How electrician licensing works in Illinois

Journeyman level Licensed by cities or counties, not the state What's a journeyman?

The license pathway in Illinois

1. 1

   Apprentice or electrician employee

   Chicago issues no license at this level. You work for a licensed electrical contractor under a licensed supervising electrician. On Chicago's Class 1 jobs (new work in tall buildings and large assembly spaces), you must be in or have finished an 8,000-hour apprenticeship recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. [3]

2. 2

   Supervising electrician (Chicago)

   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes, open book, Chicago Electrical Code; general or low voltage
   • $150 exam + $150 license (2026)
   • Yearly; $150 (2026), $155 (2027)

   The person who performs or supervises all work for an electrical contractor. You must be at least 21, have 2 years' experience under a supervising electrician or equivalent, and pass the written exam. [2][4][5]

3. 3

   Electrical contractor (Chicago)

   • $150 (2026)
   • Yearly; $150 (2026), $155 (2027)

   Required for any business that installs, alters or maintains wiring or equipment covered by the Chicago Electrical Code. The business must be owned by or employ at least one licensed supervising electrician. [3][5]

Who licenses electricians in Illinois

The Illinois law on electrical contractors is part of the Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5/11-33-1). It lets each municipality require registration of electrical contractors, with an annual fee of $25. It also says a contractor registered in one municipality "shall not be required by any other municipality to be registered or to pay a registration fee" there. The statute's definition of electrical contractor does not include the contractor's employees.

Chicago runs its own licensing through the Department of Buildings. If you plan to work in another city or village, ask that town's building department what it requires. [1][2]

Chicago's supervising electrician license

A Chicago supervising electrician has shown knowledge of installing, altering, repairing and maintaining electrical equipment under the Chicago Electrical Code. Every licensed electrical contractor must be owned by or employ at least one, and that person must perform or supervise all of the contractor's electrical work. A supervising electrician can't be the primary supervising electrician for more than one contractor.

To take the exam you must be at least 21 and have at least 2 years' experience installing, altering, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring and equipment, or equivalent experience, under the direct supervision of a supervising electrician or equivalent person. Letters from your supervisors verify the experience. There are two exams: general and low voltage, and your license type matches the exam you passed. [2]

The Chicago exam

Continental Testing Services handles applications and gives the exam for the Department of Buildings. It is open book, and the only book allowed is the Chicago Electrical Code 2018 Edition (the 2017 National Electrical Code, or NEC, with Chicago amendments). Tabs are allowed; notes and highlighting are not. Continental also publishes a study guide and a list of Chicago code changes that do not appear in the NFPA book.

The exam is given a few times a year. Scheduled dates include Nov. 18, 2026 (application deadline Oct. 7, 2026), March 10, 2027, July 21, 2027 and Nov. 17, 2027, each with an application deadline several weeks earlier. If you fail, you must wait at least 6 months before reapplying. [2][4]

Chicago fees and renewal

Chicago fees for calendar year 2026:

• Supervising electrician exam: $150 per exam.
• Supervising electrician license: $150, then $150 per year to renew.
• Electrical contractor license (general or low voltage): $150, renewed yearly at $150.

Chicago's Municipal Code ties certain fees to yearly changes in the Consumer Price Index. From Jan. 1, 2027, the supervising electrician exam, license and renewal and the electrical contractor license are each $155. A supervising electrician license expired 3 or more years can't be renewed; you would apply for a new one. [2][3][5][6]

Chicago's electrical contractor license

A Chicago electrical contractor license is needed to install, alter or maintain any wiring or equipment covered by the Chicago Electrical Code, whether or not a permit is needed. The license covers the business and its employees working under its supervising electrician. It does not cover people paid as independent contractors.

For Class 1 work (electrical work in a building over 55 feet tall, or in an assembly space for 300 or more people, done before a certificate of occupancy is issued or as part of work that will need a new one), every worker must be a licensed supervising electrician or be in, or have finished, a U.S. Department of Labor-recognized electrician apprenticeship of at least 8,000 hours. Other work (Class 2) is done under the contractor's supervising electrician.

The license is valid for one year and is inactivated automatically if no valid supervising electrician is attached to it. Applications go through Continental Testing Services. [3]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

In Cook County, IBEW Local 134 and its contractor association train apprentices at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (IN-TECH) in Alsip. Registration is held every Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m.; you pick up an application, return it later, and then take an aptitude test. The Electrical Construction apprenticeship lasts 5 years and the Communications apprenticeship 4 years. The FAQ says the first 11 weeks of classes are unpaid, and a driver's license is required because Local 134 covers all of Cook County.

Outside Cook County, use the Electrical Training Alliance locator to find your area's union program. For non-union (open-shop) training, ABC's Illinois Chapter offers craft training in electrical, with apprenticeships registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. You can also search the Apprenticeship Job Finder. [7][8][9][10]

If you're licensed in another state

Illinois law leaves electrical contractor registration to cities and villages, so ask the town where you'll work whether it accepts your license or experience. The same law says a contractor registered in one Illinois municipality can't be required to register again in another.

For Chicago, the supervising electrician exam accepts experience "or equivalent experience" under a supervising electrician "or equivalent person". Continental Testing Services says that if your experience is from a jurisdiction that licenses or registers electrical contractors, you send a current copy of that license or registration with a detailed, chronological work history. Confirm with Continental Testing Services before you apply. [1][2][4]

Steps to get licensed in Illinois

1. Check the rules where you'll work

   Under Illinois law, each city or village may require electrical contractors to register, so ask the building department where you'll work. In Chicago, licensing is run by the Department of Buildings. [1][2]

2. Get experience through an apprenticeship

   Join a registered apprenticeship, such as IBEW Local 134's program at IN-TECH or an open-shop program. Chicago's Class 1 work requires being in or having finished an apprenticeship of at least 8,000 hours recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. [3][7]

3. Build 2 years' experience under a supervising electrician

   Chicago requires at least 2 years' experience under a supervising electrician or equivalent, verified by letters from your supervisors, and you must be 21. [2]

4. Apply and pass the Chicago exam

   Apply through Continental Testing Services. The exam is open book; you may bring only the Chicago Electrical Code 2018. If you fail, wait at least 6 months to reapply. [2][4]

5. License the business and renew yearly

   To contract on your own, license an electrical contractor business that employs you as its supervising electrician. Both licenses renew every year through the Department of Buildings. [2][3]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train electricians in or for Illinois, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  IBEW Local 134 / NECA: IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (IN-TECH), Alsip

  Union apprenticeship for Cook County. The Electrical Construction program runs 5 years; registration is held weekly at the Alsip school. [7]

• Union

  IBEW/NECA training centers (Electrical Training Alliance locator)

  Find the union inside-wireman program for other parts of Illinois. [8]

• Open shop

  Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Illinois Chapter

  Non-union contractor association whose craft training includes electrical; ABC apprenticeships are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. [9]

• Other

  U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Job Finder

  Search registered electrician apprenticeships by location anywhere in Illinois. [10]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask