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Exterior Painting Cost in Illinois (2026)

Repainting a 1,500 sq ft home in Illinois typically runs $4,200–$11,200, with wood lap or shake siding the dominant residential substrate driving prep scope. Illinois's pre-1978 housing-stock concentration in Chicago's bungalow belt, Rockford, Peoria, and the East St. Louis corridor combined with the state's IL DPH Lead Abatement Contractor license requirement triggers the lead-safe certified work requirement on the majority of urban Illinois residential repaint scope — and Chicago's 90+ annual freeze-thaw cycles drive caulk-and-recaulk on every wood-lap repaint with ice-melt salt-rinse prep on every grade-level wood-trim repaint to neutralize chloride contamination from city snow operations.

State Illinois
Cities Covered 40
Typical 1,500 sq ft single-story exterior repaint $4,200 – $11,200
BLS painter wage $32.46/hr

Illinois climate & coatings drivers

  • IECC climate zone: 5A
  • Dominant residential substrate: Wood lap or shake — dominant pre-1990 substrate, drives full prep + caulk + prime + 2-coat
  • Annual humidity tier: Moderate — typical continental humidity, standard topcoat formulations adequate
  • UV exposure: Moderate — typical continental UV, standard binder packages adequate
  • Salt-air corrosion zone: No salt-air corrosion exposure (interior continental)
  • Freeze-thaw cycling: Very high — 100+ annual freeze-thaw cycles drive caulk-and-recaulk on every repaint
  • VOC architectural coatings rule: OTC Phase II — 100 g/L flat exterior topcoat limit (Northeast/Mid-Atlantic)

Illinois licensing, lead-safe & permits

  • License status: No statewide license — municipal credentials only
  • License board: No statewide painting license — Chicago Department of Buildings issues municipal credentials; IL DPH Lead Abatement Contractor for pre-1978 work (official site)
  • Permit: no permit required for repaint; Chicago Class B General Contractor registration required for any city residential repaint contract above $5,000

How exterior repaint costs vary in Illinois

State-specific code or insurance rule: Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act (410 ILCS 45) imposes one of the most restrictive lead-safe regimes in the country — every Illinois residential painting contractor disturbing more than 2 square feet of pre-1978 painted surface must hold an Illinois Department of Public Health Lead Abatement Contractor license with the lead-safe Worker credential additionally required on every crew member, lowering the EPA RRP federal trigger threshold by half and adding $500-1,500 to typical pre-1978 Chicago, Rockford, and Peoria residential repaint scope.

Cities in Illinois

Compare exterior repaint pricing for 40 cities across Illinois.

Arlington Heights, IL

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Aurora, IL

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Bartlett, IL

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Belleville, IL

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Berwyn, IL

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Bloomington, IL

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Bolingbrook, IL

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Buffalo Grove, IL

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Champaign, IL

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Chicago, IL

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Cicero, IL

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Decatur, IL

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Dekalb, IL

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Des Plaines, IL

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Downers Grove, IL

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Elgin, IL

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Elmhurst, IL

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Evanston, IL

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Glenview, IL

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Hoffman Estates, IL

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Joliet, IL

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Lombard, IL

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Moline, IL

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Mount Prospect, IL

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Naperville, IL

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Normal, IL

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Oak Lawn, IL

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Oak Park, IL

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Orland Park, IL

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Palatine, IL

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Peoria, IL

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Plainfield, IL

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Rockford, IL

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Schaumburg, IL

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Skokie, IL

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Springfield, IL

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Tinley Park, IL

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Urbana, IL

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Waukegan, IL

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Wheaton, IL

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More state guides

Pricing ranges reflect Illinois market labor (BLS OEWS painter (construction & maintenance) mean $32.46/hr) and Woogoro regional cost modeling. For the most localized estimate, see your nearest city page above.