Illinois Plumbing Contractor License Cost & Requirements (2026)
Illinois is one of the few states where plumbers are licensed by the health department. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) runs the system under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, and it licenses the person rather than the company: one grade of Licensed Plumber, an Apprentice Plumber license beneath it, and a separate Plumbing Contractor registration for anyone who wants to sell plumbing work to the public. There is no journeyman or master tier at state level, whatever Chicago's parallel city system calls its grades.
This page was rebuilt in October 2026 from the fee schedule in IDPH's own rule, the Plumbers Licensing Code (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100), and the department's current application forms. The numbers are smaller than in most states and the structure is simpler, but the traps are real: the exam fee is not the license fee, the bond hides in the registration layer, and every credential in the system runs out on the same April date.
Illinois Plumbing Contractor Fee Estimator
Regulatory fee breakdown for Licensed Plumber (Illinois Department of Public Health)
Itemized Fee Schedule
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)
All applications and exams must be registered directly with this board.
Fee figures on this page were checked against Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbers Licensing Code, 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100 on October 30, 2026. View the official source
Regulatory & Licensing Requirements Summary
| Official License Classification | Licensed Plumber (Illinois Department of Public Health) |
| Minimum Experience | 4 Years (Journeyman / Field Supervisor) |
| Mandatory State Surety Bond | Not required at state level (Local permits may apply) |
| General Liability Insurance | Roofing only: $500,000 per occurrence bodily injury / $250,000 per occurrence property damage (68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1460). No state GL mandate for general contractors or plumbing. |
| Estimated Application Processing Time | Not published by the board |
| Renewal Cycle & CE Requirement | Every 2 year(s) with 4 hours of Continuing Education |
Warning: Unlicensed Contracting Penalties in Illinois
Illinois licenses only a few trades at state level. For roofing, the state's main contractor license: unlicensed practice is a Class A misdemeanor on a first offense and a Class 4 felony on later offenses, and IDFPR can impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per offense (225 ILCS 335/10, 335/10a).
Note: In many states, unlicensed contractors also lose the ability to file mechanic's liens or sue for non-payment in civil courts.
Special Statutory Notes for Illinois
Licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) under the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320). Fees are set in the Plumbers Licensing Code, 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100. The $175 shown as the application fee is the examination application fee for an applicant who has been an Illinois licensed apprentice. Applicants registered in Chicago or licensed in another state pay $225, and re-examination is $175.
The license fee itself is $150, charged on initial licensure and at every annual renewal. There is no journeyman/master split at state level and no reciprocity: an out-of-state license qualifies you to sit the Illinois exam, nothing more. Qualification is at least 4 years as an Illinois licensed apprentice plus completion of a US Department of Labor approved apprenticeship program.
The apprentice license costs $100 a year (minimum age 16, sponsorship required) and cannot be renewed beyond a 6-year maximum apprenticeship window. The individual license carries NO surety bond.
The bond sits one layer up, in the separate Plumbing Contractor registration required to contract with the public: $150 to register and $150 a year to renew, a $20,000 surety bond on IDPH form IL 482-0689 (a $20,000 letter of credit may be deposited instead), and insurance minimums of $100,000 general liability, $300,000 bodily injury and $50,000 property damage per occurrence plus workers' compensation cover.
Unlike most states' bonds, the IDPH bond is written to expire on September 30 each year and must be replaced annually. Every IDPH credential expires on April 30. The late or reinstatement fee is $100 on top of lapsed renewal fees, restoration after more than 5 years expired is $175 including the first examination, and a retired plumber's license is $25 a year.
Chicago runs its own plumber licensing inside the city alongside the state system.
Illinois licenses roofing at state level through IDFPR and plumbing through the Department of Public Health. General contractors are licensed locally, for example by the City of Chicago.
One license, two fees, and a four-year runway
The route starts with the apprentice license: you must be at least 16, sponsored by an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program, and the license costs $100, the same at renewal. Qualification for the licensing exam then takes at least four years as a licensed apprentice together with completion of a US Department of Labor approved apprenticeship program.
The apprentice license has a hard edge to it: it can be renewed only within a maximum apprenticeship window of six years, so an apprentice who drifts without applying for the exam eventually holds a license that cannot be renewed at all.
When you are ready, the Application for Examination goes to IDPH at least 30 days before the exam date, with the examination fee: $175 if you have been an Illinois licensed apprentice, $225 if you are registered in Chicago or licensed in another state. Passing the exam is not the last payment.
The license fee itself is $150, charged when the license is first issued and again at every renewal, so the first-time cost of the state license, after the apprentice years, is $325. An out-of-state license buys you a seat at the Illinois exam and nothing else; Illinois has no reciprocity, and re-examination, if it comes to that, is $175.
The contractor registration: where the bond actually lives
The individual license authorizes you to do plumbing work. It does not authorize you to contract with the public, and Illinois keeps those two permissions separate. Selling plumbing work under your own business requires IDPH's Plumbing Contractor registration: $150 to register, $150 a year to renew, and a financial-responsibility package the individual license never asks for.
That package is a $20,000 surety bond executed on IDPH's own form (a $20,000 letter of credit can be deposited instead) plus insurance minimums of $100,000 general liability, $300,000 bodily injury and $50,000 property damage per occurrence, with workers' compensation cover on top.
The bond has a quirk worth knowing before you buy it. Most states' contractor bonds are continuous, written once and left alone; the IDPH plumbing contractor bond is written to expire on September 30 each year and is replaced annually. A contractor can have a perfectly current registration and still be exposed in October because last year's bond ran out on schedule and nobody replaced it. Registration also attaches to one business at a time, which matters for licensed plumbers who work through more than one company.
April 30: the whole system renews at once
Every IDPH plumbing credential, plumber, apprentice and contractor registration alike, expires on April 30, and renewal runs from May 1. Licensed plumbers renew at $150 a year with four hours of IDPH-approved continuing education completed for the year; the education requirement is part of the renewal, not an optional extra. Miss the date and the late or reinstatement fee is $100 on top of all lapsed renewal fees.
Let a license stay expired for more than five years and renewal is no longer available at all: restoration costs $175, includes the first examination fee, and puts you back in front of the exam. Plumbers stepping away from the trade can park the credential instead on a retired plumber's license at $25 a year.
Chicago deserves its own paragraph in any Illinois plumbing guide. The city maintains its own licensing inside its limits, with its own apprentice, journeyman and contractor credentials, and the two systems coexist: IDPH's own fee schedule prices Chicago-registered applicants as a separate class at the $225 exam rate. Which credential governs your work depends on where the work is, and a plumber building a business around Chicago needs to satisfy the city's system as well as the state's.
Mistakes that delay a Illinois Plumber application
- Budgeting $175 as the full cost of the license: it is the examination application fee. The $150 license fee follows when you pass, and the apprentice years before it cost $100 each.
- Paying the $175 exam rate as a Chicago-registered or out-of-state plumber: the rule prices those applications at $225.
- Working for homeowners on the strength of the individual license alone: contracting with the public needs the separate Plumbing Contractor registration, its $20,000 bond and its insurance minimums.
- Letting the contractor bond run out in October: the bond is written to a September 30 expiry and must be replaced every year, separately from the registration renewal.
- Drifting past the six-year apprenticeship limit without sitting the exam: after the maximum period the apprentice license cannot be renewed.
- Missing April 30: renewal is annual for every IDPH credential, the late fee is $100 on top of lapsed fees, and licensed plumbers must have their 4 hours of continuing education done.
Illinois Plumber Licensing FAQ
What does an Illinois plumber's license cost in total?
In state fees, $325 on the Illinois apprentice route: a $175 examination application fee plus the $150 license fee charged when you pass. Applicants registered in Chicago or licensed in another state pay a $225 examination fee instead, for $375 in total. That sits on top of the apprentice license at $100 a year during the apprenticeship, and the separate Plumbing Contractor registration ($150, plus the $20,000 bond and insurance) if you will contract with the public.
Does an Illinois plumber need a surety bond?
Not for the individual license; IDPH asks no bond of a Licensed Plumber. The $20,000 surety bond (or a $20,000 letter of credit) belongs to the Plumbing Contractor registration, the business credential required to contract with the public. It is written on IDPH's form, names the department as obligee, and expires each September 30, so it is replaced annually rather than running continuously.
Can an out-of-state plumber transfer a license to Illinois?
No. Illinois offers no reciprocity for plumbers. A valid license from another state qualifies you to apply for the Illinois examination, at the $225 application rate rather than $175, but you still sit and pass the Illinois exam and pay the $150 license fee. The same $225 category covers plumbers registered in Chicago who apply for the state license.
How much continuing education does an Illinois plumber need?
Four hours of IDPH-approved continuing education every year, tied to the annual renewal: licenses expire on April 30 and the education must be completed for renewal. It applies to licensed plumbers; the apprentice license renews annually at $100 without the education requirement, inside its six-year maximum window.
Is the state license enough to work in Chicago?
Chicago runs its own plumber licensing inside the city, with its own apprentice, journeyman and contractor credentials, alongside the state system. IDPH's fee schedule itself treats Chicago-registered plumbers as a distinct applicant class. For work inside Chicago, check the city's requirements as well; the IDPH license is the credential that governs plumbing work across the rest of Illinois.
How long does it take to become a licensed plumber in Illinois?
At least four years as a licensed apprentice, together with a US Department of Labor approved apprenticeship program, before you can apply for the examination. The apprenticeship has a ceiling as well as a floor: the apprentice license can be renewed only within a six-year maximum window, so the exam needs to happen inside that period.
How much does a Plumbing Contractor license cost in Illinois?
The filing and licensing fees on the Illinois Plumbing Contractor schedule total approximately $325. This consists of a $175 application fee, a $0 examination fee, and a $150 initial license fee.
How long does it take to get a Plumbing Contractor license in Illinois?
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) does not publish a fixed end-to-end processing time for this license. IDPH publishes no processing average. The pacing rule is the examination calendar: an application for examination must reach the department at least 30 days before the exam date.
What are the penalties for working as an unlicensed Plumber in Illinois?
Illinois licenses only a few trades at state level. For roofing, the state's main contractor license: unlicensed practice is a Class A misdemeanor on a first offense and a Class 4 felony on later offenses, and IDFPR can impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per offense (225 ILCS 335/10, 335/10a).
How often do you need to renew a Plumber license in Illinois?
Licenses must be renewed every 2 year(s) with a renewal fee of $150. You must also complete 4 hours of approved Continuing Education (CE).