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Questions to ask before you hire an electrician in Chicago

A two-flat in Logan Square that still runs on a fuse box, a bungalow in Portage Park getting a garage EV charger, or a greystone in Bronzeville where a summer storm ripped the service mast off the back wall — Chicago electrical work runs on rules that differ from most of the country. Illinois doesn’t license electricians statewide; inside city limits, the Chicago Department of Buildings licenses electrical contractors and the supervising electricians who run their work, and only those licensed contractors may do electrical installations — not homeowners. Chicago also writes its own electrical code, which still bars the nonmetallic-sheathed cable used across most of the country for nearly all new wiring, and ComEd won’t release a new or upgraded service until the City permit, inspection, and ComEd’s own requirements are complete. Use these questions to compare Chicago electricians on verified licenses, permit practice, and a written scope — not just who can come out today.

Questions to ask

1. What is your City of Chicago electrical contractor license number, and who is your supervising electrician?

Why it matters: The State of Illinois does not license electricians or electrical contractors (electrical work isn’t among the professions on the state’s IDFPR regulated-professions list), so licensing is local. Inside the city, the Department of Buildings says a City of Chicago electrical contractor license is required to install, alter, or maintain any wiring or equipment regulated by the Chicago Electrical Code — whether or not the job needs a permit. The license is issued to a business that employs at least one licensed supervising electrician, and the supervising electrician must either perform or supervise and direct all of the contractor’s electrical work. The license comes in two types: “general,” which covers any type of electrical work, and “low voltage,” which is limited to signaling, power-limited, and communications circuits — so a low-voltage contractor shouldn’t be wiring your panel or a new circuit. Licenses are valid for one year, and a contractor license is automatically inactivated if no valid supervising electrician license is associated with it. Look the company up on the Department of Buildings contractor license lookup, which shows currently licensed trade contractors and those with recently expired or inactivated licenses, and confirm the license is the general type. If you live in a suburb such as Evanston, Oak Park, Skokie, or Cicero, electrical licensing and registration are set by your own municipality, so check with your village or city instead.

2. Who will actually be working in my home — your own employees, or someone else — and how does the supervising electrician oversee them?

Why it matters: Chicago’s electrical contractor license authorizes work by the licensed business and its employees working under a licensed supervising electrician. The City defines employees as people the business treats as employees for unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, and income tax purposes, and says the license does not authorize electrical work by individuals paid as independent contractors. If another company’s workers will do electrical work on your job, that company must also be a licensed electrical contractor and be listed on the permit. A supervising electrician must be at least 21, have at least two years of supervised electrical experience, and pass the City’s written exam, and one supervising electrician may not be the primary supervising electrician for more than one licensed contractor (supervising electrician license). Most single-family and two-flat work is what the City calls Class 2 electrical work, which must be done under the supervision of the contractor’s supervising electrician. Ask who the supervising electrician is, whether that person will visit the job, who leads the crew day to day, and whether everyone on site is a W-2 employee of the licensed company.

3. Will you get the City of Chicago electrical permit before starting, which permit type will you use, and how will inspections be scheduled?

Why it matters: Chicago doesn’t allow do-it-yourself electrical work. The Department of Buildings’ Electrical Inspections page answers “Can owners do their own electrical work?” with “No” — only electrical contractors licensed by the City may perform electrical installations, and permit applications must list the licensed contractor doing the work. Many common stand-alone jobs can be permitted through the City’s Express Permit Program for electrical work, which has subtypes for repairing or altering devices on existing circuits, adding circuits to an existing panel, and a new service or panel, plus specialized subtypes such as generators. Under the program’s general terms, the owner (or an authorized tenant) can be the main applicant, but every contractor doing electrical work must be licensed by the City and listed as an additional applicant; the permit covers only the work described in it, is valid only for the owner and contractors listed, and can’t be transferred to a new contractor; and work must begin and an inspection must be requested within 365 days, with the required inspections listed on the permit certificate. A few things don’t need a permit at all, such as replacing a light bulb, plugging in cord-and-plug equipment, or installing low-voltage devices like a doorbell or thermostat (permit not required: electrical work), but anything that adds or changes line-voltage wiring generally does. Ask the contractor to state in writing which permit they will pull, which inspections the permit requires, who requests and attends them, and whether permit and inspection fees are in the price. A contractor who offers to “skip the permit” is asking you to own the risk.

4. Are you working to the Chicago Electrical Code, and which wiring method will you use?

Why it matters: Chicago writes its own electrical code rather than adopting the newest national edition. The Department of Buildings’ code modernization page says the current Chicago Electrical Code was adopted in September 2017 and became mandatory March 1, 2018, and Title 14E of the Municipal Code still adopts the 2017 National Electrical Code with Chicago amendments. The City’s Phase 3 code update adopted June 17, 2026 replaced the mechanical, fuel gas, and energy codes, not the electrical code (Code Memorandum 2026-001). The best-known Chicago difference is wiring method: under the City’s version of Article 334 (§14E-3-334), nonmetallic-sheathed cable (often called Romex) is allowed only for temporary wiring and for limited extensions to knob-and-tube circuits in existing homes in buildings of three stories or less — so ordinary new circuits are run in metal conduit or another wiring method the code allows. Chicago’s arc-fault rule is tied to that choice: the City’s version of §14E-2-210 requires combination AFCI protection for 120-volt, 15- and 20-amp dwelling circuits, but lets AFCI protection be omitted for the portion of a circuit run in metal conduit or tubing with metal boxes, and for modified or extended circuits also in AC or MC cable. Ask which wiring method and protection devices the quote assumes, and be wary of a low bid built on cable the code doesn’t allow. Suburbs adopt their own codes and editions, so if you’re outside the city, ask which one your town enforces.

5. For my two-flat, bungalow, or older home, how will you evaluate the existing wiring, fuses, and service before quoting?

Why it matters: Chicago has a special article for remodeling and repairs in existing homes in buildings up to four stories (§14E-5-570), which covers much of the city’s housing stock of bungalows, two-flats, three-flats, and greystones. When work covers less than 60 percent of the building, unit, or electrical system, it requires all work to be done by an electrical contractor with a permit pulled before work starts; requires any existing service being altered, remodeled, or repaired to supply at least 60 amperes for each dwelling unit; requires plug fuses, where used, to be “Type S”; and requires GFCI protection for receptacles in bathrooms, garages, at countertops, in unfinished basements, and outdoors. It also allows short flexible metal conduit or MC cable extensions (up to 25 feet, from an existing outlet to up to two new outlets) so walls don’t always have to be opened. The City’s electrical permit instructions add that an electrical contractor may not connect to existing wiring that is defective or unsafe, that a contractor adding load is responsible for any overload, and that electrical meters must match the property’s legal number of dwelling units — worth knowing if a building has an unpermitted extra unit. Ask what the contractor will check (service size, panel or fuse box condition, grounding, knob-and-tube or old cloth wiring, metering), whether they recommend repair, partial rewire, or a service upgrade and why, and require a stop-and-call process before any extra work begins.

6. If the job involves my service or meter, how will you coordinate with ComEd, and what has to happen before my power comes back on?

Why it matters: ComEd’s Blue Book for installing or revising electric service says to apply through ComEd’s New Business portal, that customers within the City of Chicago must have a City of Chicago permit number, and that before ComEd can schedule the work you must obtain permits and complete the required inspections, notify your ComEd project manager when the final inspection is complete, and have an approved ComEd inspection in addition to City requirements. ComEd releases the service connection when the electrician’s work is complete and project requirements are met. The Blue Book’s FAQ also says meters and service connections may not be disconnected, removed, or relocated without ComEd’s authorization, that ComEd’s tariff doesn’t allow customers to tamper with its metering and service equipment (even to “temp out” a service while waiting), and that ring-style meter fittings aren’t approved. Ask who files the ComEd application and when, which inspections must pass first, how long the house will be without power, and whether the schedule allows for ComEd’s timeline as well as the City’s. A service replacement or upgrade is covered by the “new service or panel” Express Permit subtype (Express Permit Program: electrical work), which requires photos of existing conditions, and a new service of 400 amps or more needs electrical drawings with load calculations.

7. If I want an EV charger, are you an Illinois-certified EV charging station installer, and will you do a load calculation before I buy one?

Why it matters: Illinois requires certification from the Illinois Commerce Commission for people and companies that install, maintain, or repair EV charging stations (ICC Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installer, 83 Ill. Adm. Code 469), and the ICC publishes a list of certified installers. In Chicago, the Express Permit Program lets a new circuit for an EV charging station be added to an existing panel under the “add circuits” subtype — and if the work includes installing EV supply equipment, the installer’s ICC certification number must be on the permit application. So the contractor you hire for a charger should hold both a Chicago electrical contractor license and the ICC certification. Ask for a written load calculation on your existing panel and service before you buy a charger, which circuit and charger amperage they recommend, where the conduit will run, and whether a panel or service upgrade is needed. ComEd’s Blue Book notes that solar or EV projects can require relocating or upgrading the meter fitting because clearance rules must be brought up to current standards when an existing meter fitting is worked on, so ask whether that’s likely at your house. In a condo building, Express Permit applications need a letter from the condominium association approving the work.

8. For a standby generator, solar panels, or a home battery, which City permits and ComEd approvals are required, and who handles them?

Why it matters: A new or replacement permanent generator has its own Express Permit subtype, which covers work on the associated transfer equipment and requires an electrical drawing with a single-line diagram and load calculations plus photos of existing conditions (Express Permit Program: electrical work). Rooftop solar uses a separate small-scale solar PV Express Permit, which is limited to systems with an inverter output of 13.44 kW or less and associated energy storage up to 20 kWh (10 kWh for some battery types); it requires drawings by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer, an electrical drawing signed by a Chicago-licensed supervising electrician or Illinois-licensed design professional, a licensed general contractor (or, in some cases, the owner acting as general contractor) and a licensed electrical contractor, and an ICC Distributed Generation Installer certification. Anything that will run in parallel with the grid also needs ComEd’s approval: ComEd’s DER interconnection requirements strongly recommend not buying or building anything until the interconnection review is complete and you have conditional approval or an interconnection agreement, require written authorization from ComEd before the system operates in parallel with the grid, and require proof of the local electrical inspection for the certificate of completion. Ask who sizes the generator, battery, or transfer equipment to your real loads, who files each City permit and the ComEd application, who runs and permits any gas line, and where the equipment will sit relative to windows, lot lines, and neighbors.

9. After a storm or fire damages my service, which repairs are mine, and how will you get the power restored legally?

Why it matters: ComEd’s “Know who is responsible” guide (posted by the City of Evanston) says ComEd owns the service wire and the meter, while the customer is responsible for the attachment point on the house, the weather head and drip loop, the riser or conduit to the meter, and the meter enclosure. If a limb tears those off, you need a licensed electrician to repair them — and because meters and service connections can’t be removed or reconnected without ComEd’s authorization (see question 6), ask how the contractor will coordinate the permit, inspection, and ComEd release. For fire damage in Chicago, the Department of Buildings must assess the damage and document it on a “Tax and Demolition Form” before you apply for the permit (Express Permit Program: electrical work). Illinois’ Home Repair and Remodeling Act (Section 18) adds protections for insurance-paid repairs: a contractor may not offer to pay or rebate your insurance deductible, may not file a claim with your insurer on your behalf, and you can cancel an insurance-funded contract within set deadlines if your insurer says the work isn’t covered. Ask the contractor to document damage with photos for your claim, and be cautious with door-to-door crews after a storm.

10. Will we have a written contract that meets Illinois law, and will you give me a sworn statement and lien waivers before I pay?

Why it matters: Electrical wiring is expressly covered by Illinois’ Home Repair and Remodeling Act. For jobs above the Act’s dollar threshold, the contractor must give you a written contract or work order before starting that states the total cost, lists parts and materials with reasonable particularity, and gives the business name and address. The contractor must also give you the “Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights” pamphlet (with a signed acknowledgment form on larger contracts), must point out any binding-arbitration or jury-waiver clause and let you accept or reject each one, and must carry liability and property-damage insurance unless it meets a net-worth exception. The pamphlet notes a three-business-day right to cancel when a contract is sold at your home, and the Act gives buyers 65 and older 15 business days to cancel a contract from an uninvited solicitor made at their home. The Illinois Attorney General’s Home Repair and Construction: Know Your Rights recommends a contract with timing, a payment schedule, and grounds for termination. Lien protection matters too: under the Mechanics Lien Act, the contractor must give you a written sworn statement listing everyone furnishing labor or materials and what each is owed before you make any payment, and for an owner-occupied single-family home must give a printed notice of that requirement before your first payment (770 ILCS 60/5); subcontractors and suppliers can serve their own notice of a claim up to 90 days after finishing their work (770 ILCS 60/24). Ask for a sworn statement with each payment and lien waivers from the contractor and its suppliers, and talk to an Illinois attorney about a large contract or a lien notice.

11. What does the written estimate include, how do you handle after-hours calls, and can you give me recent Chicago references?

Why it matters: “Fix the outlets” is not a scope. A good quote lists the circuits affected, breaker or fuse sizes, the wiring method (conduit type, or where flexible metal conduit or MC cable is allowed), device types (AFCI or GFCI breakers or receptacles), any panel, service, or meter work, the permit type and inspection fees, ComEd coordination, patching (or not) of plaster and drywall, debris disposal, and cleanup, plus the labor warranty in writing separate from the manufacturer’s warranty. The Home Repair and Remodeling Act’s consumer pamphlet tells homeowners to get all estimates in writing, ask for references, avoid high-pressure sales tactics, and not make final payment until the work is done to your satisfaction. Ask what after-hours, weekend, or no-heat-season emergency rates apply and what the minimum call-out fee is. Then ask for two or three recent local references for similar jobs — ideally a similar building type and neighborhood (a two-flat service upgrade, a bungalow rewire, a garage EV circuit, a generator hookup). References tell you about punctuality, permit follow-through, cleanup, and whether the work passed inspection the first time.

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