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How to Become a Plumber in Illinois

Illinois has a statewide plumbing licensing structure administered by IDPH. Covered plumbing work requires an Illinois license; apprentice licensing and sponsorship, plumber qualification, examination and course requirements, and plumbing-contractor registration are separate steps. Local code officials still control job-specific permits and inspections. The plumber, pipefitter, or steamfitter figures below describe the occupation, not a guaranteed starting wage, job offer, or business outcome. The rules can differ by state, city, and type of work.

Source record checked 2026-09-11Source record

Regulator: Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)

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State Median Wage
$99,950
P90 benchmark: $126,430 · 2025 wage data
Paid Work Before License?
May be possible
Paid entry may be available through an employer or registered apprenticeship. IDES describes apprenticeship as a learn-and-earn model combining on-the-job training with related classroom instruction under mentor supervision. For plumbing, an apprentice must hold the required Illinois apprentice license and sponsorship. Paid employment does not authorize work outside the applicable federal, state, local, or employer rules.
Qualification timing
No single timeline is recorded; apprentice sponsorship, education, approved course instruction, supervised experience, and IDPH examination requirements control.
Contractor license: No single statewide timeline is recorded; the individual plumber license, statewide plumbing-contractor registration, and local permit or business requirements are separate steps.
Annual State Openings
1,729
State projection 2024–2034; openings include growth and replacement, not a job guarantee

Employment outlook: Illinois vs United States

These state and national projections describe the occupation. They do not promise a job, wage, or opening.

State and national figures use the periods shown

Illinois state record

2024–2034

Employment (2024)
19,582
Projected (2034)
20,610
Projected change
5.25% (2024–2034)
Annual openings
1,729

Source note: The Illinois Department of Employment Security 2024–2034 statewide workbook is the source of record for the Illinois employment and projection figures shown here. Annual openings are source estimates, not current vacancies or a job guarantee. The 2025 wage distribution and the national 2024–2034 comparison are separate labeled series and should not be combined with the state projection counts.

United States benchmark

2024–2034; national benchmark, not a state estimate for Illinois

Employment (2024)
504,500
Projected (2034)
527,200
Projected change
5% (2024–2034)
Annual openings
44,000

National median wage benchmark: $63,800

Annual openings are the source’s estimate and may include growth and replacement demand. They do not count jobs available to you now.

BLS query system: May 2025 · statewide row Direct BLS state wage table: May 2025 · SOC 47-2152 BLS state OEWS data file: oesm25st/state_M2025_dl.xlsx

The BLS May 2025 state OEWS dataset is the source of record for this wage ladder. The exact statewide row was retrieved from the BLS OEWS query system. The linked O*NET local-wage page is retained as a readable cross-check and is not a separate wage vintage. BLS OEWS state figures are survey estimates for wage-and-salary workers in nonfarm establishments, not job offers, guaranteed starting pay, benefits, overtime, self-employment income, or business revenue. The occupation scope follows the exact SOC row, so a job title or employer may include duties outside this occupation.

BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine 2025 wage data State employment source: official record 2024–2034 National benchmark source: O*NET/BLS 2024–2034
Official sources used for this record (17)

These links show the source trail for the record. A listing is a citation, not an endorsement; confirm volatile rules and local requirements before acting.

Do I need to pay for school first?

Do not treat a listed course as a required first step. We have not established a school requirement for every route. Ask the regulator and the employer or apprenticeship sponsor these questions before paying:

  • Can I apply for supervised paid work before enrolling? Which registration or license must I hold first?
  • Is classroom training required for this exact route, or is it one of several options?
  • Does this specific approved course count toward the qualification I want? Who confirms that credit?
  • What can I legally do after completion, and what experience or examination remains?
  • What are the full costs and refund terms before I pay a deposit?
Compare training leads for Plumber in Illinois

These are verification questions, not findings about this pathway. A source-checked training listing does not establish school necessity, legal authority, a paid position, or an open application.

Important rules in Illinois

Illinois rules differ by trade and work location. Plumbing has a statewide IDPH licensing structure; electrical authorization and inspection requirements are municipality-dependent; HVAC/R evidence in this record separates federal EPA Section 608 certification from local contractor, permit, and code rules. Confirm the job address, work scope, and authority having jurisdiction before relying on a pathway step.

Illinois · Plumber

Source record checked

We checked the official sources for this state and trade on the review date shown.

Checked recently: 2026-09-11 · source period 2025 wage data. This date is a reminder to check the information. It does not mean it was checked again.

What this does not prove: This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.

Your next best steps

Start with a conversation, not a resignation. Use these steps to check your options. They do not guarantee a job, a training place, or a license or certificate.

Step 01

Check which work you may do

Check the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) page. Ask which Plumber work you may do, who must supervise it, and which exams and fees apply. Make sure the rules are for workers, not just contractors or businesses. This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.

Step 02

Ask what the training qualifies you to do

Ask the school what you will learn, how much hands-on practice you will get, and what you can do after finishing. A course completion certificate is not a license or a job offer. This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.

Step 03

Ask about current jobs and training places

Ask whether there is a paid job now, a training program to apply to, or only a list for future applicants. Check starting pay, work hours, tools, travel, benefits, how they choose applicants, and what happens if the job or training ends early, or if you leave early. This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.

Questions to take with you

Use these with a regulator, employer, sponsor, or training provider. Save the answers in writing when possible.

  1. 1Are these Plumber rules for individual workers, contractors or businesses, or both? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
  2. 2Which work or class hours count toward the license, certificate, or required experience? Who keeps the records? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
  3. 3Can I start paid work under supervision before I earn the license or certificate? Who must supervise me? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
  4. 4Is there a paid job or training place open now? Is this only a list for future applicants, or an old listing? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
  5. 5What is the starting pay, and how could it rise? Can I get those terms in writing? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
  6. 6Which fees, tools, travel, exams, insurance, or equipment will I need to pay for? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
  7. 7Does finishing this program count toward Illinois requirements? Does the licensing authority need to approve it separately? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.

Steps to qualify in Illinois

Click on each stage to inspect the legal requirements, hours, fees, and exam specifications.

Stage 1: Licensed Plumbing Apprentice Entry

Illinois licensed plumber’s apprentice

Enter paid supervised work with the required apprentice license and sponsor

Illinois law provides that an individual may not work as a plumber’s apprentice unless properly licensed. An apprentice applicant must be at least 16 and must verify sponsorship by an Illinois licensed plumber or an approved apprenticeship program. This is a paid supervised entry route, not independent plumbing authorization.

Timeline:Varies by sponsor, employer, application, and selection process
State/Exam Fee:Current IDPH apprentice-license fee was not verified in this record
Exam Required:No Exam
Renewal:Illinois licenses expire April 30 after issuance; an apprentice license can also end when sponsor status is severed. Confirm the current IDPH renewal process.
Classroom hours:
Related instruction; approved program terms control
Supervised work hours:
Supervised plumbing work under the applicable licensed plumber or program

Stored requirement from this source-checked record. Read the stage's official source and confirm current eligibility, accepted credits, and how hours must be documented.

A state or exam fee is not the total cost. Tuition, tools, protective equipment, travel, application waiting time, unpaid study, and lost income need a separate written budget. A complete route cost is not verified here.

Key requirements in this record

  • Apply for the Illinois plumber’s apprentice license through the current IDPH process
  • Secure sponsorship from an Illinois licensed plumber or approved apprenticeship program
  • Confirm supervision, related instruction, schedule, tools, transportation, and wage progression

Online Training Applicability

Online theory may support preparation, but it does not replace the required apprentice license, sponsor, supervision, or hands-on work.
Source Authority:Illinois Plumbing License Law — 225 ILCS 320/3

Training, experience, and continuing education

These requirements describe different things: related instruction, supervised on-the-job experience, wiring-school instruction, and renewal education. They are not interchangeable and do not prove a current sponsor seat, employer opening, or placement result.

Continuing education

Illinois law requires proof of 4 hours of continuing education as a condition of each annual plumber-license renewal after the first; confirm current IDPH rules and applicability.

Selected-stage instruction

Illinois licensed plumber’s apprentice

Related instruction; approved program terms control

Selected-stage field experience

Illinois licensed plumber’s apprentice

Supervised plumbing work under the applicable licensed plumber or program

Stage-by-stage hour qualifiers

  • Illinois licensed plumber’s apprentice

    Instruction/training: Related instruction; approved program terms control

    On-the-job experience: Supervised plumbing work under the applicable licensed plumber or program

  • Illinois plumber license

    Instruction/training: High-school-level education and approved course instruction; current hour thresholds were not verified here

    On-the-job experience: Supervised licensed-apprentice employment; confirm current experience terms with IDPH

  • Illinois plumbing-contractor registration

    Instruction/training: No separate contractor-registration classroom requirement was verified

    On-the-job experience: Business and licensed-worker requirements apply

  • Local plumbing permits, inspections, code, and residential-contracting compliance

    Instruction/training: Local authority and work-scope dependent

    On-the-job experience: Business and work-scope dependent

Questions to verify for Illinois career switchers

When can I legally begin earning money?

Paid entry may be available through an employer or registered apprenticeship. IDES describes apprenticeship as a learn-and-earn model combining on-the-job training with related classroom instruction under mentor supervision. For plumbing, an apprentice must hold the required Illinois apprentice license and sponsorship. Paid employment does not authorize work outside the applicable federal, state, local, or employer rules.

Does online trade training count toward my license?

Online or distance learning may support theory, exam preparation, or related instruction when the sponsor and regulator permit it. It does not replace hands-on field learning, supervised experience, employer or sponsor selection, EPA Section 608 certification for covered refrigerant work, Illinois plumbing licensure, or municipality-specific credentials, permits, and inspections.

What does it take to start my own contracting business?

Illinois plumbing work requires the applicable IDPH individual license, and plumbing contractors must register under the Plumbing License Law. Before independent customer work, confirm current insurance, bond, licensed-worker, local permit, inspection, code, utility, contract, and business requirements; registration is not an endorsement.

Will another state accept my license or certificate?

This record does not list a verified reciprocity agreement. Check the current transfer or examination-waiver rules with the relevant board before assuming that a credential or work history transfers to another state.

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