Transfer Your Plumber License to Illinois: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program ↗
No — Illinois has no plumbing reciprocity with any state. To be licensed you qualify as a new applicant through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program: Illinois requires every out-of-state plumber to pass the Illinois plumber's licensing examination; the application's out-of-state section accepts prior apprenticeship/licensure toward the four-year experience prerequisite but does not waive the exam. The only license-WITHOUT-examination pathway is for a holder of a current City of Chicago plumber's license (an intra-Illinois municipal reciprocity), not for licensees of other states. Your out-of-state hours usually count toward the experience requirement; your license does not skip the exam. Application fee: $225 (Application fee for a plumber registered or licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois is $225 (an in-state Illinois licensed-apprentice applicant pays $175); a separate $150 plumber's license fee applies on issuance (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100). The City-of-Chicago reciprocity (license without exam) carries a $150 license fee. Returned-check fee $100).
Moving to Illinois from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Full re-application required
The honest news first: there is no shortcut into Illinois for an out-of-state plumber, because Illinois recognizes no other state's plumbing license. The productive framing is that your logged apprenticeship and on-the-job hours usually count toward Illinois's experience requirement, so the real work is documentation and the journeyman exam, not starting your career over. Pull the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program's current experience rules early, order your certified license history and employment records — the long-lead item — and treat the exam as a review of work you already do. The steps below are the new-applicant path, annotated for someone who has done the job before.
Illinois issues a single statewide 'Plumber's License' (no journeyman/master tiers at the state level); the licensed plumber is the journeyman-equivalent credential, with plumbing contractor and apprentice as separate categories. The only 'without examination' reciprocity is with the City of Chicago Board of Plumbing Examiners, which is a municipality of Illinois — not an interstate agreement — so reciprocity_partners is empty. Fees corroborated by the codified schedule 68 IAC 750.1100 ($225 out-of-state exam application, $175 in-state, $150 plumber's license fee). No national plumber verification database exists, so verification_system_url is IDPH's own public license verification.
Illinois requirements at a glance
| Exam | Illinois requires every out-of-state plumber to pass the Illinois plumber's licensing examination; the application's out-of-state section accepts prior apprenticeship/licensure toward the four-year experience prerequisite but does not waive the exam. The only license-WITHOUT-examination pathway is for a holder of a current City of Chicago plumber's license (an intra-Illinois municipal reciprocity), not for licensees of other states |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $225 (Application fee for a plumber registered or licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois is $225 (an in-state Illinois licensed-apprentice applicant pays $175); a separate $150 plumber's license fee applies on issuance (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100). The City-of-Chicago reciprocity (license without exam) carries a $150 license fee. Returned-check fee $100) |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time; the examination application is due at least 30 days before the examination date |
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Have been employed at least four (4) years as a licensed apprentice plumber preceding application (225 ILCS 320/10(d)); out-of-state apprenticeship/licensure may be documented in lieu of an Illinois apprentice license.
- Be a high school graduate or have completed an equivalent two-year course of study.
- Pass the Illinois plumber's licensing examination.
- Submit the examination application at least 30 days before the exam date.
- Pay the fees ($225 (Application fee for a plumber registered or licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois is $225 (an in-state Illinois licensed-apprentice applicant pays $175); a separate $150 plumber's license fee applies on issuance (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100). The City-of-Chicago reciprocity (license without exam) carries a $150 license fee. Returned-check fee $100)) and allow No board-stated processing time; the examination application is due at least 30 days before the examination date.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Illinois:
All 50 origin states
Frequently asked questions
Does my plumbing license transfer to Illinois?
No — Illinois has no plumbing reciprocity with any state. To be licensed you qualify as a new applicant through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program: Illinois requires every out-of-state plumber to pass the Illinois plumber's licensing examination; the application's out-of-state section accepts prior apprenticeship/licensure toward the four-year experience prerequisite but does not waive the exam. The only license-WITHOUT-examination pathway is for a holder of a current City of Chicago plumber's license (an intra-Illinois municipal reciprocity), not for licensees of other states. Your out-of-state hours usually count toward the experience requirement; your license does not skip the exam. Application fee: $225 (Application fee for a plumber registered or licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois is $225 (an in-state Illinois licensed-apprentice applicant pays $175); a separate $150 plumber's license fee applies on issuance (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100). The City-of-Chicago reciprocity (license without exam) carries a $150 license fee. Returned-check fee $100).
Will I have to take Illinois's plumbing exam?
Illinois requires every out-of-state plumber to pass the Illinois plumber's licensing examination; the application's out-of-state section accepts prior apprenticeship/licensure toward the four-year experience prerequisite but does not waive the exam. The only license-WITHOUT-examination pathway is for a holder of a current City of Chicago plumber's license (an intra-Illinois municipal reciprocity), not for licensees of other states.
How do I get licensed in Illinois if my license doesn't transfer?
You qualify as a new journeyman applicant: Have been employed at least four (4) years as a licensed apprentice plumber preceding application (225 ILCS 320/10(d)); out-of-state apprenticeship/licensure may be documented in lieu of an Illinois apprentice license; Be a high school graduate or have completed an equivalent two-year course of study; Pass the Illinois plumber's licensing examination; Submit the examination application at least 30 days before the exam date. Your out-of-state license and work history typically count toward the experience requirement.
What will licensing in Illinois cost an out-of-state plumber, and how long does it take?
$225 (Application fee for a plumber registered or licensed in Chicago or outside Illinois is $225 (an in-state Illinois licensed-apprentice applicant pays $175); a separate $150 plumber's license fee applies on issuance (68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100). The City-of-Chicago reciprocity (license without exam) carries a $150 license fee. Returned-check fee $100); processing No board-stated processing time; the examination application is due at least 30 days before the examination date.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Illinois DPH — Application for Examination for Plumber's License (fees $175 in-state / $225 out-of-state; out-of-state section; 4-year 225 ILCS 320/10(d) requirement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Illinois DPH — Application for Plumber's License Reciprocity with the City of Chicago License Without Examination ($150 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code 750.1100 — Plumbers' and Apprentice Plumbers' Examination and Licensure Fees (Legal Information Institute) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Illinois DPH — Plumbing program (license types, license verification link) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]