Who requires it
Illinois Department of Public Health — Plumbing Program
License & permit · Illinois
Illinois Plumbing Contractor Bond
Plumbing contractors registering with the Illinois Department of Public Health must file a twenty-thousand-dollar surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit under 225 ILCS 320/13.1 and 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.20. IDPH publishes separate application packets for corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and sole proprietors, but the statutory amount is the same twenty-thousand-dollar bond for each entity type.
Common bond amount
$20,000
Fixed statutory amount; surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit. Entity-type application packets differ; the amount does not.
How you file
File the IDPH plumbing contractor bond, or an irrevocable letter of credit
Renewal
Keep continuous while registered; replace before cancellation
Who requires it
Persons and firms seeking or renewing Illinois plumbing contractor registration with IDPH Environmental Health. The bond or letter of credit accompanies the entity-specific registration forms. Individual plumber licenses are separate credentials; this guide covers the contractor registration surety or ILC, not every personal plumbing license class.
How much is required
Section 13.1 of the Illinois Plumbing License Law sets a fixed twenty-thousand-dollar surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit. The amount does not change among corporation, LLC, partnership, and sole proprietor registrants—only the IDPH application packet changes.
How to get and file it
Select the IDPH plumbing contractor registration packet that matches your entity type, then have an authorized surety issue a twenty-thousand-dollar bond (or arrange a qualifying irrevocable letter of credit) naming the Illinois Department of Public Health as required by the statute and rules. File the original with the rest of the registration materials. Maintain the bond or letter of credit while the plumbing contractor registration remains active. Replace coverage before cancellation and update the instrument when the registered legal name or entity type changes. Follow IDPH renewal instructions for the registration term then in effect.
Cost note
Twenty thousand dollars is the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Required amount
- $20,000 surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit
- Authority
- 225 ILCS 320/13.1 and 77 Ill. Adm. Code 894.20
- Entity packets
- IDPH forms for corporation, LLC, partnership, and sole proprietor
- Who requires it
- Illinois Department of Public Health plumbing contractor registration
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Do corporations and sole proprietors post different bond amounts?
No. The statute sets one twenty-thousand-dollar amount. IDPH uses different registration forms by entity type, but the bond or letter-of-credit amount is the same.
Can I use a letter of credit instead of a surety bond?
Yes. Section 13.1 allows either a surety bond or an irrevocable letter of credit meeting the Department’s requirements. Confirm current ILC wording with IDPH before filing.
Related Illinois bond guides
Roofing Contractor Bond
$10,000 limited; $25,000 unlimited
Illinois roofing contractors licensed under the Roofing Industry Licensing Act must file a surety bond that stays in force while licensed, sized to their license class: ten thousand dollars for a limited license and twenty-five thousand dollars for an unlimited license. Those amounts appear in 225 ILCS 335/3 and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1460.30; section 3.2 addresses staying in force and sixty-day cancellation. Applications are processed through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond
$50,000
Illinois new and used motor vehicle dealers that act as designated agents of the Secretary of State must post a fifty-thousand-dollar surety bond or certificate of deposit for each licensed location. The instrument is filed on SOS Form RTDS47 and supports dealer licensing under 625 ILCS 5/5-101 and 5-102. Section 5-107 can exempt dealers that have been continuously licensed since 1983, or that faithfully complied with the bond requirement for sixty consecutive months after January 1, 2018, until the Secretary of State finds a title/registration fee or tax delinquency.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Illinois application
Illinois will be preselected. Choose your bond type in the application—we confirm the correct product against your agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-11. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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