Questions to ask before you hire a painter in Chicago

1. Do you hold a current City of Chicago Home Repair license (or a Chicago general contractor license), and is the license number on your estimate?

Why it matters: We found no Illinois state license for painting contractors: the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s list of the professions it licenses includes roofing contractors but not painters (IDFPR: Professions regulated). The City of Chicago is different. Its Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) says a Home Repair business license is required to engage in the business of fixing, replacing, altering, converting, modernizing, improving, or making an addition to any property primarily designed or used as a residence; a business holding a Chicago general contractor license doesn’t also need one, Home Repair licensees may not pull building permits, and a general contractor license is required instead if the work needs a building permit (City of Chicago BACP: Home Repair license). BACP’s page doesn’t name painting in so many words, but repainting is hard to separate from “fixing” or “improving” a home, so treat a Home Repair (or general contractor) license as the baseline for a Chicago painting company and ask BACP if a painter tells you otherwise.

Licensees must print or display their name and license number on the front page of contracts or estimates, in ads, and on their vehicles (City of Chicago BACP: Home Repair license). You can search current City business licenses by business name or address on the City’s Business Licenses – Current Active data set, and look up general contractors on the City’s licensed contractors lookup. Make sure the licensed name, the insurance certificates, and the contract name the same legal entity. If you live in a suburb or unincorporated Cook County, check your own village or county licensing instead.

2. Can I see current certificates for general liability insurance and workers’ compensation, and may I check them myself?

Why it matters: Illinois’ Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires anyone in the business of home repair and remodeling to carry public liability and property damage insurance (815 ILCS 513/25), and Chicago’s Home Repair license requires a certificate of insurance at application and commercial general liability coverage for home repair activities while operating (City of Chicago BACP: Home Repair license). On workers’ compensation, Illinois law applies automatically, without election, to employers engaged in the erection, maintaining, removing, remodeling, altering, or demolishing of any structure, which the statute declares extra-hazardous (820 ILCS 305/3). You can check whether a company has a workers’ compensation policy on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission’s Employer Insurance Coverage Search (IWCC: Insurance coverage). Ask for certificates sent directly from the insurance agent, check that the named insured matches your contract, and ask who will actually be on your ladders — the company’s own employees or subcontractors, and whose policy covers them.

3. Was my home built before 1978, and if so, is your firm EPA lead-safe certified, and will you file the City’s lead-safe renovation statement?

Why it matters: The federal Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule covers paid work in pre-1978 homes that disturbs more than six square feet of painted surface per room inside or more than 20 square feet on the exterior, plus window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces (EPA: RRP rule frequently asked questions; EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program). Illinois is not on EPA’s list of states authorized to run their own RRP program, so firms working in Illinois apply to EPA for firm certification (EPA: RRP firm certification (authorized-state list)), and you can look one up with EPA’s certified-firm search. The Illinois Department of Public Health separately licenses lead abatement contractors, supervisors, inspectors, and risk assessors (IDPH: Illinois Lead Program information for contractors) — abatement is a different job from an RRP painting project, so ask which credential applies to your work. Before work starts, the painter should give you EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet.

Chicago adds its own step. The Municipal Code says no RRP-regulated renovation may be started in the city unless the applicant submits and complies with a sworn statement, on the City’s form, that the workers are trained, the renovators and firm are certified, and federal lead-safe work practices will be followed (Chicago Municipal Code §11-4-2170(h)). The Department of Buildings’ guidance for work that doesn’t need a building permit says you may be required to file this Lead-based Paint Renovation, Repair, and Painting form before beginning work involving lead-based paint (Chicago DOB: What types of work do not require a building permit?), and since May 2026 the City’s Department of Environment, not the health department, handles these environmental filings (Chicago Department of Environment: Permitting overview, including Form LRRP). The code speaks of “the applicant,” so it isn’t spelled out how the filing works for a painting job with no building permit — ask your painter whether they will file the form for your job and get the answer in writing. Federal rules prohibit open-flame burning or torching of painted surfaces, prohibit high-speed sanding, grinding, planing, needle guns, or abrasive blasting of painted surfaces unless the machine has a shroud or containment and a HEPA vacuum attachment, and allow heat guns only below 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 CFR §745.85); Chicago’s lead code also bars removing lead-bearing substances in a way that increases anyone’s exposure, and requires safe removal of flakes, chips, dust, and debris (Chicago Municipal Code §7-4-110).

4. How will you strip and prep old paint — and if that means sandblasting, grinding, or chemical stripping on the outside of the building, who gets the City permit?

Why it matters: Chicago requires a separate Department of Environment permit before anyone sandblasts, grinds, or chemically washes a building or other architectural surface; the Code’s definition of chemical washing includes using chemicals to lift, peel, or remove paint, and the owner signs the application as a co-permittee with the contractor (Chicago Municipal Code §11-4-2190; definitions in §11-4-2150). If the surface is painted, a state-licensed lead inspector must take samples containing every paint layer for lab testing; if the paint contains more than five-tenths of one percent lead by weight, a state-licensed lead assessor must prepare a dust minimization plan; occupants must get written notice at least 48 hours ahead, and for buildings of four stories or less, so must neighboring buildings within a 75-foot radius; and dust, debris, and wash water must be removed daily and taken to a licensed facility (§11-4-2190(b)–(g)). The Code makes owners jointly and severally liable with their contractors for violations of these rules (§11-4-2200(b)), so this isn’t only the painter’s problem.

For ordinary renovation work, the Code also requires adequate wetting to control dust, debris lowered in containers or chutes rather than thrown, covered loads, and daily cleanup of dust and debris from adjacent streets, sidewalks, and alleys (§11-4-2170(b)). Get the stripping method, any permit, containment, ground covering, and chip and wash-water collection written into the scope — and say no to dry power-sanding or blasting of old paint without the controls above.

5. Does any part of my job need a City of Chicago building permit or a public-way permit?

Why it matters: Interior painting doesn’t: Chicago’s Construction Codes exempt painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, and similar interior finish work without plumbing or electrical connections from permits (Chicago Municipal Code §14A-4-402.1). The Department of Buildings also says no building permit is needed to paint or power wash a porch, deck, or balcony on any building, or to maintain an existing fence by painting it (Chicago DOB: Porches, decks, and balconies; Chicago DOB: Full list). Neither the code’s list nor the DOB list we reviewed names repainting a house’s exterior walls or trim specifically, although the code also exempts repairs that don’t cut into walls, floors, or roofs, alter structural members or exits, or touch mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or gas systems (§14A-4-402.2). Work done without a permit must still meet the Chicago Construction Codes.

Watch the add-ons. If the job grows into carpentry, window replacement, or other work that needs a building permit, Chicago generally requires a licensed general contractor (Chicago DOB: Does my project require a licensed general contractor?; Chicago DOB: General contractor licenses), and a Home Repair licensee can’t pull the permit. Putting scaffolding or storing materials on a street, alley, sidewalk, or parkway needs a separate Chicago Department of Transportation permit (Chicago DOB: Full list, Use of the Public Way; CDOT Permits). Outside City limits, your own village or county rules apply. Ask the painter to state in writing whether any permit is needed and who will get it.

6. Is my house a Chicago Landmark or in a landmark district — and does that change anything about painting it?

Why it matters: City sources don’t line up neatly here. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks’ owner Q&A says routine maintenance such as painting and minor repairs doesn’t require a building permit (Chicago Landmarks: Owner Q&A), and the Commission’s published rehabilitation guidelines say that because a permit isn’t required, painting and paint color don’t fall within the Commission’s jurisdiction (Commission on Chicago Landmarks: Guidelines for alterations to historic buildings (2010 edition, PDF)). But the Construction Codes’ permit-exemption list ends with an exception — a permit is required for any work that affects the exterior or designated interior elements of a Chicago Landmark (Chicago Municipal Code §14A-4-402.1) — and the Department of Buildings says its no-permit exceptions may not apply to proposed or designated landmarks or landmark districts (Chicago DOB: Full list, Historic Buildings). The Department of Planning and Development’s Historic Preservation Division reviews permits for landmark properties and offers pre-permit review (Chicago DPD: Landmark permit review; Chicago DPD: Historic Preservation).

If your property is a landmark or in a district, ask the Historic Preservation Division in writing whether your exterior repainting needs a permit or review, and keep the answer. Whatever the answer, the Commission’s guidelines are blunt about masonry: masonry buildings should not be painted, because paint seals the porous material, traps moisture, and commits you to repainting; wood and most metals should be kept well painted; matching original colors found through paint analysis is preferred; and sandblasting or other abrasive methods to remove paint are not allowed on landmark buildings (Commission on Chicago Landmarks guidelines (PDF)). Don’t let anyone paint unpainted brick or stone on a landmark property until the City confirms it’s acceptable.

7. Exactly which products will you use — brand, product line, sheen, primer, and number of coats — and will you give me the product data sheets?

Why it matters: “Good paint” isn’t a specification. Illinois limits the volatile organic material (VOC) content of architectural coatings manufactured on or after July 1, 2009 and sold or applied in the state, and the rule applies to anyone who applies or solicits the application of those coatings: a painter may not thin a coating so that it exceeds the limit, and containers of thinning and cleanup solvents must be kept closed when not in use (35 Ill. Adm. Code 223.310). Manufacturers must print a thinning recommendation and the VOC content on the label (35 Ill. Adm. Code 223.320), and federal VOC standards apply to architectural coatings nationwide (40 CFR Part 59, Subpart D; 40 CFR §59.400). So ask for the manufacturer, product line, sheen, color, primer, and coat count for each surface, plus the data sheet — and a painter who won’t name the product or plans to thin it past the label is a red flag. Ask what they recommend for Chicago’s freeze-thaw winters on exterior wood, window sills, and porches, and get in writing who buys the paint and whether it’s in the price.

8. Is the estimate based on a site visit, does it itemize the work, and will you get my approval before charging more?

Why it matters: The Illinois Attorney General says to get more than one estimate, in writing, and to be wary of high-pressure tactics and prices that seem too good to be true (Illinois Attorney General: Avoid home repair fraud). Chicago’s Home Repair license rules go further: the licensee must prepare a written estimate before doing any work, including the total cost of parts, labor, incidental services, and any estimate charge, give you a signed copy before starting, get your approval before doing anything that would push charges past the estimate, and give you a detailed written invoice when the job is done; the City says it’s illegal to make you pay more than the estimate for extra costs you didn’t approve in advance (City of Chicago BACP: Home Repair license). An itemized, visit-based estimate should list each room or exterior side, what will be washed, scraped, patched, caulked, and primed, how floors, furniture, and plantings will be protected, and who handles any rotted wood. For exterior work, ask how the painter schedules around cold, damp spring and fall weather and follows the paint label’s minimum temperature for application, and put weather-delay language in the contract.

9. Will you give me a written contract and the “Know Your Consumer Rights” pamphlet — and if you came to my door, what are my cancellation rights?

Why it matters: Illinois’ Home Repair and Remodeling Act covers fixing, altering, improving, or modernizing a residence of six or fewer units; painting isn’t named in its list of examples, but nothing in the Act carves it out either (815 ILCS 513/10). For jobs above the Act’s minimum amount, the contractor must give you, before work starts, a written contract or work order with the total cost, the parts and materials listed with reasonable particularity, any estimate charge, and the business name and address (815 ILCS 513/15). The contractor must give you the state’s “Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights” pamphlet, with a signed acknowledgment form on larger jobs (815 ILCS 513/20; Illinois Attorney General: Know Your Consumer Rights pamphlet (PDF)), and must point out any binding-arbitration or jury-waiver clause and let you accept or reject each one (815 ILCS 513/15.1). The pamphlet lists basic contract terms: the contractor’s full name, address, and phone number, a description of the work, start and estimated completion dates, total cost, and the payment schedule.

If a contract is signed at your home, Illinois generally gives you three business days to cancel, and the contractor can’t take that right away by starting work (Illinois Attorney General: Avoid home repair fraud; Illinois Attorney General: Three-day right to cancel home repair (PDF)); the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule requires a cancellation notice for covered sales made at your home (16 CFR §429.1). If you’re 65 or older and the contract came from an uninvited solicitor at your home, you have 15 full business days to cancel (815 ILCS 513/22). Make sure the contract names the exact products, sheens, and colors, the prep and lead-safe steps, cleanup and disposal, and that every change is priced and signed before the work happens.

10. When are payments due, and will you give me a sworn statement and lien waivers before I pay?

Why it matters: Illinois’ Mechanics Lien Act makes it the contractor’s duty to give, and the owner’s duty to require, a sworn statement listing everyone furnishing labor or materials and the amounts due to each before any payment, and for an owner-occupied single-family home the contractor must give you a boldface notice of that requirement before your first payment (770 ILCS 60/5). Subcontractors and suppliers can serve you notice of a claim within 90 days after finishing their part (770 ILCS 60/24), and a contractor must record its lien claim or sue within 4 months after completion to enforce it against other creditors or buyers, with up to 2 years to file as to the owner; on an owner-occupied single-family home, it must notify you in writing within 10 days after recording a lien (770 ILCS 60/7). That means a paint store or sub your painter doesn’t pay can still reach your house. The consumer-rights pamphlet tells you to demand the sworn statement before paying, get lien waivers from contractors and subcontractors where appropriate, and not sign a certificate of completion or make final payment until the work is done to your satisfaction (815 ILCS 513/20). The Attorney General warns against contractors who demand cash, full payment before the job is done, or a check payable to a third party (Illinois Attorney General: Avoid home repair fraud). Pay the licensed company named in the contract by check or card.

11. What does your warranty cover, and who handles cleanup and leftover paint?

Why it matters: Peeling, blistering, and failed caulk usually trace back to prep or product choice, so ask what the workmanship warranty covers, how long it lasts, and how to make a claim, and get it in writing with any manufacturer warranty — the consumer-rights pamphlet tells you to find out whether the contractor will guarantee the work and products (815 ILCS 513/20). Ask for a finish schedule listing every color, sheen, and brand, plus a labeled can of each color for touch-ups.

Leftover paint is easier to handle in Illinois than it used to be. Under the state’s paint stewardship law, PaintCare began a statewide program in December 2025; its drop-off sites, mostly paint and hardware stores plus some local government facilities, accept latex and oil-based house paint, primers, stains, sealers, and varnishes from households and businesses at no charge at drop-off, in the original labeled container (PaintCare: Illinois program; PaintCare: Statewide paint recycling program debuts in Illinois). The City’s Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility at 1150 N. North Branch Street takes oil-based paints, aerosol paints, and paint thinners from residents, but not latex paint or business waste (City of Chicago: Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility). The City’s latex-paint advice — dry it out with kitty litter or sawdust and throw it away — doesn’t mention PaintCare (City of Chicago: How to dispose of latex paint), so check PaintCare’s site locator for a nearby drop-off first. Your contract should say the painter removes unusable paint, debris, and scraped chips and disposes of them lawfully — not in your garbage cart, the alley, or a storm drain.