Illinois licenses the roofing business, and IDFPR, the state licensing agency, issues the license only after a named person at the company, the qualifying party, passes a state exam. The limited license covers residential roofing, including residential buildings of 8 units or fewer, and the unlimited license covers residential, commercial and industrial properties. The application and one exam come to $351 on IDFPR’s published fees, with the bond and insurance on top.
Repairs need the license too, and unlicensed roofing is a crime
Illinois rules define roofing to include maintaining and repairing roofs, so a repair-only company needs the license, and local permits require proof of it.
Roofing without a license is a Class A misdemeanor, and a second offense is a Class 4 felony with a $25,000 fine.
IDFPR can also write a citation instead of full discipline, starting at $200 per violation for unlicensed work. A citation you don’t contest in writing within 30 days becomes a final order that counts as discipline, so answer any citation in writing before then.
The license goes to the company, and its qualifier takes the exam
The person who sits the exam for the business is the qualifier. The rules allow the sole proprietor, a partner, an officer or another person legally qualified to act for the business, with authority to supervise installation and “actively engaged in day to day activities.” A sole proprietor has to be their own qualifier.
Under the Act as amended in 2025, the qualifier must be a W-2 employee and “shall not receive a Form 1099 from the licensed roofing contractor business.” A qualifier you pay on a 1099 does not meet that rule, so put yours on payroll.
One qualifier can serve a second company with the same license type when the two share at least 25% common ownership, or when the second is a licensed subsidiary at least 25% owned by the first.
When a qualifier leaves, the company and the qualifier have to tell IDFPR in writing within 30 business days, with the new qualifier’s name and address. IDFPR’s packet says the license “will become INOPERABLE if there is no active qualifying party,” so get a second person through the exam before you need one.
Qualifiers named on or before July 1, 2003 never had to take the exam, and that exemption ends if the license lapses or the person stops qualifying for that company. A change of business entity needs a new license, even with the same qualifier. Before you buy a roofing company, ask whether its qualifier was grandfathered and who replaces them, and read Buying a Roofing Company: Where the Listings Are and What to Check.
The application costs $125 and needs IDFPR’s own insurance and bond forms
The fee is the same for either license and isn’t refundable. Pay by check or money order made out to IDFPR, or online at idfpr.illinois.gov/epay.html, then mail the packet to IDFPR, Division of Professional Regulation, P.O. Box 7007, Springfield, IL 62791.
Your insurer fills in the RF-INS form, the only proof of liability and property damage insurance IDFPR accepts. A bonding company licensed in Illinois fills in the bond form, BD-LRF for limited or BD-URF for unlimited, without changing its wording.
A company with employees adds a workers’ comp certificate and a statement of account from IDES, the state unemployment insurance agency, showing the company’s unemployment account number and no delinquency.
An LLC or corporation also sends its Secretary of State papers. Their “purposes” section has to read “To provide limited roofing services, pursuant to the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act,” or the unlimited version. Check yours before you mail anything.
IDFPR asks you to wait eight business weeks before checking on status. The qualifier has three years from applying to finish the exam, or the company loses the fee and reapplies under the rules in force at that point.
The policy and bond must stay in force, or IDFPR cancels the license
Both licenses need the same insurance: at least $250,000 per occurrence for property damage and $500,000 per occurrence for personal injury or bodily harm. The policy has to state that it can’t be cancelled without written notice to IDFPR at least 30 days ahead.
The bond is $10,000 for the limited license and $25,000 for unlimited, from an insurer authorized for fidelity and surety business in Illinois. It can’t be cancelled without 60 days’ written notice to IDFPR. Roofing Contractor Bonds: Which States Require One and What It Costs covers what a bond like this costs.
When an insurer tells IDFPR that a policy or bond was cancelled, IDFPR cancels the license without a hearing. Getting it reissued means applying again with proof that both are back in place, so pay both premiums before they’re due.
Safety is nearly a third of the residential exam
Continental Testing Services runs three exams: a residential exam for the limited license, a residential, commercial and industrial exam for unlimited, and a commercial and industrial upgrade exam that only limited holders can take. Continental Testing’s May 2021 study guide splits them this way:
| Exam section | Limited | Unlimited | Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety and employee protection | 25 | 25 | 15 |
| Roofing preparation and materials | 12 | 20 | 10 |
| Steep-slope roofing systems | 20 | 35 | 15 |
| Low-slope roofing systems | 8 | 15 | 10 |
| Rules, regulations and business practices | 15 | 20 | 15 |
| Non-residential roofing systems | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Total questions | 80 | 130 | 80 |
| Time allowed | 90 minutes | 2.5 hours | 90 minutes |
Every question is multiple choice with one correct answer, and a score of 70 or higher passes. Safety carries the most questions on the limited exam, so start studying there.
Continental Testing’s reference list includes the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act and rules (free online) and NRCA’s four-volume Roofing Manual, along with the NRCA Safety Manual and the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management. NRCA membership is not required to get licensed.
IDFPR’s exam fee chart, dated January 2021, lists $226 for any of the three exams, paid to Continental Testing, so confirm the fee when you register. It isn’t refundable, missing a scheduled exam forfeits it, and each retake costs the fee again, with no limit on retakes while the application stays valid.
Register online at continentaltesting.net and pay by card, or mail form IL486-1921 with a certified check or money order. Exams run at least four times a year and the exam application is due 60 days before the date, so pick the date first and count back.
Moving from limited to unlimited later means a fresh unlimited application plus the upgrade exam. A roofer who expects commercial or industrial work soon can take the unlimited exam first and pay one application fee and one exam fee instead of two of each.
Every Illinois roofing license expires December 31 of an odd-numbered year
A license issued in any month expires on the same date, so the next deadline is December 31, 2027, and one issued late in 2027 comes up for renewal within weeks. To renew, file IDFPR’s renewal form with the fee and the qualifier’s name, and state on it that the insurance and bond are still in place.
The fee is “$62.50 per year,” or $125 for a full two-year cycle, and the renewal rule lists no continuing education requirement.
Working on a license you didn’t renew counts as unlicensed practice for citations. Restoring it costs $50 plus all lapsed renewal fees, capped at $375, with proof of insurance and bond and a qualifier who passed the exam. Set a renewal reminder for November of each odd-numbered year.
Your license number goes in every ad, and Google can ask for the license
The Act requires your license number and name in all advertising, so put both on your website and on anything you print.
Google’s Local Services Ads list a state business license and a state owner license for roofing “where applicable by local law,” so verification can ask an Illinois roofer for the IDFPR license. An owner of a family exterior remodeling firm that does roofing wrote on r/smallbusiness that their Local Services account was suspended for a period because they didn’t submit new licensing in time.
After each renewal, check the license on file in your Local Services account, and see Google Local Services Ads for Roofers: Budget, Cost per Lead and Disputes for the ads themselves.
Eight steps to get licensed in Illinois and stay licensed
- Pick limited or unlimited. Limited stops at residential properties of 8 units or fewer.
- If you’re an LLC or corporation, put the roofing “purposes” line in your Secretary of State filing.
- Put your qualifier on payroll and register them at continentaltesting.net at least 60 days before the exam date you want.
- Have your insurer fill in RF-INS and an Illinois-licensed bonding company fill in the bond form.
- With employees, add a workers’ comp certificate and the IDES statement of account.
- Mail the packet and fee to IDFPR’s P.O. box in Springfield.
- Put your license number and name in every ad.
- Keep the policy and bond paid, and renew before each odd-year deadline.
The license makes it legal to roof in Illinois, and homeowners still have to find the company before they call. Run the free Google Maps heatmap to see where you show up: pick your Google profile and a search, and in a few minutes you’ll see your rank at 49 points around your office.