What can a handyman do in Madison, IL?
Illinois has no statewide general contractor license for this work, so local and trade rules decide.
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No license threshold. HRRA Sec. 10: definition excludes 'maintenance, service, or repairs under $500'. Sec. 15: written contract/work order required 'Prior to initiating home repair or remodeling work for over $1,000'. Sec. 20: consumer-rights pamphlet for all contracts; signed acknowledgment only for contracts 'over $1,000' ('$1,000 or under' = pamphlet, no acknowledgment).
What counts toward it: other: no licensing threshold. HRRA contract rules: written contract required for work 'over $1,000' (total cost incl. parts and materials); 'home repair and remodeling' definition excludes 'maintenance, service, or repairs under $500'.
""Home repair and remodeling" means the fixing, replacing, altering, converting, modernizing, improving, or making of an addition to any real property primarily designed or used as a residence other than maintenance, service, or repairs under $500."
What Madison adds
Construction, alteration, repair or maintenance work on homes needs a city building permit from the Building Inspection Department at City Hall. The 2026 fee is $30 for residential work under $1,000 and $60 plus $5 per $1,000 above that; a residential roof permit is $60. No refunds once the application is filed.
Source: cityofmadisonil.com · checked November 14, 2026
Local business license
Depends
- Name: City of Madison Business License
- Applies when: The posted 2021 code (Supp. S-13) requires a license only for named businesses; the city's 2023 application form suggests contractors, including out-of-town ones, are also being licensed. No fee for a general contractor license is stated.
- Trigger: Engaging in a business the city code names as licensed
- Office: Mayor and City Clerk, City Hall, 615 Madison Avenue, (618) 876-6268
"It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to engage in, transact or pursue any business or follow any avocation, make any exhibition, or do any act hereinafter named or specified, within the city, without first having obtained a license to do so"
Source: cityofmadisonil.com · cityofmadisonil.com · checked November 14, 2026
Local contractor or handyman license
Depends
- Name: Electrical Contractor Certificate of Registration (Sec. 127.04); Plumbing contractor registration (Sec. 112.06)
- Applies when: Only electrical and plumbing work; applies to anyone doing that business in the city, wherever based.
- Trigger: Doing business in the city as an electrical contractor or in the business of plumbing
- Office: Mayor (electrical); Plumbing Inspector (plumbing); City Hall, 615 Madison Avenue
- Fee: Electrical $25 per year (no charge if registered in another Illinois city or village); plumbing $2,000 bond renewed every two years
"No person, firm or corporation shall engage in the business of electrical contractor without first having obtained a certificate of registration therefor as is herein required."
Source: cityofmadisonil.com · checked November 14, 2026
Jobs a handyman usually takes
Illinois has no general state license, so everyday jobs like these turn on local rules and trade licenses:
- Mounting TVs, shelves, mirrors and pictures
- Assembling furniture and flat-pack cabinets
- Patching drywall and interior painting
- Caulking, weatherstripping and sealing
- Repairing doors, locks, screens and windows
- Basic carpentry, trim and small repairs
- Pressure washing and gutter cleaning
Trade work in Illinois
Plumbing: IDPH licenses plumbers, plumbing contractors, apprentices, irrigation contractors (225 ILCS 320).
Source: dph.illinois.gov · idfpr.illinois.gov · checked November 2, 2026
When a permit changes the answer
Permits are local; HRRA pamphlet tells homeowners to check with local and county units of government.
Source: ilga.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Nearby places
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice, so confirm with the office named before you take the job.
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