Guides · Renewal
Illinois confuses out-of-state plumbers because its titles are different: the state licenses Plumbers, full stop — after a sponsored apprenticeship — and Chicago licenses journeymen on its own.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) licenses plumbers who complete a sponsored apprenticeship (at least 4 years) and pass the state exam. There is no separate state journeyman or master renewal to track — one license, one renewal, administered by IDPH. Holders working in Chicago also meet the city's own journeyman licensing, which is a separate credential with its own cycle.
Businesses register as plumbing contractors: the firm must have a licensed plumber as a partner, member or officer — or employ one — and carries a $20,000 bond and insurance, at $150 a year. That registration is a separate renewal from the plumber's own license; letting the wrong one lapse is a classic Illinois paperwork failure.
Illinois's full system is on the Illinois ladder page; your dates go in the renewal checker.
