Pick your way in
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In IL
- 9 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In IL
- 14 schools with programs
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed roofing contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Get hired or start training
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
Work as a roofer
Run your own shop
No years-of-experience requirement in Sec. 3 or rule 1460.10; the qualifying party must be a W-2 employee (or the sole proprietor) who runs day-to-day operations.
- Issued by
- IDFPR Division of Professional Regulation - Roofing Contractor
$77,900
a year is the median for roofers in Illinois ($37.45 an hour, May 2025).3
Pay by city and percentile- Chicago–Naperville$39.47
- Springfield$37.45
- Peoria$36.83
- Decatur$35.88
- Rockford$31.30
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as a roofer in Illinois?
Yes. Illinois licenses roofing contractors through the IDFPR Division of Professional Regulation.1
Are roofers in demand in Illinois?
Projections Central expects about 530 roofer openings a year in Illinois through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2
Find an apprenticeship near you
9 registered programs in Illinois. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for roofers in Illinois
Sources
- IDFPR Division of Professional Regulation - Roofing Contractor contractor licensing (ilga.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Illinois, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)