Plumber License in Illinois — Requirements, Fees & Exam

How to get licensed as a plumber in Illinois: 5,600 hours (Plumber's License (the full statewide licence — Illinois's journeyman-equivalent, issued by the state health department)), 4 hrs CE — verified from Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program, advised by the Illinois State Board of Plumbing Examiners (official site) and last verified July 29, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must hold a credential: The individual, personally — Illinois is an individual-licence state, and unusually the licensing agency is the state HEALTH department rather than a professional-regulation agency. IDPH's own words: "Individuals who plan, inspect, install, alter, extend, repair, and maintain plumbing systems in state of Illinois must be licensed. IDPH licenses approximately 8,900 plumbers and 2,000 apprentice plumbers." The statute is equally direct: "All planning and designing of plumbing systems and all plumbing shall be performed only by plumbers licensed under the provisions of this Act hereinafter called 'licensed plumbers' and 'licensed apprentice plumbers'" (225 ILCS 320/3(1)), and "No individual shall work as an apprentice plumber unless he or she is properly licensed under this Act" (320/3(4)(h)). There is no employee carve-out: an untrained worker cannot lawfully do plumbing under a licensed employer's credential the way an HVAC or electrical helper can in many states — the entry-level worker must hold an apprentice plumber's licence. Firms carry a second, separate obligation: at least one member of every firm, association or partnership and at least one corporate officer of every corporation engaged in plumbing work must be a licensed plumber (a retired plumber cannot fill that role), and plumbing contractors must additionally register with IDPH (320/3(3); 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.600). Note also that Illinois HVAC work is regulated only locally while Illinois plumbing is licensed statewide — the two trades do not share a shape here.
The apprentice→licensed plumber path: IDPH describes it as one continuous track: "To obtain a license, individuals must pass a state licensing exam after working under a licensed plumber as a licensed apprentice for a 48 to 72 month period." The floor is 48 months (four years) and the ceiling is 72 months (six years), because an apprentice licence may not be held for more than a 6-year apprenticeship period and will not be renewed past it if the holder has not applied for and passed the plumber's examination (225 ILCS 320/3(4)(i)). Within that window the apprenticeship must run at not less than 1,400 hours per year, 5,600 hours across four years (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.300(e)(1)(C)).
Sponsorship and apprenticeship registration: An apprentice licence exists only while a sponsor stands behind it. The application must verify sponsorship by an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program — an apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training and by IDPH under rules (225 ILCS 320/2, "Approved apprenticeship program"; 320/3(4)(b)). Apprentices entering through a joint apprenticeship committee use IDPH's separate "Apprentice Plumber's Application Under JAC" form, signed by the JAC chairman. An apprentice plumber's licence expires on the date the sponsor severs sponsorship, and the sponsor must immediately notify IDPH; IDPH requires the Notice of Cancellation of Employment/Supervision form within 15 days after the apprentice is no longer employed or supervised by that plumber or program. The apprentice may then apply for reinstatement with a new application, a new fee and verification of a new sponsor (320/14). IDPH charges $100 for a change of sponsor.
Examination eligibility — the statute reads as alternatives, IDPH's web page reads as cumulative (both are official): This is a live conflict between two official Illinois sources and it changes who is eligible. 225 ILCS 320/10(2) lists the conditions for approving an examination application as "(a) the required application fee has been paid, and (b) (blank), and (c) the applicant has submitted evidence that he or she has completed at least a 2 year course of study in a high school, or an equivalent course of study, and (d) the applicant has been employed as an Illinois licensed apprentice plumber under supervision ... for at least 4 years preceding the date of application ..., OR (e) the applicant has submitted evidence that he or she has successfully completed an approved course of instruction in plumbing supervised directly by an Illinois licensed plumber in colleges, universities, or trade schools." The disjunctive "or" between (d) and (e) is the statute's own, and IDPH's rule 750.300(e) is unambiguous that the experience/education combinations are alternatives ("shall possess one of the following combinations"). IDPH's plumbing web page, however, states the requirement cumulatively: "Applicants must have been employed as a licensed apprentice plumber for a minimum of 4 years, and have successfully completed at least 2 years of high school or equivalent IN ADDITION TO completing an approved course instruction through a college, university or trade school." IDPH's own examination application form asks only about the four-year Illinois apprenticeship and the high-school course of study, and treats the U.S. DOL Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training course as a yes/no attachment. Confirm your route with the Plumbing Program (217-524-0791) before paying the non-refundable fee.
The examination itself: IDPH administers the plumbing licence examination in person, with the State Board of Plumbing Examiners — there is no PSI or Pearson VUE vendor step in Illinois. The Department must hold examinations at least once every three months somewhere in the state (225 ILCS 320/9), and no more than 50 applicants will be examined on a given date (no more than 40 during winter months); IDPH and the Board may add dates as applicant numbers warrant (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.300(a)(3)). Applications must be postmarked at least 30 days before the examination date and must include the completed form, a photograph of the face of the applicant at least 1-1/2 inches by 2-1/2 inches (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.300(b)(2)) -- with a divergence between official sources worth knowing before you pay for photos: the rule sets that 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch minimum, while all six live IDPH application forms instead ask for a recent 1 by 1 inch head-and-shoulders photograph of the applicant, proof of eligibility and the non-refundable fee. The examination has three parts — a Knowledge Assessment on the Illinois Plumbing Code, a Construction Drawings or Plans part, and a Practical Application Assessment in which the candidate assembles projects from materials in Appendix A, Table A of the Illinois Plumbing Code. Candidates supply their own tools and materials, must wear safety glasses in the shop, may not wear clothing bearing pictures, writing, inscriptions or logos of any kind, and may not leave the examination area without permission. Passing requires an average of 75 or above AND 61 or above on each part. Reasonable accommodations under the ADA require documentation and a proposed accommodation submitted at least 10 business days before the exam date. A failed candidate reapplies with the Retake Examination Application and the $175 fee, and is placed in one examination at a time. An apprentice who has failed three times is called before the Department and the Board, with the employer/sponsor, to determine compliance with the apprentice-supervision requirements; an examinee who fails to appear is ineligible for the next examination and subject to licence revocation, and a sponsor who fails to appear is subject to licence revocation (750.320(f)).
Renewal and continuing education — the scope of the CE trigger differs between the statute and the rule: All plumber's and apprentice plumber's licences expire on April 30 next following the date of issuance, except that an initial licence issued after February 15 expires one year after the next April 30; the licence renews for one year from each succeeding May 1 on payment of the renewal fee before May 1 (225 ILCS 320/14; 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.400(b), 750.410(b)). Continuing education is 4 hours a year, but the three official statements of WHEN it starts do not match word-for-word. The statute: "Each licensed plumber shall, as a condition of each annual license renewal AFTER THE FIRST LICENSE, provide proof of completion of 4 hours of continuing education" (320/3(1)). The rule: "Each licensed plumber shall, as a condition of each annual license renewal AFTER THE FIRST LICENSE RENEWAL, provide proof of completion of four hours of continuing education" (750.500(a)), followed by "A licensed plumber is not required to complete continuing education for the year in which that person's plumbing license was initially issued" (750.500(b)). A third rule states the duty without any such scope: "As a condition of renewal, a licensed plumber must provide proof of completion of four hours of continuing education in one or more courses approved by the Department" (750.400(b)). What every version agrees on: the requirement is 4 hours, annual, and the year the licence was first issued is exempt. Hours must come from sponsors and courses IDPH has approved under 750.510. The specific dataset of approved COURSES that once sat at data.illinois.gov/dataset/627plumbing_continuing_education_listing now returns HTTP 404 (re-checked 2026-07-29), so approved courses must be confirmed with IDPH directly. The portal itself is very much alive for plumbing, though: it publishes IDPH's "List of Municipal Plumbing Ordinances" plus roughly ninety per-municipality ordinance datasets. Separately, 320/14 caps any Department-imposed CE requirement at 15 hours per year, and licensed plumbers found to have committed repeated Illinois Plumbing Code violations must complete a minimum of 2 additional hours conducted by the Department itself (750.500(d)). Retired plumbers owe no CE unless restoring to active status. Certified Plumbing Inspectors are on a much heavier schedule: 14 classroom hours of at least 50 minutes each per renewal year after the first renewal — at least 6 hours in courses conducted by the Department and at least 8 hours from Department-approved sponsors (750.720(c)).
Late renewal, reinstatement and restoration: A renewal application received after May 1 must include the annual renewal fee plus the reinstatement fee, provided that an apprentice plumber's application is received by November 1 of the same year (225 ILCS 320/14). A plumber whose licence has been expired for less than 5 years applies for reinstatement and pays all lapsed renewal fees plus the reinstatement fee. A plumber whose licence has been expired for more than 5 years must apply in writing for restoration, pay the restoration fee (which includes the first examination fee) and pass the Illinois plumber's licence examination again; failing it is sufficient grounds for IDPH to withhold restoration (320/14; 750.400(c)-(d)). A licence that expires while the holder is in active U.S. military service is reinstated without examination and without the lapsed renewal fee, on application within 2 years after the service ends plus the annual licence fee and evidence of service (320/15).
Reciprocity and out-of-state plumbers: Two doors. Without examination: on payment of the required fee, an applicant who is a plumber registered or licensed in another state or municipality may be granted an Illinois licence if the applicant is at least twenty-one years of age and the Board finds that the other jurisdiction's requirements were, at the date of that licence, substantially equal to Illinois's requirements then in force — "and provided that the same privilege of registration is accorded by said state or municipality, to licensed plumbers in the State of Illinois" (225 ILCS 320/17(a)). With examination: a plumber licensed by a state or municipality whose requirements are substantially equal but which has NO reciprocal agreement with Illinois may be issued an Illinois licence by passing the Illinois plumber's examination and paying the required fees (320/17(b)). Illinois publishes a dedicated no-examination path for City of Chicago licensees — the "Application for State of Illinois Plumber's License Reciprocity with the City of Chicago License Without Examination," which requires proof from the licensing agency of a 48-month licensed apprenticeship (IDPH: "We do not accept letters from previous employers"), a copy of the current Chicago plumber's licence, proof of four hours of continuing education in the last year, and the $150 licence fee.
Chicago is the one local licensing exception, and the state has preempted every other local licence: Illinois preempted local plumber licensing by home rule: "the power to regulate the licensing of plumbers, to promulgate a minimum plumbing code of standards, and to regulate the registration of irrigation contractors and plumbing contractors shall, except as may otherwise be provided within and pursuant to the provisions of Section 16 and Section 16.1 of this Act, be exercised by the State and may not be exercised by any unit of local government, including home rule units" (225 ILCS 320/42, added by P.A. 97-365, effective January 1, 2012). IDPH issued a memorandum to Illinois units of local government on April 9, 2013 saying so plainly: "any unit of local government, except as noted above, that requires the registration, licensing or bonding of licensed plumbers, registered plumbing contractors or irrigation contractors or that is otherwise regulating these entities, does so in violation of the law." The Section 16 exception is written for a city, village or incorporated town having a population of 500,000 or more — in practice the City of Chicago — which may, by an ordinance containing provisions substantially the same as the Act and specifying equivalent educational or experience requirements, run its own board of plumbing examiners to examine for and issue, suspend or revoke plumbers' licences within that municipality; on enactment of such an ordinance the Act does not apply within that municipality except as otherwise provided. Crucially, the two licences are interchangeable statewide: "Any person licensed as a plumber pursuant to such ordinance, or licensed by the Department under this Act, may engage in plumbing anywhere in this State" (320/16(2)). Local governments keep their non-licensing powers: a city, town, village, township or county may still appoint a Plumbing Inspector and require and charge for plumbing permits — but it "may not issue that permit without verification that the applicant has a valid plumbing license or that the applicant is the owner occupant of a single family residence that is the subject of the permit" (320/18(1)).
Advertising and display duties (225 ILCS 320/5): Section 5 of the Illinois Plumbing License Law is titled "Advertising," not exemptions. Persons who advertise plumbing services must, at their place of business, display the licensed plumber's licence of at least one member of the firm, partnership or officer of the corporation, and must maintain a register listing the names and licence numbers of all licensed plumbers and all licensed apprentice plumbers currently employed by them; the displayed licence number must also be included with the plumbing identification on vehicles (320/5(a)). No person who provides plumbing services may advertise them without including that licence number in the advertisement (320/5(b)). Failing to display the number, giving a publisher the wrong or a false number, using another person's number, or letting your own number be used so someone else can circumvent the section, is a Class A misdemeanor with a fine of $1,000, and each day of non-display and each day an advertisement runs is a separate offence (320/5(b.5)). IDPH may also obtain an Order of Correction directing a telecommunications carrier to disconnect the phone number in an unlawful advertisement (320/5(b.10)). IDPH may examine payroll records to check the register — and only those records (320/5(c)).
Penalties for working unlicensed: A person who practices, offers to practice, attempts to practice or holds himself or herself out to practice as a plumber or plumbing contractor without being licensed or registered pays a civil penalty to IDPH of up to $5,000 for each offence, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, assessed after a hearing (225 ILCS 320/29.5(a)). Separately, any violation of the Act, the rules or the plumbing code is a Class B misdemeanor with a fine of $500 for a first offence and a Class A misdemeanor with a fine of $1,000 for a second or subsequent violation, with each day of violation a separate offence, and a court may enjoin the use of plumbing installed in violation until it is corrected (320/29). Unregistered plumbing-contractor practice carries its own graduated schedule: $1,000 first offence with no Plumbing Code violations found, $3,000 first offence where Code violations are found (reducible to $1,000 if the unregistered person pays an acceptable licensed plumber to correct them), rising to $5,000 for third and subsequent offences (77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.70(a)).
Illinois Plumbing Code and the trade's other IDPH registrations: The technical standard is the Illinois Plumbing Code, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 890, promulgated by IDPH; municipalities may adopt local plumbing ordinances, which units of local government submit to IDPH for review, and IDPH DOES publish them on the state open-data portal as "List of Municipal Plumbing Ordinances" — a list of ordinances "submitted to the Department for review by units of local government," with "copies of IDPH final review documents" attached — alongside roughly ninety per-municipality datasets. IDPH states that it "will not enforce any local amendments to the Illinois Plumbing Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 890)" and that "any questions regarding compliance with a local ordinance should be directed to the local authority." (Only the separate continuing-education COURSE dataset has been retired; it returns HTTP 404.) Under the same Plumbing License Law IDPH also registers irrigation contractors and their irrigation employees — IDPH: "IDPH licenses over 200 lawn irrigation contractors who oversee a combined total of nearly 1,000 irrigation employees" — a separate credential from the plumber's licence, and one whose authorising section (225 ILCS 320/2.5) is scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2029.

Legal basis

Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program, advised by the Illinois State Board of Plumbing Examiners administers plumber licensing in Illinois. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

Illinois licenses individual plumbers, and it does so through its state HEALTH agency: the credential is an Illinois Plumber’s License issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Plumbing Program under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, 225 ILCS 320, with the Illinois State Board of Plumbing Examiners advising. Searches for an “IDPH plumbing license,” an “Illinois plumber license,” an “Illinois journeyman plumber license” or an “Illinois master plumber license” all land on the same single credential — Illinois has no journeyman/master split and issues no master plumber licence. The entry credential is the Apprentice Plumber’s License, which Illinois requires of anyone learning the trade (numbers begin 056-); the full licence numbers begin 058-; and a plumbing contractor registration, a separate business credential tied to a licensed Plumber of Record, carries a 055- prefix. Above the licence sits the Certified Plumbing Inspector certification. A “Chicago plumbing license” (a J- number from the City of Chicago Board of Plumbing Examiners) is a distinct credential issued under the 500,000-population exception in 225 ILCS 320/16, and either licence lets its holder plumb anywhere in Illinois. Do not confuse the plumber’s licence with the irrigation contractor registration, which IDPH issues under the same Act for lawn sprinkler work, or with the Illinois Plumbing Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 890), which is the technical standard rather than a credential. Illinois’s treatment of plumbing is also not a guide to its other trades: there is no statewide Illinois HVAC licence, so a reader arriving from an HVAC search should not expect a parallel.

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee
Apprentice Plumber's License (the entry credential — Illinois requires it before you may work in the trade at all)	No prior experience required. An applicant must be at least 16 years of age and must verify on IDPH's application form that he or she is sponsored by an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program, giving the sponsor's name and licence number (225 ILCS 320/3(4)(b); 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.410(a)). "No individual shall work as an apprentice plumber unless he or she is properly licensed under this Act" (320/3(4)(h)). A licensed plumber may sponsor no more than 2 licensed apprentices at a time, and if two are sponsored at once one of them must have at least 2 years of experience as a licensed apprentice; no plumber or agent may supervise 2 apprentices with less than 2 years' experience at the same time (320/3(4)(c)-(e)). An approved apprenticeship program may sponsor no more apprentices than twice the number of licensed plumbers available to supervise them, and no more apprentices with under 2 years' experience than it has supervising licensed plumbers (320/3(4)(f)-(g)). No apprentice may serve more than a 6-year licensed apprenticeship period; if the 6 years end without applying for and passing the plumber's licence examination, the apprentice licence will not be renewed (320/3(4)(i); 750.410(b)). First- and second-year apprentices must work under the DIRECT PERSONAL supervision of the sponsor or the sponsor's agent (who must also be an Illinois licensed plumber) — except that a second-year apprentice may do maintenance and repair work on existing plumbing systems without that supervision, and only after receiving the minimum annual classroom hours recommended by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training for a BAT-approved plumber apprenticeship programme or its equivalent. For all other apprentices, plumbing (other than maintenance and repair on existing systems) must be inspected daily, after initial rough-in and after completion, by the sponsor or agent, and all repair and maintenance work on an existing system must be approved by the sponsor or agent (320/2, "Supervision").	None. The apprentice licence is issued on application, sponsorship verification and fee; no examination is required to obtain or renew it. The examination arrives at the next tier, when the apprentice applies for the plumber's licence.	$100 initial and $100 renewal (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100(b)(2)); change of sponsor $100; late/reinstatement fee $100; dishonoured-payment fee $100
Plumber's License (the full statewide licence — Illinois's journeyman-equivalent, issued by the state health department)	Illinois has no separate "journeyman" and "master" tiers: there is one plumber's licence. Eligibility for the examination is set by 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.300(e), which says an applicant "shall possess ONE OF THE FOLLOWING combinations of experience and education" — the routes are alternatives, not cumulative: (1) four years as an Illinois licensed apprentice plumber, the term of apprenticeship being not less than 1,400 hours per year for a total of 5,600 hours in four years; (2) at least two years as an Illinois licensed apprentice plumber PLUS two years of Department-approved plumbing courses totalling 5,600 hours, with classroom or laboratory training in a vocational or trade school, a branch of the military, or a college or university credited at two credit hours for each classroom hour up to a maximum of 24 months' credit; (3) the equivalent of four years as a licensed apprentice in another state or territory, credited hour-for-hour; (4) completion of a course of study the Department has approved as equivalent to a four-year Illinois licensed apprenticeship, an approved course totalling 2,800 hours of credit (see 750.550); (5) for a plumber licensed in another state, municipality or territory that has no apprentice programme, documents verifying licensure and experience credited hour-for-hour toward 1,400 hours per year, plus documentation from the licensing entity that the applicant was tested in at least three areas — knowledge of plumbing design, practical or working skill evaluation, and knowledge of the plumbing standards applicable in that jurisdiction; or (6) for a plumber licensed in a foreign state, at least two years as an Illinois licensed apprentice OR two years of approved plumbing courses. Every applicant must also have completed at least a two-year course of study in a high school, or an equivalent course of study, equal to 10 credit hours (750.300(d); 225 ILCS 320/10(2)(c)) — an applicant who is not a high-school graduate must submit documented evidence of that two-year course. 750.300(c) additionally provides that "the applicant shall be a citizen of the United States or shall have declared his or her intent to become a citizen," with notarised papers such as an Intent to File for Citizenship to be submitted (rule as amended effective June 17, 2016). Minimum age is not separately stated for the plumber's licence; the apprentice floor of 16 plus a four-year apprenticeship sets the practical floor.	Yes — the Illinois plumbing licence examination, administered by IDPH itself with the Board of Plumbing Examiners (not by a third-party testing vendor). Three parts (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.310(a)): a Knowledge Assessment based on the Illinois Plumbing Code; a Construction Drawings or Plans part; and a hands-on Practical Application Assessment in which projects are assembled from materials listed in Appendix A, Table A of the Illinois Plumbing Code. Applicants bring their own tools and materials. Pass mark: an average of 75 or above overall AND 61 or above on each part (750.310(f)).	Examination application $175 when the applicant is licensed as an Illinois apprentice plumber, $225 when the applicant is registered or licensed in a state other than Illinois; re-examination $175; licence fee (initial or renewal) $150 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100(a)-(b); confirmed on IDPH's own live application forms)
Certified Plumbing Inspector	Must currently hold an IDPH plumber's licence and must have held an Illinois plumbing licence for at least seven years. An apprentice plumber's licence or a retired plumber's licence cannot be used to satisfy either requirement (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.710(c)). Separately, 225 ILCS 320/18(1) provides that no person shall be appointed as a Plumbing Inspector who is not a licensed plumber under the Act, including persons employed as Plumbing Inspectors in home rule units.	Yes — an examination administered by the Department for certification of plumbing inspectors. IDPH accepts applications at any time during normal business hours and schedules examinations when it has enough applicants, and will also allow the examination at any time acceptable to the Department (750.710(c)(3)).	Plumbing Inspector's Examination $175; Chicago Licensed Certified Plumbing Inspector $150; certification late fee $100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100(c))
Retired Plumber's License	A licensed plumber in good standing who is at least 62 years old, or who is physically unable to perform the responsibilities of a plumber, may voluntarily surrender the plumber's licence to IDPH in exchange for a retired plumber's licence (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.400(e)). A retired plumber may not perform plumbing as defined in the Act, may not sponsor or supervise apprentice plumbers, and may not inspect plumbing, and cannot serve as the licensed plumber a plumbing firm needs under 225 ILCS 320/3(3).	None to obtain. Returning to active status after more than 5 years as a retired plumber requires passing the Illinois plumber's licence examination; returning after fewer than 5 years does not (750.400(e)(1)-(2)).	Retired Plumber's Annual License $25; reinstatement from retired status after fewer than five years $100 per year out; restoration after more than five years $175, which includes the first examination fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100(b)(6)-(8))
Plumbing Contractor Registration (a business registration held on top of an individual licence, not a substitute for one)	Required of any person who performs plumbing for another person — IDPH: "Plumbing Contractors are any licensed plumber or apprentice plumber who performs work for another person. All plumbing contractors must register with the state and pay an annual fee." The registration is anchored to a Licensed Plumber of Record who must be the sole owner if a sole proprietorship, a partner if a partnership, an officer if a corporation, or a manager/member if an LLC; IDPH "will not allow a plumber to be the Plumber of Record for more than one company at one time." All employees of a registered plumbing contractor who engage in plumbing work must themselves be licensed plumbers or licensed apprentice plumbers (225 ILCS 320/13.1(6)). Insurance is mandatory before registration issues: general liability at a minimum of $100,000 per occurrence, a minimum of $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury, property damage insurance of at least $50,000 or a $300,000 combined single limit, and workers' compensation with a minimum $500,000 employer's liability (320/13.1(4); 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.20(a)(6)) — sole proprietorships and partnerships with no employees are exempt from the workers' compensation requirement, evidenced by IDPH's Affidavit of No Employees and Workers' Compensation Opt-Out form. An indemnification bond of $20,000, or an irrevocable letter of credit in the same amount naming the Department as sole beneficiary, is also required (320/13.1(5); 894.20(a)(7)). Registration is NOT required of an entity that maintains an audited net worth of shareholders' equity equal to or exceeding $100,000,000 (320/13.1(1)).	None. The registration tests insurance, bonding and the credentials of the Plumber of Record, not the applicant's plumbing knowledge.	$150 non-refundable annual registration fee; registration reinstatement/late fee $100; dishonoured-payment fee $200 (77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.80; identical on IDPH's live registration form)

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Illinois does not gather its plumbing exemptions into one section. Section 5 of the Illinois Plumbing License Law is “Advertising,” not exemptions; the carve-outs sit in the definition of “plumbing” in 225 ILCS 320/2, in the licensing section 320/3, and in a handful of scattered provisions. Read together they are: (1) OWNER OR LESSEE OCCUPANT OF A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE (sec. 3(2)) — “Nothing herein contained shall prohibit the owner occupant or lessee occupant of a single family residence, or the owner of a single family residence under construction for his or her occupancy, from planning, installing, altering or repairing the plumbing system of such residence, provided that (i) such plumbing shall comply with the minimum standards for plumbing contained in the Illinois State Plumbing Code, and shall be subject to inspection by the Department or the local governmental unit if it retains a licensed plumber as an inspector; and (ii) such owner, owner occupant or lessee occupant shall not employ other than a plumber licensed pursuant to this Act to assist him or her.” The Act then defines the term narrowly: “For purposes of this subsection, a person shall be considered an ‘occupant’ if and only if he or she has taken possession of and is living in the premises as his or her bona fide sole and exclusive residence, or, in the case of an owner of a single family residence under construction for his or her occupancy, he or she expects to take possession of and live in the premises as his or her bona fide sole and exclusive residence, and he or she has a current intention to live in such premises as his or her bona fide sole and exclusive residence for a period of not less than 6 months after the completion of the plumbing work performed pursuant to the authorization of this subsection, or, in the case of an owner of a single family residence under construction for his or her occupancy, for a period of not less than 6 months after the completion of construction of the residence. Failure to possess and live in the premises as a sole and exclusive residence for a period of 6 months or more shall create a rebuttable presumption of a lack of such intention.” (2) ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS, FOR DESIGN ONLY (sec. 3(1)) — “No person who holds a license or certificate of registration under the Illinois Architecture Practice Act of 1989, or the Structural Engineering Practice Act of 1989, or the Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989 shall be prevented from planning and designing plumbing systems.” The scope words matter: this reaches planning and designing, not installing, repairing or extending. (3) WORK THAT IS NOT “PLUMBING” AT ALL (sec. 2) — the definition itself excludes a list, and work outside the definition needs no licence: “‘Plumbing’ does not mean or include the trade of drain-laying, the trade of drilling water wells which constitute the sources of private water supplies, and of making connections between such wells and pumping units in the water supply systems of buildings served by such private water supplies, or the business of installing water softening equipment and of maintaining and servicing the same, or the business of manufacturing or selling plumbing fixtures, appliances, equipment or hardware, or to the installation and servicing of electrical equipment sold by a not-for-profit corporation providing electrification on a cooperative basis, that either on or before January 1, 1971, is or has been financed in whole or in part under the federal Rural Electrification Act of 1936 and the Acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, to its members for use on farms owned by individuals or operated by individuals, nor does it mean or include minor repairs which do not require changes in the piping to or from plumbing fixtures or involve the removal, replacement, installation or re-installation of any pipe or plumbing fixtures. Plumbing does not include the installation, repair, maintenance, alteration or extension of building sewers.” Two of those deserve emphasis because they are commonly misread: the farm-related carve-out is narrow — it covers electrical equipment sold to its members by a qualifying rural electrification cooperative for use on individually owned or operated farms, and it is NOT a general exemption for plumbing on a farm; and the “minor repairs” carve-out is defined by what the work does not touch, so any change in the piping to or from a fixture, or any removal, replacement, installation or re-installation of pipe or of a plumbing fixture, is outside it. Note too that while building sewers are excluded from “plumbing,” sec. 3(1) preserves licensed plumbers’ and apprentices’ authority to work on them. (4) IN-HOUSE PLUMBERS AND MAINTENANCE STAFF ARE EXEMPT FROM THE CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION, NOT FROM THE LICENCE (sec. 2) — “‘Plumbing contractor’ means any person who performs plumbing, as defined in this Act, for another person. ‘Plumbing contractor’ shall not include licensed plumbers and licensed apprentice plumbers who either are employed by persons engaged in the plumbing business or are employed by another person for the performance of plumbing solely for that other person, including, but not limited to, a hospital, university, or business maintenance staff.” The people described are still licensed plumbers or licensed apprentices; what they escape is the separate registration. IDPH’s rule adds the matching definition of “business maintenance staff”: “one or more licensed plumbers or apprentice plumbers who perform plumbing, as defined in the Act, solely in commercial business facilities owned by the business that employs the plumber or plumbers” (77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.10). (5) VERY LARGE ENTITIES, FROM THE CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION (sec. 13.1(1)) — the registration duty reaches all persons or corporations desiring to engage in the business of plumbing contractor “other than any entity that maintains an audited net worth of shareholders’ equity equal to or exceeding $100,000,000.” (6) GOVERNMENTAL AND MUNICIPAL WATER-SUPPLIER EMPLOYEES, IN TWO LIMITED WAYS (sec. 3, closing paragraphs) — first: “Nothing contained in Public Act 83-878 was intended by the General Assembly nor should it be construed to require the employees of a governmental unit or privately owned municipal water supplier who operate, maintain or repair a water or sewer plant facility which is owned or operated by such governmental unit or privately owned municipal water supplier to be licensed plumbers under this Act. In addition, nothing contained in Public Act 83-878 was intended by the General Assembly nor should it be construed to permit persons other than licensed plumbers to perform the installation, repair, maintenance or replacement of plumbing fixtures, such as toilet facilities, floor drains, showers and lavatories, and the piping attendant to those fixtures, within such facility or in the construction of a new facility.” The second half of that quote is the part that is usually dropped, and dropping it reverses the answer — the plant-operations exemption does not extend to fixture work inside the plant. Second: “Nothing contained in Public Act 83-878 was intended by the General Assembly nor should it be construed to require the employees of a governmental unit or privately owned municipal water supplier who install, repair or maintain water service lines from water mains in the street, alley or curb line to private property lines and who install, repair or maintain water meters to be licensed plumbers under this Act if such work was customarily performed prior to the effective date of such Act by employees of such governmental unit or privately owned municipal water supplier who were not licensed plumbers. Any such work which was customarily performed prior to the effective date of such Act by persons who were licensed plumbers or subcontracted to persons who were licensed plumbers must continue to be performed by persons who are licensed plumbers or subcontracted to persons who are licensed plumbers. When necessary under this Act, the Department shall make the determination whether or not persons who are licensed plumbers customarily performed such work.” This is a grandfather clause keyed to what the utility customarily did before Public Act 83-878, not a blanket municipal exemption, and IDPH decides which side of the line a given task falls on. Note the boundary running the other way in sec. 6: “No municipal corporation or political subdivision shall engage in plumbing unless such plumbing is performed by one or more licensed plumbers, or licensed apprentice plumbers under supervision in accordance with this Act.” (7) AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION, FROM THE LAWN-SPRINKLER RULES (sec. 2) — “‘Lawn sprinkler system’ does not include an irrigation system used primarily for agricultural purposes,” and the definition of a lawn sprinkler system also excludes the backflow prevention device itself. (8) GOLF COURSES, PARTIALLY (sec. 2.6) — “A golf course with a lawn sprinkler system installed prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly may extend, relocate, or modify up to 200 linear yards of an existing lawn sprinkler system without being subject to the requirements of Section 2.5 of this Act. However, if the extension, relocation, or modification of an existing lawn sprinkler system involves a connection of the system to a backflow prevention device, a licensed plumber shall make the physical connection between the lawn sprinkler system and the backflow prevention device.” (9) THERMOSTAT-STYLE CARVE-OUTS DO NOT EXIST HERE, AND NEITHER DOES A DOLLAR THRESHOLD — Illinois publishes no minor-work dollar exemption, no square-footage exemption and no rural-county exemption for plumbing; the only size-based relief is the “minor repairs” definitional exclusion quoted above. (10) INSURANCE-ONLY RELIEF FOR THE SMALLEST CONTRACTORS (77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.20(a)(6)) — “Sole proprietorships and partnerships with no employees are exempt from the worker’s compensation insurance requirement,” evidenced through IDPH’s Affidavit of No Employees and Workers’ Compensation Opt-Out form. This exempts the coverage, not the registration. Finally, two limits travel with all of the above: exempt or not, local permit and inspection requirements still apply, and a municipality “may not issue that permit without verification that the applicant has a valid plumbing license or that the applicant is the owner occupant of a single family residence that is the subject of the permit” (sec. 18(1)); and no person may be appointed a Plumbing Inspector who is not a licensed plumber under the Act, including in home rule units (sec. 18(1)).

Fees

IDPH’s published fee rule and IDPH’s live application forms agree on every figure (checked July 29, 2026). PLUMBER’S LICENCE: examination application $175 when the applicant is licensed as an Illinois apprentice plumber, $225 when the applicant is registered or licensed in a state other than Illinois; re-examination $175 (and $175 for an applicant licensed in another state); licence fee, initial or renewal, $150; late fee or reinstatement fee for any licence renewal $100 (in addition to all lapsed renewal fees); restoration of an expired plumber’s licence $175, which includes the fee for the first examination only; duplicate licence $50. APPRENTICE PLUMBER: licence fee, initial or renewal, $100; change of sponsor $100; late fee $100. RETIRED PLUMBER: annual licence $25; reinstatement from retired status with fewer than five years out $100 per year out; restoration after more than five years $175, including the first examination fee. CERTIFIED PLUMBING INSPECTOR: examination $175; certification late fee $100; Chicago-licensed certified plumbing inspector $150. CITY OF CHICAGO RECIPROCITY (no examination): $150. PLUMBING CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION: $150 non-refundable annual registration fee, registration reinstatement fee $100, dishonoured-payment fee $200 (77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.80 — note the returned-payment fee is $100 on the plumber side under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1110(b) and $200 on the contractor side, because two different rule Parts set them). All application and registration fees are non-refundable, and the plumber examination fee is non-refundable even if the applicant turns out not to have met the eligibility requirement — IDPH’s form warns “It is up to the applicant to make sure he/she meets this requirement. Application fees are NOT refundable.” Fees are paid by check or money order to the Illinois Department of Public Health; IDPH does not accept cash. Not fees, but money the contractor registration costs anyway: a $20,000 indemnification bond or irrevocable letter of credit, and insurance at $100,000 per occurrence general liability, $300,000 aggregate bodily injury, $50,000 property damage (or a $300,000 combined single limit) and $500,000 workers’ compensation employer’s liability.

Exam

The Illinois plumbing licence examination is administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health itself, together with the State Board of Plumbing Examiners — Illinois uses no third-party testing vendor for it. Applications must be postmarked at least 30 days before the examination date and must include the completed “Application for Examination for Plumber’s License,” a photograph of the face of the applicant at least 1-1/2 inches by 2-1/2 inches (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.300(b)(2)) – with a divergence between official sources worth knowing before you pay for photos: the rule sets that 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch minimum, while all six live IDPH application forms instead ask for a recent 1 by 1 inch head-and-shoulders photograph of the applicant, proof of eligibility under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.300(e), and the non-refundable fee ($175 for an Illinois-licensed apprentice, $225 for an applicant registered or licensed in another state). IDPH must hold examinations at least once every three months (225 ILCS 320/9) and will examine no more than 50 applicants on a given date, or no more than 40 during winter months; extra dates may be added based on applicant numbers. The examination is uniform and comprehensive and tests knowledge and qualifications in the planning and design of plumbing systems, knowledge and practical skills in plumbing, and knowledge of the Illinois Plumbing Code. It has three parts: (1) a Knowledge Assessment of true/false, multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions based on the Illinois Plumbing Code; (2) Construction Drawings or Plans, where the candidate interprets and completes drawings on paper or electronically or answers questions demonstrating knowledge of fixtures, piping techniques and Code compliance; and (3) a Practical Application Assessment, where projects using current plumbing techniques are assembled from materials selected from Appendix A, Table A of the Illinois Plumbing Code. Candidates supply their own tools and materials, are told in writing what to bring, must wear safety glasses in the shop, may not wear any clothing bearing pictures, writing, inscriptions or logos, and may not leave the examination area without permission. Each part is worth a maximum of 100 points; passing requires an average of 75 or above AND a grade of 61 or above on each part. ADA accommodations require documentation from an Illinois-licensed physician or chiropractic physician plus a specific proposal, submitted at least 10 business days before the exam. Results are confidential until announced and are reported to the examinee in writing; an examinee dissatisfied with the conduct of the examination may complain in writing within 30 days of notification, and may retake at no charge if the evidence shows disadvantaging conditions imposed by the Department or Board, special assistance given to other examinees, or grading not to the same standard. A failed candidate files the Retake Examination Application with a $175 fee and is placed in one examination at a time. An apprentice who has failed three times is summoned, with the sponsor, before the Department and the Board to review compliance with the apprentice-supervision rules. A candidate observed cheating is expelled, the examination is voided, and IDPH issues a notice of intent to deny and to bar reapplication for not less than six months. The Certified Plumbing Inspector examination is likewise administered by the Department; applications are accepted at any time in business hours and examinations are scheduled when there are enough applicants.

Renewal & continuing education

Annual, on a fixed statewide date rather than an anniversary. All plumber’s licences and apprentice plumber’s licences expire on April 30 next following the date of issuance, except that an initial licence issued after February 15 expires one year after the next April 30; the licence then renews for one year from each succeeding May 1 on payment of the renewal fee before May 1, together with evidence of the required continuing education (225 ILCS 320/14; 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.400(b), 750.410(b)). IDPH: “Plumber licenses must be renewed by April 30th following the date of issuance via the online renewal page.” Certified Plumbing Inspector certificates run on the same April 30 cycle. An apprentice plumber’s licence has a second expiry trigger — it also expires the day the sponsoring licensed plumber severs sponsorship — and no apprentice may accumulate more than 6 years as a licensed apprentice. Every renewal application requires the child-support certification: Illinois law requires all applicants, whether or not they have children, to certify whether they are delinquent in the payment of child support, and the application will not be approved until that is completed. THE PLUMBING CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION IS ON A DIFFERENT DATE, AND TWO OFFICIAL SOURCES DISAGREE ABOUT WHICH: 225 ILCS 320/13.1(2), as amended by P.A. 103-26 (effective January 1, 2024) and P.A. 103-605 (effective July 1, 2024), provides that “Application for registration shall be filed with the Department each year, on or before the last day of September” and that “All plumbing contractor registrations expire on the last day of September of each year,” and IDPH’s current registration form agrees (“This contractor registration will expire on September 30, of the current year,” with the surety bond required to expire September 30 of the current year). The administrative rule has not caught up: 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.20(b), last amended effective November 12, 2014, still says registrations “shall expire on April 30 of each year, except that initial registrations issued after January 30 shall expire one year after the next April 30,” and 894.20(a)(7)(D) still requires a letter of credit to expire on April 30. The later statute and IDPH’s own live form control; the April 30 text in Part 894 is stale. Registrations are non-transferable on a change of ownership — the new owners must reapply — and IDPH must be notified of any change in business structure, name, location, ownership, or the licensed Plumber of Record – and the two official sources disagree on DIRECTION, so both are stated here as conflict (f): rule 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.20(c)(1) requires a plumbing contractor to report “15 days in advance of the change,” while IDPH’s own live change form asks for notice within 15 days AFTER it. The difference decides whether a contractor who reports on the day of the change is compliant. Rule 894.20(c)(2) adds the operative consequence for ownership changes: operation under new ownership may not commence until the Department has ISSUED A NEW REGISTRATION – 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.20(c)(2) reads “[o]peration under new ownership shall not commence until the Department has issued a new registration,” so notifying the Department is not by itself enough to keep operating. 4 hours per year for a licensed plumber. The statute states it as a condition of “each annual license renewal after the first license” (225 ILCS 320/3(1)); IDPH’s rule states it as a condition of “each annual license renewal after the first license renewal” and adds that “a licensed plumber is not required to complete continuing education for the year in which that person’s plumbing license was initially issued” (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.500(a)-(b)); a third IDPH rule states the duty with no scope at all — “As a condition of renewal, a licensed plumber must provide proof of completion of four hours of continuing education in one or more courses approved by the Department” (750.400(b)). The 4 hours, the annual cycle and the exemption for the initial-issuance year are common to all three. Hours must be earned in one or more courses from sponsors IDPH has approved under 750.510, whose registration is valid for three years and whose courses must each be separately approved and must cover a subject area listed in 750.540; instruction must be supervised directly by an Illinois licensed plumber (320/3(1)). IDPH approves continuing-education sponsors and courses under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.510 and publishes a sponsor/course registration application form for that purpose. An open dataset of approved courses that formerly sat on data.illinois.gov is GONE – that URL now returns HTTP 404 (“Page Not Found | Illinois Open Data”), and the portal now carries no plumbing continuing-education dataset at all: its only continuing-education datasets cover private sewage disposal, water wells and pest control. There is therefore no open-data source for the approved-course list; confirm approved courses with IDPH directly. The portal does still carry the municipal plumbing-ordinance datasets. Two add-ons: a licensed plumber found to have committed repeated violations of the Illinois Plumbing Code must complete a minimum of 2 hours of additional continuing education conducted by the Department itself, at a time and place the Department sets (750.500(d)), and any CE requirement the Department imposes by rule is capped by statute at 15 hours per year (320/14). A licensed retired plumber owes no continuing education unless restoring to active plumber status, in which case IDPH sets the number of hours based on how long the plumber has been retired. Chicago-licensed plumbers seeking the Illinois licence by reciprocity must show four hours of continuing education in the last year, and a Chicago-licensed Plumber of Record on a plumbing contractor registration must show four hours taken after October 1 of the renewal year. CERTIFIED PLUMBING INSPECTORS are on a separate, much larger requirement: 14 classroom hours of at least 50 minutes each as a condition of each annual certification renewal after the first renewal — at least 6 classroom hours in courses conducted by the Department and at least 8 classroom hours from Department-approved sponsors, with no CE required for the year the certification was initially issued (750.720(b)-(c)).

How to apply

Applications are handled by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program, advised by the Illinois State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Start at the official application page .

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to do plumbing work in Illinois?

Yes, and the requirement lands on the individual rather than only on the company. IDPH states that “Individuals who plan, inspect, install, alter, extend, repair, and maintain plumbing systems in state of Illinois must be licensed,” and the Illinois Plumbing License Law says all planning and designing of plumbing systems and all plumbing shall be performed only by licensed plumbers and licensed apprentice plumbers (225 ILCS 320/3(1)). There is no helper exemption: an entry-level worker must hold an apprentice plumber’s licence, because “no individual shall work as an apprentice plumber unless he or she is properly licensed under this Act.” A firm that plumbs for others must also register with IDPH as a plumbing contractor and must have at least one licensed plumber as a member, partner or corporate officer.

Why does the Illinois Department of Public Health license plumbers instead of a professional licensing agency?

Because Illinois treats plumbing as a public-health function. IDPH explains it directly: “Improper plumbing can result in the introduction of pathogenic organisms into drinking water and the escape of toxic gases into the environment. These outcomes have the potential to lead to disease and adverse health effects. To protect public health, the Illinois Department of Public Health regulates plumbers and the plumbing trade by maintaining a minimum code of standards for plumbing practices.” Licences are issued under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, 225 ILCS 320, and the technical standard is the Illinois Plumbing Code, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 890. Do not assume the rest of the Illinois trades work this way — Illinois has no statewide HVAC licence at all, while plumbing is licensed statewide.

How long does it take to become a licensed plumber in Illinois?

IDPH puts the standard path at “a 48 to 72 month period” as a licensed apprentice before the state examination. The floor is four years — 1,400 hours a year, 5,600 hours across four years — and the ceiling is six years, because an apprentice licence will not be renewed past a 6-year apprenticeship if the holder has not applied for and passed the plumber’s examination. IDPH’s rules also recognise shorter combinations as alternatives to the straight four years: two years as an Illinois licensed apprentice plus two years of approved plumbing courses to the same 5,600-hour total (classroom or laboratory training credited at two credit hours per classroom hour, capped at 24 months), or completion of a course of study IDPH has approved as equivalent to a four-year Illinois apprenticeship (2,800 hours of credit). Every applicant also needs at least a two-year high-school course of study or its equivalent.

Does Illinois have a master plumber license?

No. Illinois issues one plumber’s licence, not a journeyman/master pair — there is no Illinois “master plumber” credential to earn. What sits above the plumber’s licence is a Certified Plumbing Inspector certification, which requires a current IDPH plumber’s licence, seven years of holding an Illinois plumbing licence (apprentice and retired licences do not count), a Department-administered inspector examination, and 14 hours of continuing education a year to renew. What sits alongside it is the plumbing contractor registration, which is a business registration tied to a licensed Plumber of Record rather than a higher grade of licence. If you are comparing Illinois to a neighbouring state’s master licence, the Illinois plumber’s licence is the credential that lets you work; the contractor registration is what lets a business take plumbing work for others.

How much does an Illinois plumbing license cost?

The examination application is $175 if you hold an Illinois apprentice plumber’s licence and $225 if you are registered or licensed in another state, and a retake is $175. Once you pass, the plumber’s licence itself is $150, and $150 again each year at renewal. An apprentice plumber’s licence is $100 initially and $100 at renewal, with $100 for a change of sponsor. Renewing late costs the annual renewal fee plus a $100 reinstatement fee; restoring a licence expired more than five years costs $175 and requires passing the examination again. A plumbing contractor registration is $150 a year, with a $100 reinstatement fee. All of these fees are non-refundable, and IDPH’s own examination form warns that it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm eligibility before paying. Every figure above appears identically in IDPH’s fee rule (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.80) and on IDPH’s current application forms.

How often do you renew an Illinois plumber's license, and how much continuing education does it take?

Every year, on a fixed statewide date: plumber’s and apprentice plumber’s licences expire on April 30 following the date of issuance (an initial licence issued after February 15 runs to one year after the next April 30), and renew for one year from each succeeding May 1 on payment before May 1. Continuing education is 4 hours a year in courses from IDPH-approved sponsors, and no CE is owed for the year the licence was first issued. Every renewal also requires the child-support certification, which Illinois law requires of all applicants whether or not they have children. Note that the plumbing contractor registration runs on a different calendar — the statute and IDPH’s registration form put its expiry at September 30, although IDPH’s older administrative rule still says April 30.

Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Illinois?

Yes, within a narrowly drawn exemption. The Illinois Plumbing License Law does not prohibit the owner occupant or lessee occupant of a single family residence, or the owner of a single family residence under construction for his or her own occupancy, from planning, installing, altering or repairing the plumbing system of that residence — but only on two conditions: the plumbing must comply with the minimum standards in the Illinois State Plumbing Code and is subject to inspection by IDPH or by the local governmental unit if it retains a licensed plumber as an inspector, and the owner or occupant “shall not employ other than a plumber licensed pursuant to this Act to assist him or her” (225 ILCS 320/3(2)). “Occupant” is defined tightly: you must have taken possession of and be living in the premises as your bona fide sole and exclusive residence (or, for a home under construction, expect to), with a current intention to live there for at least 6 months after the plumbing work is finished; failing to live there as a sole and exclusive residence for 6 months or more creates a rebuttable presumption that the intention was absent. The exemption covers a single family residence only, does not extend to rental units you do not occupy, and does not let you hire an unlicensed helper. Local permits still apply, and a municipality may not issue a plumbing permit without verifying either a valid plumbing licence or that the applicant is the owner occupant of the single family residence in question (320/18(1)).

Is a Chicago plumbing license the same as an Illinois plumbing license?

They are two separate licences that both work statewide. Illinois preempted local plumber licensing by home rule in 225 ILCS 320/42, and IDPH told local governments in a 2013 memorandum that any unit of local government outside the statutory exception that licenses, registers or bonds plumbers or plumbing contractors “does so in violation of the law.” The exception, Section 16, lets a city, village or incorporated town of 500,000 or more — Chicago — run its own board of plumbing examiners under an ordinance substantially the same as the Act, and where that ordinance exists the Act does not apply within the municipality except as otherwise provided. The statute then makes the two credentials interchangeable: “Any person licensed as a plumber pursuant to such ordinance, or licensed by the Department under this Act, may engage in plumbing anywhere in this State.” A Chicago licensee who wants the state licence as well can use IDPH’s dedicated no-examination reciprocity application, which asks for proof from the licensing agency of a 48-month licensed apprenticeship, a copy of the current Chicago licence, proof of four hours of continuing education in the last year, and the $150 fee.

Can a plumber licensed in another state work in Illinois?

Not without an Illinois credential, but there are two routes to one. Without examination: on payment of the required fee, a plumber registered or licensed in another state or municipality may be granted an Illinois licence if the applicant is at least twenty-one years of age and the Board finds the other jurisdiction’s requirements were, at the date of that licence, substantially equal to Illinois’s requirements then in force — and provided that the same privilege is accorded by that state or municipality to Illinois licensed plumbers (225 ILCS 320/17(a)). With examination: where the other jurisdiction’s requirements are substantially equal but it has no reciprocal agreement with Illinois, the applicant may be issued an Illinois licence by passing the Illinois plumber’s examination and paying the required fees (320/17(b)). Out-of-state apprentice and licensed time is credited toward the Illinois apprenticeship on an hour-for-hour basis, and an out-of-state applicant pays $225 rather than $175 for the examination application.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Illinois.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 29, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.