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City plumbing contractor license
Start a free weekCity of Chicago estimate: 400,000 Chicago homes estimated to have lead service lines
Chicago homes estimated to have lead service lines
The city offers programs for replacing lead service lines.
Licensing plumbers and contractors in Chicago
Chicago licenses its own plumbers through its Board of Plumbing Examiners and the Department of Buildings. A plumber license is required to do plumbing work in the city. A Chicago plumbing contractor license is required to install, alter, repair or maintain any plumbing in the city, except minor repairs a person makes on their own property.
A plumber license from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is valid in Chicago while the plumber's employer holds a Chicago plumbing contractor license. Every employee of a Chicago-licensed contractor who plans, designs or installs plumbing must be licensed by the city or the state. The plumber behind the contractor license must hold Chicago's own plumber license, the rule since July 1, 2025.
Lawn sprinkler systems and the drain piping out past the foundation count as plumbing. A licensed plumbing contractor may do drain layer work with no second license. Plumbers paid as independent contractors may not work under the contractor license. If another company's plumbers work on the site, that business must hold its own Chicago plumbing contractor license and be listed on the permit. An owner living in a single-family home may do the home's own plumbing, subject to inspection, and anyone hired to help must be a licensed plumbing contractor.
Applying for the city contractor license
- A Chicago-licensed plumber who is the proprietor, a member or a corporate officer must apply for the business.
- A performance bond filed with the City Clerk, payable to the City of Chicago, before the license is issued. The license goes inactive if the bond lapses or the plumber's license tied to it expires.
- General liability, property damage and workers' compensation insurance at the code's minimums on every application and renewal, in force at all times, naming the City of Chicago as additional insured.
- The contractor license costs $150 the first year and $150 to renew, the city's 2026 figures. The city adjusts some fees each year.
- Renew the plumber's license each year and complete continuing education.
Lead service lines in Chicago homes
Year when lead service lines became less common in Chicago
In Chicago, the city says a house or two-flat built before 1986 very likely has a lead water service line unless it was replaced.
The city estimates nearly 400,000 homes have lead service lines, most of them single-family houses and two-flats.
Chicago programs for replacing a lead service line
Permit fee waiver up to this amount, Homeowner-Initiated Program
Inside Chicago, homeowners who initiate the work can apply for a permit fee waiver of up to $5,000 under the Homeowner-Initiated Program.
City's valuation of free replacement, Equity Program
The city's Equity Lead Service Line Replacement Program offers income-eligible homeowners a free replacement, which the city values at $16,000 to $30,000.
Cost per new homeowner: Chicago list plus postcards
The table uses the Local plan at $49 a month, ten typical Chicago ZIP codes and Lob's free-plan postcard.
| Local plan, per month | $49 |
|---|---|
| New owners a month, ten typical Chicago ZIPs | 251 |
| List cost per new owner | $0.20 |
| Lob's smallest First-Class postcard, per piece | $0.905 |
| List plus postcard, per new owner | $1.10 |
| Monthly total, list and postcards | $276 |
Busiest Chicago ZIPs for new homeowners, 12-month count
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