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Codes & permits

How to verify an Illinois (and Chicago) licensed plumber

Five minutes of checking before work starts: the plumber’s license, the company’s registration, and — inside Chicago — the City license.

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Calls are answered by a referral service that connects you with a local plumbing provider. How this works

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and official sources control. Confirm with the agency named before starting work.

Checklist

  1. Individual license. Ask for the plumber’s Illinois license number and check it with IDPH’s verification tool (linked from the IDPH Plumbing page).
  2. Contractor registration. The business should hold an IDPH plumbing contractor registration, which requires insurance.
  3. Chicago only: check the City’s licensed plumbing contractor list — a State license alone is not enough in Chicago.
  4. Sewer work in Chicago: ask whether a licensed drainlayer will obtain the sewer permit.
  5. Permit. Ask who pulls it and when inspections happen.
  6. Insurance. Ask for a certificate; condo buildings often require one naming the association.

Plumbing contractor registration requires an insurance certificate with minimum liability and workers’ compensation coverage set by statute, and registrations expire on the last day of September each year.

Source: Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320)

Advertisements for plumbing services must include the plumbing license number under 225 ILCS 320/5.

Source: 225 ILCS 320/5 — license display and advertising

A plumbing contractor licensed by the State must also obtain a City of Chicago plumbing contractor license to work in Chicago.

Source: City of Chicago DOB — Plumbing Contractor License

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a license and a registration?

A license belongs to a person; a contractor registration belongs to the business and requires insurance.

Do suburbs license plumbers?

Plumber licensing is a State function. Suburbs handle permits and may ask for documentation such as a copy of the State license.

Sources

  1. Illinois Department of Public Health — Plumbing Program Official / primary
  2. Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320) Official / primary
  3. 225 ILCS 320/5 — license display and advertising Official / primary
  4. City of Chicago DOB — Plumbing Contractor License Official / primary
  5. City of Chicago — Licensed plumbing contractors list Official / primary
  6. City of Chicago DOB — Sewer Permits Official / primary

Information can change; official sources control.

Call for plumbing help(866) 202-9655