Illinois Concrete Contractor License Requirements (2026)

Illinois does not issue a standalone state concrete contractor license. Illinois has no state concrete trade credential. The Home Repair and Remodeling Act governs covered consumer residential work, including driveway improvements, but it is not a contractor-license program. Local building departments set the concrete contractor, permit, and inspection rules. The Municipal Code’s mason-contractor provisions apply only to a municipality of 500,000 or more, which in Illinois means Chicago. Chicago’s Mason Contractor license (Class A or Class C) covers site-formed concrete that is part of a building or structure, but it is not required for concrete sidewalks, concrete paving, slab-on-grade foundations for single-story non-occupiable structures such as sheds and private garages, or foundations for fences, decks, and open porches.

Local licensing in major Illinois cities

Illinois has no statewide concrete contractor license, so these cities and counties set their own rules. Each link opens the jurisdiction's official page; confirm the current requirement there before bidding.

Local licensing in major Illinois cities: what each jurisdiction requires and its published fee
Jurisdiction	What it requires	Fee
City of Chicago (Department of Buildings)chicago.gov	A Mason Contractor license is required for work in stone, concrete, brick, or structural tile that is part of a building or structure. Site-formed concrete requires a Class A (all mason work) or Class C (site-formed concrete only) license, and the business must employ a supervising mason who passed the city’s examination. Concrete sidewalks, concrete paving, and small slab-on-grade foundations are exempt.	$150 initial license and $150 annual renewal; $150 mason examination (2026)
City of Evanstoncityofevanston.org	All contractors working in Evanston, including concrete contractors, must register with the city each year and file proof of at least $300,000 per occurrence in general liability insurance plus workers’ compensation. Work in the public right-of-way requires $1,000,000 per occurrence.	General Contractor: $150; Trade Contractor: $125 (renewable annually)
City of Peoria (Public Works)peoriagov.org	Sidewalk and drive-approach permits in the public right-of-way are issued only to contractors licensed by the City of Peoria for right-of-way work, and the license requires proof of a $10,000 bond.	Not published

Who Regulates Concrete Contractor Work in Illinois?

No single state agency licenses concrete work in Illinois, so this guide relies on the local and state sources cited below; the law it cites is 815 ILCS 513; 65 ILCS 5/11-36; local ordinances. Local authorities determine contractor, permit, inspection, and fee requirements for concrete work. State consumer-contract law does not create a general concrete contractor license.

Official reference: ilga.gov

Illinois State and Local Eligibility Rules

There is no single statewide application for this work, so this guide does not impose a uniform applicant-age, identification, or tax-number rule. Check the business, specialty-trade, and local authorities that govern the actual project. Use the cited state or local route for business-entity, identity, and residency requirements.

State-level applicant screening

Use the current application for the selected concrete route; it sets any character or disclosure requirements, and there is no separate concrete-specific standard.

Background-check requirements

Follow the actual issuing authority’s current application and disclosure rules; no universal concrete-specific fingerprint rule is stated here.

Experience and Scope Requirements in Illinois

No statewide concrete experience term is published. Any experience or examination requirement is set by the applicable local authority. Local licensing programs, specialty credentials, and project owners may still set their own qualifications.

Relevant records and local documents

Current local contractor and building-permit documents required for the project

Is There an Illinois Concrete Contractor Exam?

There is no single statewide trade examination for the local or scope-specific path described here. The applicable testing rule is: No statewide concrete trade examination is identified.

Examination fee: Local authority fee, if any.

Retake policy: Use the issuing local authority’s rules.

Insurance, Bonds, and Project Requirements in Illinois

No statewide contractor-license bond applies to the local or scope-specific path described here. A city, county, permit authority, public owner, or project contract may still require a bond, so confirm the actual project requirements before bidding.

General liability

Illinois does not set a universal statewide concrete-contractor insurance or bond amount; the project municipality or owner can require coverage.

Workers' compensation

Illinois workforce obligations are separate from local contractor licensing.

Illinois Concrete Contractor Fees and Compliance Costs

Illinois charges no statewide licensing fee for concrete contractor work. Startup costs come from the local registrations, business filings, permits, insurance, and any specialty or federal certifications described in this guide, so they differ by city and by the work performed.

To budget for the applicable registration, permits, insurance, and project requirements, open the cost calculator preloaded for Illinois concrete contractor.

Renewal and Ongoing Compliance in Illinois

There is no single statewide license-renewal cycle for the Illinois Concrete Contractor — No Standalone State Concrete License; renew each applicable local registration, business filing, permit-related credential, or specialty license on the schedule set by its issuing authority. There is no single statewide renewal fee for this path; local and scope-specific charges vary by authority. There is no statewide concrete credential to renew.

Out-of-State Concrete Contractor Credentials in Illinois

Illinois has no single statewide credential for this path to transfer through NASCLA. An authority may consider an outside license, examination, or experience record only under its own current rules.

There is no statewide concrete reciprocity program identified.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Concrete Contractor license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Step-by-Step Compliance Roadmap

Identify the governing concrete route. Ask the permit-issuing local authority about concrete contractor registration, bonding, permits, and inspections. In Chicago, site-formed concrete that is part of a building or structure needs a Class A or Class C licensed mason contractor.
Use the official application materials. Confirm the current classification, threshold, coverage, entity, fee, and qualifying-party requirements in the cited official materials.
Obtain project approvals. Complete the local permit, plan-review, inspection, and separately regulated-trade requirements before starting work.
Assemble the project-specific file. Keep the classification or registration record, insurance or bond evidence, contract scope, and the documents required by Illinois's permitting authority together before applying for a permit or beginning work.
Keep state authority and project approval aligned. Do not let a broad contractor credential, registration, or specialty label substitute for the actual project permit, plan review, inspection, or separately licensed trade requirement.

Pre-Work Checklist

Before bidding or beginning work, confirm each item below with the authorities that govern the project location and scope:

Match the actual concrete scope, project type, and value to the cited state or local route
Complete the current business, registration, classification, bond, insurance, or qualifying-party requirements that apply
Confirm local permits, plans, inspections, and any separately regulated work before bidding
Project scope, value, and work location matched to the actual state route
Permit, inspection, zoning, right-of-way, and separately regulated-trade requirements confirmed

Common Compliance Mistakes

The issues below are the most likely to create an unlicensed-work, registration, permit, or scope problem for Illinois Concrete Contractor work, based on the official sources cited on this page.

Using a different contractor classification

Concrete, paving, and broader contractor classifications can have different scopes. Use the official scope for the actual work.

Skipping the local project authority

State registration or a state classification does not replace local permits, inspections, or project-specific approval requirements.

Bidding outside the actual concrete scope

A classification, registration, or exemption must match the particular concrete scope and project facts; it is not blanket authority for unrelated or separately regulated work.

Official References and Preparation Materials

These references are cited in the Illinois sources for this guide or commonly used to prepare for concrete work; CLR receives no compensation for listing them.

Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act — Illinois local building and contractor authorities. Use this primary source to confirm the current concrete route and project-specific requirements.
Illinois Municipal Code — Mason Contractor Provisions — Illinois local building and contractor authorities. Use this primary source to confirm the current concrete route and project-specific requirements.
Chicago Department of Buildings — Mason Contractor License — Illinois local building and contractor authorities. Use this primary source to confirm the current concrete route and project-specific requirements.

Concrete Contractor Pay and Employment in Illinois

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 5,890 cement masons and concrete finishers work in Illinois, earning a median of $78,170 a year ($37.58 an hour). That is 37% above the national median of $57,020, ranking 3rd of 51 jurisdictions BLS published. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $49,050 and the top 10% earn over $107,670. The trade makes up a smaller share of Illinois's workforce than it does nationally (location quotient 0.73).

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers wages, Illinois compared with the United States, May 2025
Measure	Illinois	United States
Median annual wage	$78,170	$57,020
Median hourly wage	$37.58	$27.41
10th–90th percentile	$49,050–$107,670	$39,190–$85,480
Employment	5,890	206,170

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 47-2051 (Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers). Figures cover wage and salary employees and exclude self-employed owners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Illinois have a separate concrete contractor license?

What route applies to this concrete project?

Ask the permit-issuing local authority about concrete contractor registration, bonding, permits, and inspections. In Chicago, site-formed concrete that is part of a building or structure needs a Class A or Class C licensed mason contractor.

Do permits still matter?

Yes. Confirm the project jurisdiction’s permit, plan-review, inspection, and separately regulated-trade requirements.

Does the statewide route replace local concrete permits or approvals?

No. The statewide route described here is separate from the permit, inspection, zoning, right-of-way, and project-specific contractor requirements set by Illinois's permitting authority.

Do any Illinois cities license concrete contractors?

Yes. City of Chicago, City of Evanston and City of Peoria each set a local license, registration, or bonding requirement that covers concrete work. Other cities and counties set their own rules, so check the jurisdiction where the work is located.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-08 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-07

Report a correction to this guide

Corrections and updates

2026-10-26: The page said only that the Illinois Municipal Code’s mason-contractor provisions should not be assumed to cover concrete work. It now explains that Chicago’s Mason Contractor license (Class A or C) covers site-formed concrete in buildings and structures, but not sidewalks, paving, or small slab-on-grade foundations (Chicago Department of Buildings).

Layout changes shared by every guide are listed in the template change log; they do not change source-check dates.

Concrete Contractor Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Illinois's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before bidding or beginning work:

Indiana Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Indiana Concrete Contractor — No Standalone State Concrete License
Iowa Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Iowa Concrete Contractor — Statewide Registration / No Separate Concrete Classification
Kentucky Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Kentucky Concrete Contractor — No Standalone State Concrete License
Missouri Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Missouri Concrete Contractor — No Standalone State Concrete License
Wisconsin Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Wisconsin Concrete Contractor — Dwelling Contractor / Local Framework

More guides for Illinois contractors

Other Illinois Trade Licenses

CLR also publishes these Illinois licensing guides for other trades: