Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320) and Plumbers Licensing Code
What the exam tests
This domain tests the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320) and the Plumbers Licensing Code: who may perform plumbing, license types, contractor duties, permits, discipline, and penalties.
Core rules
- The Illinois Department of Public Health administers plumbing licensure. The law separates the plumber, apprentice plumber, and plumbing contractor.
- A plumbing contractor must be licensed and must have a licensed plumber responsible for the work. A contractor cannot send unlicensed labor out alone to perform plumbing.
- Apprentices must work under the supervision of a licensed plumber. They cannot independently contract for or supervise plumbing work.
- Permits are pulled by the licensed plumber or contractor performing the work, and the licensee is accountable for code compliance.
- The Department may refuse, suspend, or revoke a license, or impose other discipline, for incompetence, gross negligence, unlicensed practice, or fraud. Unlicensed plumbing is subject to enforcement and penalties.
- Local governments may add registration or licensing requirements, but those local rules do not eliminate the state license requirement.
Worked example
A property manager hires an unlicensed handyman to replace a failed water heater. The work is plumbing, requires a permit, and must be done by a licensed plumber under a licensed plumbing contractor. The handyman's lower bid does not transfer liability. If the installation leaks or is improperly vented, the owner and contractor face correction, inspection failure, and possible discipline; the handyman faces unlicensed-practice exposure.
Traps
Assuming a homeowner exemption authorizes work for a tenant or friend; treating an apprentice as a plumber; letting a plumbing contractor operate without a responsible licensed plumber; ignoring local registration; assuming an out-of-state license transfers automatically.