal license the company holds, confirm it with your building department, and put the permit responsibility in the contract. Then compare local companies on our Illinois electrician rankings, or get 3 free quotes.
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