Chicago Low Voltage Supervising Electrician License: Requirements and How to Apply

Chicago Low Voltage Supervising Electrician License: Requirements and How to Apply

Illinois has no state electrician license, so electricians are licensed by their city or village. In Chicago, every licensed electrical contractor must be owned by or employ at least one licensed supervising electrician, and a contractor that only does low-voltage work can qualify through a supervising electrician who passed the Low Voltage exam. Everything below comes from the Chicago Department of Buildings, Chapter 4-292 of the Municipal Code and Continental Testing Services (CTS), which gives the exam.

What a low voltage license covers

A supervising electrician's license type follows the exam they passed, and an electrical contractor's license type follows its supervising electrician's. Chicago gives two exams:

Both need 70 to pass. A low voltage contractor and its employees may only do the work in the last column; anything else, such as branch circuits, services or feeders, needs a General license. If you expect to do both, take the General exam. Before 2018 the city offered other specialties; those are no longer given.

Who can apply

The eligibility rules are the same for both exams. Under Section 4-292-020 and the Department of Buildings page, you must:

• Be at least 21 years old.
• Have at least two years of experience installing, altering, repairing and maintaining electrical wires, equipment and apparatus, or equivalent experience, under the direct supervision of a supervising electrician or equivalent person.
• Have that experience verified by letters from your supervisors. CTS's application asks for a letter on company letterhead from your Chicago-licensed supervising electrician. If you worked in a place that does not license electrical contractors, there is a separate route using a verification letter from that jurisdiction and a work history; ask CTS which applies to you.

There is no education or apprenticeship requirement for the exam itself.

How to apply

1. Apply through Continental Testing Services for the Low Voltage exam on the next exam date. CTS processes supervising electrician applications and gives the exams for the Department of Buildings.
2. Pay the exam fee, $150 per attempt.
3. Sit the paper exam in Chicago on your scheduled date. See what to expect on exam day.
4. If you pass, CTS sends a pass notice and an application for licensure. Pay the $150 license fee to the Department of Buildings.

Exam dates

CTS gives the exams about three times a year. The dates CTS lists ahead are:

There are no make-up exams and no refunds. If you miss a date, register for the next one.

Fees (calendar year 2026)

The Department of Buildings posts fees by calendar year, so check its page for 2027 amounts.

If you fail

You must wait six months before applying to retake the exam (4-292-020(d)). Each attempt costs the exam fee again.

Renewal

• The license runs one year from issue or renewal and is renewed through the Department of Buildings portal for $150.
• A license expired three years or more cannot be renewed; you apply for a new one.
• If you have not acted as a supervising electrician in the city, or pulled a permit, for three continuous years, you must pass the exam again (4-292-070).
• Neither Chapter 4-292 nor the Department of Buildings page lists a continuing education requirement.

Practice for the exam

The exam is open book on the 2018 Chicago Electrical Code: the 2017 NEC with Chicago's Title 14E amendments. It covers every NEC chapter, not only the low-voltage articles. See what is on the exam, then try our free, untimed Chicago Low Voltage Supervising Electrician sample test. Every question cites the 2017 NEC, Title 14E, Municipal Code or OSHA section it comes from, and where Chicago changes a rule, the question follows Chicago.