Plumber License from Illinois to Idaho: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-01 · source: Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board ↗
A plumbing license transfers from Illinois to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board, verify your Illinois license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. Idaho waives its journeyman plumber written examination for reciprocity applicants who hold an active journeyman license obtained BY EXAMINATION in Montana, Oregon, or Washington and who meet the experience and residency conditions ('No written examination shall be required for the reciprocal certificate when reciprocating from' these states); every other applicant must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman examination.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Illinois is not among the states Idaho names for an automatic exam waiver, so this move runs on the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board's individual endorsement or equivalency review rather than a guarantee. Idaho waives its journeyman plumber written examination for reciprocity applicants who hold an active journeyman license obtained BY EXAMINATION in Montana, Oregon, or Washington and who meet the experience and residency conditions ('No written examination shall be required for the reciprocal certificate when reciprocating from' these states); every other applicant must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman examination. Bring your Illinois license, proof that it is active and in good standing, and your apprenticeship and exam records — and get any discretionary exam or experience credit in writing before you rely on it.
What changes, Illinois → Idaho
| Illinois (current) | Idaho (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | $51.9 ($51.90 non-refundable application/processing fee, charged at the same rate whether the application type is Initial, Reciprocal, or Reopen Closed License (DOPL Plumbing Journeyman Application, revised 2024-10-03). Not included in this amount: the IAPMO journeyman examination fee paid to PSI, later renewal fees, and the 2.5% Access Idaho surcharge added when paying by credit or debit card. idaho.gov hosts still refused direct connections on 2026-09-01, so the DOPL application form was read from an Internet Archive capture of the board's own PDF) |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time; the examination application is due at least 30 days before the examination date | No board-stated processing time in weeks |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program | Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Idaho sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Reciprocity: hold an active out-of-state journeyman license obtained by examination in Montana, Oregon, or Washington, shown on a DOPL License Verification Form.
- Reciprocity from Montana or Oregon: document completion of an apprenticeship program and 8,000 hours of work experience.
- Reciprocity from Washington: document 8,000 or 16,000 hours of work experience.
- Applicants reciprocating from Montana or Washington must be a resident of the state where they are licensed at the time of application.
- Standard (non-reciprocity) applicants must document 8,000 hours of supervised experience and pass the IAPMO examination; specialty/appliance/pipe-fitting hours do not count toward journeyman experience.
- Pay the fees ($51.9 ($51.90 non-refundable application/processing fee, charged at the same rate whether the application type is Initial, Reciprocal, or Reopen Closed License (DOPL Plumbing Journeyman Application, revised 2024-10-03). Not included in this amount: the IAPMO journeyman examination fee paid to PSI, later renewal fees, and the 2.5% Access Idaho surcharge added when paying by credit or debit card. idaho.gov hosts still refused direct connections on 2026-09-01, so the DOPL application form was read from an Internet Archive capture of the board's own PDF)) and allow No board-stated processing time in weeks.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Idaho accept a Illinois plumbing license?
A plumbing license transfers from Illinois to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board, verify your Illinois license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. Idaho waives its journeyman plumber written examination for reciprocity applicants who hold an active journeyman license obtained BY EXAMINATION in Montana, Oregon, or Washington and who meet the experience and residency conditions ('No written examination shall be required for the reciprocal certificate when reciprocating from' these states); every other applicant must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman examination.
Which exam applies moving from Illinois to Idaho?
Idaho waives its journeyman plumber written examination for reciprocity applicants who hold an active journeyman license obtained BY EXAMINATION in Montana, Oregon, or Washington and who meet the experience and residency conditions ('No written examination shall be required for the reciprocal certificate when reciprocating from' these states); every other applicant must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman examination.
What does the Illinois-to-Idaho move cost and how long does it take?
$51.9 ($51.90 non-refundable application/processing fee, charged at the same rate whether the application type is Initial, Reciprocal, or Reopen Closed License (DOPL Plumbing Journeyman Application, revised 2024-10-03). Not included in this amount: the IAPMO journeyman examination fee paid to PSI, later renewal fees, and the 2.5% Access Idaho surcharge added when paying by credit or debit card. idaho.gov hosts still refused direct connections on 2026-09-01, so the DOPL application form was read from an Internet Archive capture of the board's own PDF); processing No board-stated processing time in weeks.
Can I keep my Illinois plumbing license after I'm licensed in Idaho?
Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the Illinois credential active on its own renewal and continuing-education schedule and you hold both, which is common for plumbers working near a state line.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.
- Idaho DOPL — State Plumbing Board FAQs (reciprocity states and conditions) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Plumbing Journeyman Application Instructions (exam waiver for reciprocity; 8,000-hour experience; IAPMO exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Montana plumbing reciprocity agreement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Oregon plumbing reciprocity agreement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Oregon BCD — Reciprocal agreement, Idaho journeyman plumber (mirror) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Plumbing Journeyman Application, revised 2024-10-03 ($51.90 application fee for Initial, Reciprocal, and Reopen Closed License; Internet Archive capture of the DOPL PDF dated 2026-02-14, used because idaho.gov refuses direct connections) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
- 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 2026-09-01
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]