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IllinoisTrades: Pay, Licensing, Apprenticeships and Lien Law

Illinois licenses plumbing and roofing contractors at the state level. Cities and counties license general contractors, electrical contractors and HVAC contractors.

What do the trades pay in Illinois?

Median hourly pay, May 20251. Pick a trade for training, pay and the license.

Electrician

Wiring, panels and fixtures

$47.87/hrIllinois median

Plumber

Water, drain and gas lines

$48.05/hrIllinois median

HVAC tech

Heating, cooling and ductwork

$37.21/hrIllinois median

Roofer

New roofs and repairs

$37.45/hrIllinois median

General contractor

Runs the job and the crews

$50.84/hrIllinois median, construction supervisors

Is there work in Illinois?

Construction jobs in Illinois, September 2026: 254,500, up 5.9% from a year earlier.

BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026

New homes permitted in Illinois, September 2026: 1,263, down 29.7% from a year earlier.

Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026

People working in these five trades in Illinois: 74,250.

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Licensing

Who licenses contractors in Illinois?

Illinois licenses plumbing and roofing contractors at the state level. Cities and counties license general contractors, electrical contractors and HVAC contractors.2

Illinois contractor license requirements

License examRenewalBond and insurance

License lookup

Check an Illinois contractor

Search the license on the board's own site.

How to check an Illinois license

Getting paid · Illinois

Miss a date, lose the lien

90 daysafter your work is complete: send the subcontractor notice to owner.3
  • Record the claim for lien: 4 months after completion, to hold the lien against other creditors and buyers4
  • Sue to foreclose: 2 years after completion of the contract5

Work out your dates Every Illinois lien rule

Training

Training near you

Apprentices are hired first and paid while they learn on the job and in class. Trade school comes first and charges tuition.

Apprenticeships in Illinois

Trade schools in Illinois

Near you

Where to train and find work near you

Union locals take apprenticeship applications and send members out to union contractors. Open-shop chapters run apprenticeship classes for the people their member contractors hire.

IBEW union locals

17 more IBEW locals

Electrical training centers (JATCs)

11 more centers
  • Southwestern Illinois JATC2000 B Mall Street, Collinsville
  • IBEW LU117 NECA JATC McHenry & N. Kane Counties765 Munshaw Lane, Crystal Lake(847) 854-7200
  • Danville NECA-IBEW Elec. JATC1290 North Michigan Avenue, Danville(217) 304-4335
  • Midstate Electrical Training Center3390 N. Woodford Street, Decatur(217) 875-3041
  • Joliet Electrical Training Center1200 N.E Frontage Road, Joliet(815) 741-2758
  • Lake County JATC31290 N. US Highway 45, Unit A, Libertyville(847) 566-2200
  • Quad City Electrical JATC1700 52nd Avenue, Suite C, Moline(309) 762-3270
  • Northern Illinois Electrical619 Southrock Drive, Rockford(815) 969-8484
  • NECA/IBEW Local 193 JATC3150 Wide Track Drive, Springfield(217) 544-3479
  • DuPage County Elec. JATC28600 Bella Vista Parkway, Suite 1500, Warrenville(630) 393-1701
  • Southern Illinois Div. Ch. NECA-IBEW LU 702 JATC11846 Country Club Road, West Frankfort(618) 937-3311

IEC chapters (open shop)

No IEC chapter lists an office in Illinois. Chapters cover several states; the finder shows each one's area. IEC chapter finder

Electrician apprenticeships in Illinois

UA union locals

11 more UA locals

Training

UA apprenticeships run through a joint committee of the local and union contractors. Call the local for the next application date.

PHCC chapters

1 more chapters
Plumber apprenticeships in Illinois

SMART union locals

4 more SMART locals

Sheet metal training centers

4 more centers

PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)

1 more chapters

ACCA member contractors near you

Pipefitters and HVAC service techs also apprentice through the UA: UA locals in Illinois.

HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Illinois

Carpenters union locals

  • Carpenters Local 1Chicago
  • Carpenters Local 10Bridgeview
  • Carpenters Local 13Chicago
  • Carpenters Local 54Bridgeview
  • Carpenters Local 58Chicago
  • Carpenters Local 174Joliet
14 more Carpenters locals
  • Carpenters Local 237East Peoria
  • Carpenters Local 243Champaign
  • Carpenters Local 250Lakemoor
  • Carpenters Local 270Springfield
  • Carpenters Local 272Chicago Heights
  • Carpenters Local 662Freeburg
  • Carpenters Local 664Wood River
  • Carpenters Local 790Rock Falls
  • Carpenters Local 792Rockford
  • Carpenters Local 1027Lisle
  • Carpenters Local 1185Lisle
  • Carpenters Local 1693Lisle
  • Carpenters Local 1889Lisle
  • Carpenters Local 2158East Moline

Training

Union carpentry apprenticeships run through the regional council's training centers. Carpenters regional council finder

Home builder associations

4 more chapters
General Contractor apprenticeships in Illinois

Roofers union locals

  • Roofers Local 11Oak Brook
  • Roofers Local 32Rock Island
  • Roofers Local 69Peoria
  • Roofers Local 97Newman
  • Roofers Local 112Springfield

Training

Roofers locals run their apprenticeship through a joint committee with union contractors.

Contractor associations

The national trade group for roofing contractors is the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Roofer apprenticeships in Illinois

Trade schools: where to apply

All 45 trade schools in Illinois

Sources

  1. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Illinois, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)
  2. IDFPR Division of Professional Regulation - Roofing Contractor (idfpr.illinois.gov)
  3. Illinois lien law: 770 ILCS 60/24(a); 60/21(c) (ilga.gov)
  4. Illinois lien law: 770 ILCS 60/7(a),(d); 60/28 (ilga.gov)
  5. Illinois lien law: 770 ILCS 60/9; 60/34 (ilga.gov)
  6. U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
  7. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study and institution data) (collegescorecard.ed.gov)
  8. BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026 (bls.gov)
  9. Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026 (census.gov)
  10. Illinois Department of Public Health - Plumbing Program (dph.illinois.gov)