How to become a roofer in Illinois

The path in Illinois, step by step

Illinois licenses roofing work at the state level through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Roofing Contractor licensing. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Choose a limited or unlimited license.
2. Name your qualifying party and register them for the exam with Continental Testing Services ($226).
3. Pass the roofing exam.
4. Get the bond, liability and property damage insurance, and workers' compensation if you have employees.
5. Send the IDFPR application with the $125 fee, the bond form and the insurance form.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: roofing license in Illinois.

Finding an apprenticeship in Illinois

Illinois has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Illinois Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. A few groups sponsor roofing apprenticeships. They combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction, usually with a set number of hours for each.

License levels and exams in Illinois

The license to aim for: Roofing Contractor license (Limited or Unlimited).

Trade exam. Your qualifying party must pass the Illinois Residential exam (limited) or the Residential, Commercial and Industrial exam (unlimited), given by Continental Testing Services.

Keeping it. All licenses expire December 31 of each odd-numbered year.

What the Illinois license costs

The fees the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Roofing Contractor licensing lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What roofers earn in Illinois

The median roofer in Illinois earned $37.45 an hour in May 2025, the highest median of any state, with 5,300 on payrolls. The national median was $26.65.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of roofers in Illinois earned under $27.81 an hour and a tenth under $22.41. At the top, a quarter earned over $49.54 and a tenth over $51.22.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: roofer salary in Illinois.

Jobs ahead in Illinois

Illinois's labor market office projects jobs for roofers growing from 6,620 in 2022 to 6,750 in 2032, a change of 2%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 520 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2022 to 2032, about the same as the 2% projected nationally, ranking 41st of the 48 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group roofers.

Starting your own roofer business in Illinois

To contract on your own in Illinois, the license is the Roofing Contractor license (Limited or Unlimited).

Insurance. Public liability and property damage insurance in amounts the department sets, and workers' compensation for roofing that covers your employees.

Bond. Continuous bond of $10,000 for a limited license or $25,000 for an unlimited license.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Illinois median of $37.45 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $136.36 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a roofing business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.