The IDPH path from licensed apprentice to Plumber, the three part exam and fees at each step, Chicago's own board, and what a plumbing company needs to register in Illinois.
How do you get a plumbing license in Illinois? You register as a licensed apprentice plumber with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), work at least 1,400 supervised hours a year for four years, then pass the state's three part exam to become a licensed Plumber. IDPH issues every plumbing credential under the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320), with one Plumber tier statewide and no separate journeyman or master split, while Chicago keeps its own plumbing board beside the state program.
At a glance
- Who licenses: IDPH, under 225 ILCS 320, with the Illinois State Board of Plumbing Examiners.
- First step: a licensed apprentice plumber, age 16 or older, sponsored by a licensed plumber.
- Hours: 1,400 a year, 5,600 total across four years, before the exam.
- The exam: three parts, filed 30 days ahead, $175 for an Illinois apprentice.
- The company: a plumbing contractor registers with IDPH, a $20,000 bond, insurance, and $150 a year.
This guide walks the path from apprentice to a company that can contract and pull permits. For the rules every Illinois trade shares, see our Illinois contractor license page and the national contractor license guide.
Who Needs a Plumbing License in Illinois
Yes, Illinois licenses plumbers statewide, and the law reaches broadly: planning, installing or repairing a plumbing system for pay takes a licensed plumber or a licensed apprentice working under one. IDPH also licenses plumbing contractors, the businesses that plumb for someone else, and irrigation contractors, who install lawn sprinkler systems.
The law carves out a few trades. It does not reach drain laying, water well drilling, water softener installation and service, or the installation, repair or extension of building sewers (225 ILCS 320/2). Everything else needs a license.
IDPH reports about 8,900 licensed plumbers and 2,000 licensed apprentice plumbers statewide, each plumber reaching that license after 48 to 72 months as a licensed apprentice and a passed state exam.
Illinois Plumbing License and Registration Types
Once you pass the exam you are a licensed Plumber; Illinois has no separate journeyman or master card. If you are coming from a two tier state, our explainer on journeyman vs. master plumber shows the difference.
| Credential | Who it is for | IDPH fee |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Plumber | A sponsored learner, age 16 or older | $100 a year |
| Plumber | Passed the state exam | $150 a year |
| Plumbing Contractor (registration) | A business plumbing for another person | $150 a year |
| Irrigation Contractor (registration) | Installs lawn sprinkler systems | Registers every year |
| Retired Plumber | Age 62 or older, or unable to work; may not plumb | $25 a year |
Experience and Education: The Apprentice Plumber Path
Every Illinois plumber starts as a licensed apprentice. You need a sponsor first: an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program who agrees to train you, and whose business holds an active IDPH plumbing contractor registration (the apprentice application asks for that registration number).
The standard route is not less than 1,400 hours a year, for a total of 5,600 hours across four years (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.300). A second route pairs two years as a licensed apprentice with two years of approved plumbing courses, with classroom time credited at two hours per instruction hour, up to 24 months, for the same 5,600 total.
You need at least two years of high school or an equivalent course of study to qualify. No licensed plumber may sponsor more than two apprentices at once, and when a plumber sponsors two, one must already have at least two years in. First and second year apprentices work under the sponsor's direct personal supervision, except for some maintenance and repair work by second year apprentices who have finished their classroom hours (225 ILCS 320/2 and 3).
No apprentice may serve more than six years; past that point, an unlicensed apprentice cannot renew. When a sponsor ends the relationship, IDPH wants the cancellation form within 15 days, and the apprentice license ends with it. Apprentice and plumber licenses both expire April 30 following issuance.
The Plumber's License Exam
IDPH administers its own plumber's license exam; there is no third party testing vendor. The Department must hold it at least once every three months (225 ILCS 320/9), with each date capped at 50 applicants, or 40 in winter. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have declared the intent to become one, and the application is due at least 30 days before the exam date.
The exam has three parts, each worth 100 points (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.310):
- Knowledge assessment: true or false, multiple choice, or fill in the blank questions on the Illinois Plumbing Code.
- Construction drawings or plans: interpret and complete plans, or answer questions on fixtures, piping and code compliance.
- Practical application: assemble projects from a drawing using current plumbing materials and techniques.
You pass with an average of 75 or better across the three parts, and at least 61 on each one. Bring your own tools; clothing with logos or writing is not allowed, and safety glasses are required in the shop area. A failed candidate retakes the exam by filing a new application and fee.
How to Apply: The Licensing Steps in Order
- Find a sponsor. An Illinois licensed plumber, working for a registered contractor, or an approved apprenticeship program agrees to train you.
- Get your apprentice license. File the Apprentice Plumber's License Application with the $100 fee. You must be at least 16.
- Work your hours. Log at least 1,400 supervised hours a year for four years, or use the coursework route above.
- Confirm your schooling. You need at least two years of high school or an equivalent course of study.
- File for the exam. Send the Application for Examination at least 30 days before the exam date, with the $175 fee.
- Pass the three part exam. Average 75 or better, with at least 61 on each part.
- Pay the license fee. IDPH issues a plastic photo license card for $150.
- Register if you contract. Plumbing for another person takes the contractor registration below.
Want the Application Done for You?
Filling out IDPH's apprentice, exam and license forms correctly, and later the contractor registration with its insurance certificate and bond, is its own project. A form sent back for a missing attachment costs you weeks. The Licensing Company's License Application Processing prepares and submits your Illinois plumbing application: an eligibility audit before anything is filed, a document checklist (we chase the pieces with you), every state form prepared and reviewed line by line, submission the way IDPH requires, and the board's paperwork questions answered and resubmitted until the Department decides.
It is a flat $999 per state application, paid up front. State fees, exam fees, background checks and fingerprinting are paid to the state, not to us. We do not promise approval, we do not promise a timeline, and we do not sit for your exam; IDPH alone decides your application. Call 615-219-2110 to start.
Illinois Plumbing License Fees
IDPH sets these fees in rule and prints them on its forms. The exam, apprentice and contractor forms all mark their fees non refundable.
| Fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exam, Illinois licensed apprentice | $175 | 68 IAC 750.1100; exam form |
| Exam, licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois | $225 | Exam form |
| Exam retake | $175 | 68 IAC 750.1100 |
| Plumber's license, initial or renewal | $150 | 68 IAC 750.1100 |
| Apprentice license, initial or renewal | $100 | 68 IAC 750.1100 |
| Late or reinstatement fee | $100 | 68 IAC 750.1100 |
| Restoration after 5 years (includes first exam) | $175 | 68 IAC 750.1100 |
| Plumbing contractor registration, per year | $150 | 77 IAC 894.80 |
| Contractor reinstatement | $100 | 77 IAC 894.80 |
The exam and apprentice forms each mark a $100 returned check fee; the contractor registration form marks its own returned check fee at $200.
Plumbing Contractor Registration: Bond and Insurance
Your plumber's license lets you do the work. Doing plumbing for another person makes you a plumbing contractor, and a plumbing contractor registers with IDPH every year (225 ILCS 320/13.1).
A licensed plumber employed by a plumbing business, or by a hospital or university to plumb only for it, is not a contractor. An entity with an audited net worth of $100,000,000 or more is also exempt.
| Requirement | Minimum | Source |
|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | $100,000 per occurrence | 225 ILCS 320/13.1(4) |
| Bodily injury insurance | $300,000 aggregate | 225 ILCS 320/13.1(4) |
| Property damage insurance | $50,000, or $300,000 combined limit | 225 ILCS 320/13.1(4) |
| Workers' compensation | $500,000 employer's liability | 225 ILCS 320/13.1(4) |
| Indemnification bond or letter of credit | $20,000 on the IDPH form | 225 ILCS 320/13.1(5) |
| Annual registration fee | $150, non refundable | 77 IAC 894.80 |
| Plumber of record | Owner, partner, officer, LLC manager/member | IDPH contractor form |
The IDPH form states the insurance as per occurrence limits, names IDPH as certificate holder, and refuses binders and continuous certificates. Coverage must stay in force at all times. A sole proprietor or partnership with no employees may file the Affidavit of No Employees in place of workers' compensation.
The bond has an Illinois quirk: it cannot be a continuous bond and must expire September 30 of the current year. Every registration expires on the last day of September too, so the bond and the registration renew together. Report changes in structure, name, location or plumber of record to IDPH in advance, and reapply after a change of owner. For how this sits beside a city business license, see contractor license vs. business license.
Who Must Be the Plumber of Record
Illinois puts a licensed plumber inside the leadership of every plumbing business. At least one member of every firm or partnership, and at least one corporate officer of every corporation, must be a licensed plumber (225 ILCS 320/3(3)). The IDPH form calls this person the plumber of record: the sole owner, a partner, an officer, or an LLC manager or member.
It is a real job, not a name on a form. The licensed officer is individually responsible for the plumbing done by the company's employees, documented by payroll records, time sheets or W-2 forms (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.600). IDPH can discipline a registration whose named plumber is not actively engaged in its plumbing on a daily basis (77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.60), and the contractor form lets one plumber be plumber of record for only one company at a time.
For an owner who is not yet a plumber, the lawful answer is a licensed plumber on the payroll as a full time W-2 employee, not a 1099 contractor, appointed a corporate officer or LLC manager, and supervising the work every day. That role is a qualifying agent: a licensed professional on your payroll who qualifies your company and runs its licensed work. Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, the founders of The Licensing Company, built the firm on that model. To fill the role, hire a qualifying agent or read plumbing contractor qualifying agent.
How Chicago Fits In
The law lets a city of 500,000 or more run its own board of plumbing examiners, and Chicago does, through its Department of Buildings (225 ILCS 320/16). A plumber licensed by that board or by IDPH may plumb anywhere in Illinois.
Chicago's own journeyman plumber license requires age 21 and at least four years as an apprentice, then a written exam (100 questions, three hours, a score of 70 or better) and a practical exam. The City says IDPH plumber licenses are valid in Chicago when the plumber's employer holds a City of Chicago plumbing contractor license.
A state registered contractor needs that city license too. It is filed by a Chicago licensed plumber who is the proprietor, a member, or a corporate officer, with a $20,000 performance bond payable to the City and a $150 fee for 2026. It covers employees only; plumbers paid as independent contractors do not count.
How Long It Takes and What It Costs
The time is the real cost: four years as a licensed apprentice, 5,600 hours, before you can even sit for the exam, with no shortcut around the hours for an individual. We compare timelines across trades in how long does it take to get a contractor license.
The state fees are the small part: $100 a year as an apprentice, $175 for the exam, and $150 a year once licensed. A business adds the $150 registration, the bond premium and insurance, which vary by carrier. That runway is why companies that need to operate now bring an already licensed plumber onto their leadership.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Plumber and apprentice licenses expire on April 30; a first license issued after February 15 skips the next April 30 and expires one year after it (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.400). Renew before May 1, or add the $100 reinstatement fee.
Each plumber completes four hours of continuing education before every renewal after the first, from IDPH approved sponsors (225 ILCS 320/3(1)); the law caps the requirement at 15 hours a year. A license expired under five years is reinstated by paying the lapsed fees and the reinstatement fee, no exam required. After five years, restoration means passing the plumber's exam again, and a failed exam is grounds to withhold restoration (225 ILCS 320/14).
Out of State Plumbers and Reciprocity
A plumber licensed in another state or city can skip the Illinois exam if the Board finds that jurisdiction's requirements substantially equal to Illinois's and that it grants Illinois plumbers the same privilege (225 ILCS 320/17). Otherwise, a plumber from a substantially equal jurisdiction still has to pass the Illinois exam.
Out of state apprentice time counts toward the four years on an hour for hour basis, and out of state applicants pay the $225 exam fee rather than the $175 in state rate.
Penalties for Unlicensed Plumbing
Violating the Act is a Class B misdemeanor with a $500 fine for a first offense, and a Class A misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine after that, with each day counted as a separate offense (225 ILCS 320/29). IDPH can also add a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per offense for practicing as an unlicensed plumber or plumbing contractor (225 ILCS 320/29.5).
By rule, a first offense costs $1,000, $3,000 with code violations, and a third costs $5,000. A company that lets an unlicensed person plumb pays $5,000 and faces suspension. Every plumbing advertisement must show the plumbing license number (225 ILCS 320/5).
How to Look Up an Illinois Plumbing License
IDPH runs a Plumbing License Verification search from its plumbing program page, searchable by name, license number, business name or location. Chicago separately publishes its licensed plumbing contractors with license and bond expiration dates. Check the contractor registration, not only the individual plumber, before you hire.
Other Illinois trades follow different rules: see the Illinois electrician license, Illinois HVAC license, Illinois general contractor license and Illinois roofing contractor license guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are plumbers licensed in Illinois? Yes. IDPH licenses plumbers statewide under 225 ILCS 320, and Chicago runs its own board as well. A plumber licensed by either may plumb anywhere in Illinois.
Is there a journeyman and master plumber license in Illinois? No. Illinois has one licensed Plumber credential, reached from the apprentice license. Chicago also issues a single plumber license rather than separate tiers.
How many hours do you need for an Illinois plumbing license? At least 1,400 hours a year for four years, 5,600 in total, as a licensed apprentice. Two apprentice years plus two years of approved courses reach the same total.
How long does it take to get a plumbing license in Illinois? At least four years before the exam. IDPH describes 48 to 72 months to reach licensure, and an apprentice cannot serve more than six years without passing.
How much does an Illinois plumbing license cost? The apprentice license is $100 a year, the exam $175 ($225 if licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois), and the plumber's license $150 a year. A contractor adds a $150 registration, a $20,000 bond, and insurance.
Can a company register as an Illinois plumbing contractor without a licensed plumber? No. The plumber of record must be the owner, a partner, a corporate officer, or an LLC manager or member, for one company at a time. An owner who is not a plumber brings a licensed plumber onto the payroll into that role.
Do I need a Chicago license to plumb in Chicago? An IDPH licensed plumber can work in Chicago for an employer that holds a City of Chicago plumbing contractor license. That business license is filed by a Chicago licensed plumber who is its proprietor, member or corporate officer.
When is the Illinois plumbing exam offered? At least once every three months, with up to 50 applicants a date, 40 in winter. Your application must be postmarked at least 30 days before.
Talk to Us About Qualifying Your Plumbing Company
If you own an Illinois plumbing company and the plumber of record seat is open, or about to be, call us at 615-219-2110. We will walk through your structure, your service area, and whether Chicago is in your plans. If the paperwork itself is the holdup, License Application Processing files it for a flat $999 per state application. You can also start at hire a qualifying agent.
Sources
All retrieved 2026-10-05.
- Illinois Department of Public Health, Plumbing program
- Illinois Plumbing License Law, 225 ILCS 320
- Plumbers Licensing Code, 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750
- Plumbing Contractor Registration Code, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894
- IDPH Application for Examination for Plumber's License
- IDPH Plumbing Contractor Application for Registration or Renewal
- IDPH Application for Apprentice Plumber's License
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, Section 750.300, examination admission
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, Section 750.310, exam administration
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, Section 750.400, licensing and renewal
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, Section 750.500, continuing education
- 225 ILCS 320/14, license restoration
- City of Chicago, Plumber License
- City of Chicago, Plumbing Contractor License
- City of Chicago, Licensed Plumbing Contractors
- The Licensing Company, License Application Processing
This guide reflects the Illinois plumbing statute, IDPH rules and forms, and City of Chicago pages as of October 5, 2026. Confirm fees and requirements with IDPH or the City of Chicago before you file. The Licensing Company places licensed professionals as full time W-2 employees who qualify a company and run its licensed work.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.