How to get a plumbing license in Illinois

Journeyman level 5,600 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Plumbing Program · (217) 524-0791 [1][10]

The license pathway in Illinois

1. 1

   Licensed apprentice plumber

   • $100 a year
   • Yearly; expires April 30. You may hold it for no more than 6 years.

   You must be at least 16 and sponsored by an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program. You work only under the supervision of your sponsor or the sponsor's licensed-plumber agent. [2][7][14]

2. 2

   Licensed plumber

   • 5,600 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • Not required on the main route; 2 years of approved courses can replace 2 of the 4 apprentice years
   • Yes: written code test, construction drawings, and a hands-on practical (bring your own tools)
   • $175 exam ($225 out-of-state or Chicago); $150 license
   • Yearly, $150; expires April 30; 4 hours of continuing education

   Illinois has one full plumber's license, not separate journeyman and master levels. It lets you plan, design and install plumbing anywhere in the state and sponsor up to two apprentices. [1][2][3][5][7][8]

3. 3

   Registered plumbing contractor

   • $150 a year
   • Yearly; registrations expire September 30

   A business that does plumbing must register each year, list a licensed plumber who is an owner, partner or officer, carry set insurance amounts, and post a $20,000 bond or letter of credit. [2][11]

Who needs a plumbing license in Illinois

Illinois law says all planning, designing and installing of plumbing "shall be performed only by" licensed plumbers and licensed apprentice plumbers. Employees of a plumbing firm who do plumbing must hold one of those two licenses, and at least one owner, partner or corporate officer must be a licensed plumber.

There is one main exception. You may do plumbing on a single-family home that you own or rent and live in (or one you are building to live in), as long as the work meets the Illinois State Plumbing Code and passes inspection. You may not hire anyone but a licensed plumber to help you.

IDPH says it licenses about 8,900 plumbers and 2,000 apprentice plumbers. Check anyone's license with the IDPH plumbing license lookup. [1][2]

The license ladder: apprentice, plumber, contractor

Illinois does not use the journeyman and master titles found in many states. The law names only licensed apprentice plumbers, licensed plumbers and retired plumbers, plus registration for plumbing contractors (businesses).

• Licensed apprentice plumber. Your first license. You must be 16 or older and sponsored by an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program. One plumber may sponsor or supervise no more than two apprentices at a time.
• Licensed plumber. The full license, earned by passing the state exam. It lets you plan, design and install plumbing, and sponsor apprentices.
• Registered plumbing contractor. The business registration a company needs to sell plumbing work.

In your first and second years as an apprentice, the law requires "direct personal supervision" by your sponsor or the sponsor's agent, a licensed plumber. After that, your sponsor or agent must inspect your work daily, after rough-in and at completion. [1][2]

How many hours you need, and what counts

The usual route is at least four years as an Illinois licensed apprentice. The IDPH rule sets the minimum at 1,400 hours a year, "for a total of 5,600 hours in four years."

The rule also allows these other routes to the exam:

• Two years as a licensed apprentice plus two years of approved plumbing courses. Classroom or lab training from a trade school, the military or a college earns two credit hours per classroom hour, up to 24 months of credit.
• Completing a course of study IDPH has approved as equal to a four-year apprenticeship (2,800 hours of credit).
• Apprentice time in another state, credited hour for hour.

You can hold an apprentice license for no more than six years. If you have not applied for and passed the plumber's exam by then, the apprentice license cannot be renewed.

Sources differ on one point. The statute and the IDPH rule treat an approved plumbing course as an alternative route. The IDPH web page describes four years as an apprentice "in addition to" an approved course. Confirm your route with IDPH before you apply. [1][2][3][4]

The Illinois plumber's exam

IDPH and the Illinois State Board of Plumbing Examiners set the exam dates and locations. Exams are held at least once every three months, with no more than 50 people per exam date (40 in winter).

The exam has three parts:

• Knowledge assessment: true/false, multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank questions on the Illinois Plumbing Code.
• Construction drawings or plans: you read and complete plans or answer questions about fixtures, piping and code compliance.
• Practical application: you assemble plumbing projects from a drawing, using current materials and techniques.

You bring your own tools. Clothing with any writing or logos is not allowed, and you must wear safety glasses in the shop. To pass you need an average of 75 or higher, and at least 61 on each part. If you fail, you file a retake form with a $175 fee for a later exam date. [2][3][5][6]

Fees and renewal

Fees set in the IDPH rule:

• Apprentice plumber license: $100, initial or yearly renewal.
• Plumber's exam: $175 if you are an Illinois licensed apprentice; $225 if you are registered or licensed in another state.
• Re-examination: $175.
• Plumber's license: $150, initial or yearly renewal.
• Late or reinstatement fee: $100, on top of lapsed renewal fees.

Plumber and apprentice licenses expire on April 30. Each year after your first license renewal, you must show 4 hours of continuing education (CE, approved classes that keep your code knowledge current) from an IDPH-approved sponsor. If your plumber's license has been expired for more than five years, you must pass the exam again to restore it.

The IDPH exam application form lists the higher $225 fee for plumbers "Registered or Licensed in Chicago or Outside the State of Illinois." [2][7][8][9][10]

Registering a plumbing contractor business

Every person or company in the business of plumbing contracting must register with IDPH each year (very large firms with $100 million or more in audited net worth are exempt). Registrations expire on September 30.

To register you need:

• A licensed plumber who is the owner, a partner or a corporate officer.
• General liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury, property damage coverage of at least $50,000 (or a $300,000 combined single limit), and workers' compensation with $500,000 employer's liability.
• A $20,000 indemnification bond or letter of credit.
• The $150 annual registration fee.

Every employee who does plumbing must be a licensed plumber or licensed apprentice. Ads for plumbing services must show the license number. [1][2][11]

Chicago issues its own plumber licenses

Illinois law lets a city of 500,000 or more run its own plumbing board, and Chicago does. A plumber licensed by the City of Chicago or by IDPH may do plumbing anywhere in Illinois.

The Chicago Department of Buildings issues one plumber license, which it says is "sometimes referred to as a journeyman plumber license," and an apprentice plumber license. City rules include:

• Apprentice: at least 16, with a letter from a licensed plumbing contractor or approved apprenticeship program. $100 a year (2026).
• Plumber: at least 21, four years as a plumber's apprentice or an approved plumbing course, then written and practical exams (Continental Testing Services runs the written exam). Exam fee $175 for current Chicago or Illinois apprentices, $225 for others; license $150 a year (2026). Renewal requires 4 hours of CE.

IDPH plumber and apprentice licenses are also valid in Chicago, as long as your employer holds a City of Chicago plumbing contractor license. See the city's plumber license page. [2][12][13]

If you're licensed in another state

Illinois law allows IDPH to license an out-of-state plumber without the exam only if you are at least 21, the Board finds your state's requirements were "substantially equal" to Illinois's, and your state gives Illinois plumbers the same privilege. IDPH does not publish a list of states that qualify.

If your state's requirements are equal but there is no reciprocal agreement, you can get an Illinois license by passing the Illinois plumber's exam. The out-of-state exam fee is $225. Licensed apprentice time from another state counts hour for hour toward the four-year apprenticeship.

For more on how states recognize each other's licenses, see our license reciprocity guide. [2][3][7]

Career changers and military service

The minimum age for an apprentice license is 16, and the sources set no upper age limit. You need at least two years of high school, or an equivalent course of study, to take the plumber's exam, and the IDPH rule requires you to be a U.S. citizen or to have declared your intent to become one.

Classroom or lab training from a trade school, college or a branch of the military earns credit toward the experience requirement (two credit hours per classroom hour, up to 24 months). If your plumber's license expires while you are on active military duty, IDPH reinstates it without an exam if you apply within two years of leaving service.

For a broader look at switching careers, see career change to the trades, and compare the Illinois electrician license if you are weighing trades. [2][3][14]

Steps to get licensed in Illinois

1. Find a sponsor

   Get hired by an Illinois licensed plumber or accepted into an approved apprenticeship program (union or employer-run). The sponsor's name and license or program number goes on your application. [2][14]

2. Apply for your apprentice plumber license

   Send IDPH the Apprentice Plumber's License Application with a $100 check and a 1-inch color photo. You must be at least 16. [14][15]

3. Work at least four years as a licensed apprentice

   Log at least 1,400 hours a year under your sponsor's supervision, renewing your apprentice license each April. Two years of approved plumbing courses can replace two of those years. [3][14]

4. Apply for the plumber's exam

   File the Application for Examination with the $175 fee at least 30 days before an exam date. You need at least two years of high school or the equivalent. [2][3][10]

5. Pass the three-part exam

   Bring your own tools. You need an average of 75 across the written, drawings and practical parts, with at least 61 on each part. [5]

6. Pay the license fee and keep it current

   Pay the $150 license fee. Renew every year by April 30, and after your first renewal show 4 hours of approved continuing education. [7][8][9]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train plumbers in or for Illinois, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  UA Plumbers Local 130 (Chicago) Joint Apprenticeship Committee

  A five-year union apprenticeship: in years one to three you work four days a week and attend class one day; in years four and five you attend night classes. It is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. [16]

• Union

  Other UA locals in Illinois

  The directory of the United Association (UA, the plumbers' and pipefitters' union) lists Illinois locals in Rockford (23), Rock Island (25), Peoria (63), Bloomington (99), Belleville (101), Springfield (137), Champaign (149) and Carbondale (160), among others. It does not say which locals train plumbers rather than pipefitters. [17]

• Open shop

  Sponsorship by an individual licensed plumber

  Illinois law lets a single Illinois licensed plumber sponsor you as a licensed apprentice, so you can also train at a non-union plumbing company. [1][2]

• State program

  Apprenticeship Illinois

  The state's registered apprenticeship hub on Illinois workNet, with general information on registered programs. [18]

• School

  Illinois Works pre-apprenticeship (Danville Area Community College)

  A free pre-apprenticeship that prepares you to move into a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship in trades including plumbing. [19]

• Other

  Apprenticeship.gov Apprenticeship Finder

  The U.S. Department of Labor's search tool for registered apprenticeship openings, including plumbing programs in Illinois. [20]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask