Plumbers are essential to our society. We need professionals who know how to do the job right to protect us from potential adverse health issues such as toxic gases and contaminated drinking water.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), there are roughly 482,700 plumbers, pipefitters, and gasfitters nationwide, and 16,940 work in Illinois. The national number is projected to grow 2 percent from 2022 to 2032 more than 10,000 of these skilled workers to the ranks. According to CareerOneStop, the U.S. Department of Labor’s job search website, that growth rate is expected to be much higher in Illinois at 10%.
Contractors are struggling to find skilled tradesmen like plumbers, electricians, and HVACR professionals. In fact, 60% of firms in the United States and 36% of firms in Illinois had unfilled hourly craft positions, according to the Associated General Contractors of America, 2020 AGC-Autodesk Workforce Survey. So, if you get the training you need you should have a variety of jobs to choose from when you’re ready.
Licensing requirements for plumbers vary from state to state and in some cases from municipality to municipality. The state of Illinois points to safety as the reason for the need to regulate the plumbing trade and require a minimum amount of training and education for all plumbers. It will take you four to six years to learn the trade in Illinois, but you will have credentials that will guarantee you a solid career path.
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Is a license required for plumbers in Illinois? Yes.
To legally perform plumbing work in the state of Illinois, you must be licensed.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health website, to become a licensed plumber in Illinois, you must:
What are the different types of plumbing licenses in Illinois?
The state issues five types of licenses:
If you wish to own your own business, you must apply to be a Plumbing Contractor. Plumbing contractors must maintain minimum general liability insurance, bodily injury insurance, property damage insurance, and workers' compensation insurance. You must also secure a surety/indemnification bond or letter of credit for $20,000. A plumbing contractor license renewal costs $150 per year.
Irrigation contractors install or supervise the installation of lawn sprinkler systems. Each irrigation contractor in Illinois must register annually with the state by completing the Irrigation Contractor Registration Application. It is required by law that every company has licensed plumbers, employed by a State of Illinois Registered Plumbing Contractor, on staff or by contract. The application fee ranges from $400 to $1,500, determined by the number of plumbers required based on the number of employees you have.
Finally, apply for a Retired Plumber License using this form. To be eligible for a retired plumber license, you must:
A retired plumber license is intended for those who want to retire and do not expect to perform plumbing in Illinois. It allows plumbers to continue to carry a state license proving their plumbing competence at a substantially reduced fee of $25 annually and gives them the option of reinstating or restoring their regular plumber license for much less than if it expires.
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There are many benefits to getting your Plumbing License.
The annual mean wage for a plumber in Illinois is $88,420, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.That salary increases, as you might expect, as you acquire more experience, according to Indeed.com. Though the state doesn’t classify plumbers as journeyman or master, the salary site is presumably referencing levels of experience and expertise.
Apprentice: The average wage for an apprentice plumber is $23.88 per hour in Illinois and $5,500 overtime per year.
Journeyman: The average wage for a journeyman plumber is $82,924 per hour in Illinois.
Salaries can vary widely depending on the municipality and many other important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, and the number of years you have spent in your profession.
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There are many programs to get the training you need to become a plumbing professional in Illinois. You’ll need to find a contractor or company with an opening for an apprentice. You can do that independently or enroll in a trade school or local union apprenticeship program. Those programs can often help connect you with a licensed plumber to oversee your apprenticeship. You can also choose to earn a degree in a plumbing program at a college or university. It will take about four years to get the classroom and hands-on training you need to prepare for the licensing exam.
You’ll learn about plumbing systems including:
Any program should also cover OSHA safety training, detailed instruction in chemistry, mathematics, physics, blueprint reading and drafting, in-depth examination of state plumbing codes, and advanced training about water treatment systems, water heaters, plumbing appliances, and plumbing fixtures.
Here are three great lists of the best plumbing colleges and universities in Illinois:
Trade schools are plentiful and can be found with a simple computer search. Among them are: Illinois Plumbing Consultants, Building and Fire Code Academy, and UA Local 130 Plumbers and Tech Engineers.
Tuition: The cost of tuition depends on the program you choose and varies widely. The good news is in many programs you’ll be earning while you’re learning. Tuition for a trade school can be as little as $600 to $700 per semester; a four-year degree runs about $15,000 a year.
Program Prerequisites: Most programs require you to be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or a GED (General Educational Development) degree. Many require you to pass a physical and a drug test.
On-the-Job Experience: While on the job, you will need to have good customer service skills, be detail-oriented, have mechanical capability, and be physically fit because the job can include some heavy lifting and hours of walking, standing, and working in tight spaces.
The Illinois Plumber’s Licensing Examination is made up of 50 multiple-choice questions designed to test your knowledge on a wide variety of plumbing topics. It is broken into five sections:
The Chicago plumbing exam is three hours long. You must score at least a 70% to pass. The test covers:
The Illinois Department of Public Health is the state agency responsible for licensing plumbers in Illinois.
According to the National Center for Construction Education & Research, Illinois will consider reciprocity based on an existing license from other states or the city of Chicago. You would need to contact and verify with the Illinois Department of Public Health the details of obtaining a license via reciprocity.
Other certifications can help you demonstrate your proficiency to potential employers and clients. National Inspection Testing and Certification (NITC), International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (ASSE Certifications), and other professional certifications are not required but may make you a more attractive hire to prospective employers or can increase your marketability to customers. There’s also an organization specific to Illinois called the Illinois Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors that you might be interested in investigating.
Illinois law requires all advertising of plumbing services to include the plumbing license number in the advertisement. Failure to display the correct number or allowing shared use of licensing numbers can result in prosecution of a Class A misdemeanor and may lead to a fine of $1,000 and suspension/revocation of the license. The law further states that businesses and individuals offering plumbing services “shall, at their place of business, display the plumbing license of at least one of the members and maintain a register listing all the names and license numbers of all licensed plumbers and licensed apprentice plumbers currently employed by them.”
You can stay up to date on all plumbing industry news several ways: