Finding an access control installer in Illinois

In many states, door access sits outside the licensing rules. In Illinois, it’s the reverse. The requirements stem from the state’s 2004 Act, which regulates detectives, alarms, security and locksmiths. Under that law, an alarm system covers electronic access control, video surveillance, burglar alarms and fire alarms.

You’ll find that same wording on the private alarm contractor page from the City of Chicago. That is why a company connecting readers, door strikes or keypads at your site should have a state alarm license. Fire alarm work falls under the same definition, so the state keeps it within one license.

• A private alarm contractor works solo and has no employees.
• When a person or business sends out employees to do the job, that’s a private alarm contractor agency.
• Chicago’s guidance says the agency’s license doesn’t cover workers paid as independent contractors.

You’ll see the qualifications sheet for license 124 from IDFPR calls for 3 years of experience within the 5 years before you apply. This period must be served as a full-time manager with a licensed agency, or at any government or private organization that handles alarm systems.

A degree in electrical engineering or business that takes 4 years replaces 2 years of experience. An approved national certification takes the place of 1 year. Once you pass the exam, at least $1,000,000 in commercial general liability insurance must be shown. All licenses reach their expiration on May 31, and this occurs every 3 years.

A state alarm contractor can appear on Chicago city permits for alarm work, even without a Chicago electrical contractor license. The first step is for the company to give the city an official email for its records. Standard electrical work also shows up in some jobs, for example running a new power circuit to a door controller. For those, the city also requires its electrical contractor license.

In areas other than Chicago, ask your local city or village building office what permits a door access job requires.

A tough biometric law in Illinois is the Biometric Information Privacy Act. The obligation rests on the business collecting the data, and isn’t limited to the installer. You must give staff written notice and obtain their written consent before you enroll them on a fingerprint reader.

You also need a written policy that the public can see, covering how you keep and destroy the data. The data must be destroyed when the purpose no longer applies, or within 3 years of the last interaction, choosing the sooner date. You skip these obligations if you use a card reader or a PIN reader instead.

Go to the IDFPR license look up page and choose Professional Regulation. Look up the company name, then check that the agency license is current and not just an individual one.

Fire code rules apply to exit doors that are locked. As of January 1, 2020, Illinois uses the 2015 Life Safety Code (NFPA 101), which the State Fire Marshal adopted. That code calls for inspections of egress doors, and local codes also apply at the same time. For questions about the building code, the fire marshal directs you to the Capital Development Board.

Under the same Act, the IDFPR also licenses locksmiths separately. Since wiring a reader or an electric strike falls under the alarm system definition, ask for the alarm contractor license too.