Plumber License from New Jersey to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)

No — Illinois has no reciprocity or endorsement path for New Jersey plumbing license holders. You must apply to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) — Plumbing Program as a new applicant and meet Illinois's full licensing requirements, including its exams.

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.

$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, plus the exam and experience-documentation costs of qualifying as a new applicant.

Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the New Jersey credential active on its own renewal and continuing-education schedule and you hold both, which is common for plumbers working near a state line.