Hiring a handyman for plumbing work in Chicago might look like a smart way to save a few bucks on a small job. But plumbing here is regulated by Illinois state law and backed by city code and compliance rules, and a handyman who isn’t a licensed plumber isn’t allowed to work on your pipes. Hire the wrong person, and a small fix like a running toilet can turn into a big emergency your insurance company may refuse to cover.
This topic is personal for me. I’ve spent more than 15 years helping produce and voice the Plumbing Contractors Association of Greater Chicago’s radio spots reminding Chicagoans to hire only licensed plumbers. At Baethke Plumbing, we still get calls all the time to fix non-compliant plumbing that an unlicensed handyman left behind.
Today we’ll talk about which plumbing tasks a handyman can legally do in Chicago, why the state requires a licensed plumber, and what can happen if you hire a handyman anyway.
In Chicago, plumbing work must be done by a licensed plumber or a licensed apprentice working under one. A handyman who isn’t licensed by the state can’t legally do plumbing work, even for jobs that look simple. Homeowners get a little more leeway: permitted plumbing work in Chicago must be done by a Chicago-licensed plumbing contractor or by the homeowner listed on the permit. But the moment you pay someone who isn’t licensed, you take on the risk of leaks, damage, and denied insurance claims.
What Plumbing Tasks Can a Handyman Legally Do in Chicago?
The honest answer is not much. Illinois law, specifically the Illinois Plumbing License Law, treats plumbing as a licensed trade, which means work on your water supply lines, drain lines, and the fixtures connected to them is supposed to be done by a licensed plumber. That covers far more of the work in your home than most people expect.
A handyman can still be a great help around plumbing projects. Patching drywall after a pipe repair, building or hanging cabinets, painting, and other work that doesn’t touch your water or drain lines are all fair game.
What About Simple Jobs Like Swapping a Fixture or Clearing a Drain?
Even jobs that look easy, like replacing a sink or a P-trap, count as plumbing work when you’re paying someone to do them. Clearing a clog is a little different: running a drain snake through an existing drain generally doesn’t require a plumbing license, but once the job involves removing or replacing piping, like taking off a P-trap to reach a clog, it does. Our plumbers’ rule of thumb is simple: if the job means opening up or changing your water or drain lines, hire a licensed plumber.
The Homeowner Exception
Homeowners have a little more wiggle room. According to the City of Chicago’s permit terms, permitted plumbing work must be performed by a Chicago-licensed plumbing contractor or by the homeowner listed on the permit application, and only for a single-family home the homeowner actually lives in, not a rental property.
So in some cases, you can pull a permit and do the work on your own home yourself. What you can’t do is hire someone who isn’t licensed. A handyman is neither the licensed contractor nor the homeowner on the permit.
Why Is It Illegal for a Handyman to Do Plumbing in Chicago?
Chicago requires a license because plumbing mistakes are easy to make, hard to spot, and expensive to fix. Additionally, these errors could cause great harm to you, your loved ones, and even your neighbors’ or tenants’ property.
Licensed Plumbers Train for Years
To become a licensed plumber in Chicago, you work as an apprentice for at least four years under a licensed plumber before you can take the Illinois state licensing exam.
That’s years of learning how water and waste actually move through a building, and how to install everything so it doesn’t leak, back up, or create health problems. A handyman doesn’t go through that training. That’s also why every Baethke plumber carries an Illinois plumbing license to every job.
Baethke Plumbing Licenses:
- Home Repair License: #2206371
- City of Chicago Plumbing License: #SBC134156
- State Plumbing Contractor License: #055-004154
Small Mistakes Cause Big Problems
Here’s an example we see all the time. Look under a kitchen sink and you’ll find a P-trap, the curved pipe that holds a little water to block sewer gas from coming into your home. It looks like something anyone could swap out, and for someone trained to do it, it is an easy job. But we regularly find P-traps installed backwards.
A backwards P-trap can let the trap dry out, which means sewer smells in your kitchen. It also throws off the slip joints, the connections that are supposed to slide all the way in. When they don’t, the odds of a leak go way up. It’s one of the simplest parts in your plumbing, and it still gets done wrong. Below is an example of an incorrect water heater installation, using flex hose, which does not follow city code.
One Small Drip Can Damage a Whole House
Plumbing mistakes don’t always show up right away. A small drip behind a wall or under a cabinet can go unnoticed for months. By the time you find it six months later, the whole cabinet may be destroyed, along with the floor or wall around it.
In Chicago, the stakes are even higher because so many people live in multi-unit buildings. A bad repair in a six- or eight-unit building can affect 20 or 30 people, not just one household. If you own a rental building, an unlicensed repair that floods several units can also leave you dealing with tenant damage claims.
What Happens If I Hire a Handyman for a Plumbing Job Anyway?
If you hire a handyman for plumbing work, you’re taking on two big risks: a higher chance of damage, and a lower chance insurance will pay for it.
A Higher Chance of Leaks and Damage
Everyone makes mistakes. Licensed plumbers are human too. But the years of training and the steps we follow on every job make leaks and bad installations far less likely. Without that training, the odds of a mistake go up, and plumbing mistakes tend to get worse the longer they go unnoticed. Because most plumbing is hidden behind walls and under floors, you may not know a mistake was made until the damage is done.
Insurance May Not Cover the Damage
This is the part most homeowners don’t think about. If a handyman’s plumbing work causes damage, their insurance likely won’t cover it, because they shouldn’t have been doing plumbing in the first place. Your own homeowners insurance may or may not step in, depending on your policy. Either way, you could end up paying for the repair, the damage, and a licensed plumber to fix the original job. Before anyone starts plumbing work, ask for proof of insurance that covers plumbing.
Hire a Licensed Plumber for Plumbing Work in Chicago
In Illinois, plumbing is a licensed trade. A handyman can’t legally do plumbing work, Illinois requires years of training for good reason, and hiring someone who isn’t licensed can leave you with problems that will affect more than just your wallet. Schedule an inspection of your plumbing with Baethke Plumbing today, or if you have questions about a current plumbing issue, we would love to help.
The good news is that protecting yourself is easy. Before anyone works on your plumbing, ask to see their Illinois plumbing license. A licensed plumber will have it on them. Many of the problems we discover on the job come from unlicensed work. These are simple jobs done slightly wrong by an unlicensed individual, and nearly all of them could have been avoided.
It costs less to do the job right once than to pay for it twice. You can rest assured knowing that every Baethke plumber is licensed by the State of Illinois, and we’ll get the job done right the first time.
What Chicago Homeowners Ask Us About Plumbers and Handymen
Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Chicago?
In some cases, yes. The City of Chicago allows permitted plumbing work to be performed by either a Chicago-licensed plumbing contractor or the homeowner listed on the permit application, and only for a single-family home the homeowner lives in, not a rental property. The exception applies only to the homeowner, not to anyone they hire. If you pay someone to do plumbing work, they need to be a licensed plumber.
How do I check if a plumber is licensed in Illinois?
Ask to see their license. Illinois plumbers are required to carry their license on the job, so a licensed plumber should be able to show it right away. You can also verify a license through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), which issues plumbing licenses. If someone can’t show a license, don’t let them start the work.
Will insurance cover damage from a handyman’s plumbing work?
Often not. If an unlicensed handyman’s plumbing work causes damage, their insurance likely won’t cover it, because they shouldn’t have been doing plumbing in the first place. Your homeowners insurance may or may not cover it, depending on your policy. Hiring a licensed, insured plumber is the best way to protect yourself.
