Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Illinois?

Yes. In Illinois, plumbing and the planning and design of plumbing systems may be done only by plumbers and apprentice plumbers licensed under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, and a plumbing contractor must register every year with the Illinois Department of Public Health. An owner-occupant or lessee-occupant of a single-family residence may plan, install, alter or repair that residence’s plumbing if the work meets the Illinois State Plumbing Code, is subject to inspection, and nobody but a licensed plumber is employed to help. Every employee of a registered plumbing contractor who does plumbing work must be a licensed plumber or apprentice plumber. This is 225 ILCS 320/2, 320/3, 320/13.1.

WhatIllinois
Plumber licenseState plumber license; contractors register (IDPH)

Source

225 ILCS 320/2, 320/3, 320/13.1

Read the statute in the Illinois Compiled Statutes (Illinois General Assembly): ilga.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

A contractor on Seayora keeps each license with its issuing state, its expiry date and the last four digits of its number, and the business is warned before one lapses — on the website and both phone apps. A customer finding a pro on Seayora sees whether a license is on file.

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