Selling a plumbing company in Illinois

Chicago is drawing new plumbing buyers. Salt Creek reports that Chicago drew three platform buyers from August 2025 to March 2026. Illinois was also one of the five states with the highest State Farm frozen pipe claim totals for 2024 to mid 2025, and every plumbing contractor in the state must register with the Illinois Department of Public Health each year.

How many plumbing companies are in Illinois

The 2022 Economic Census counts 4,156 plumbing and HVAC firms combined in Illinois with $1M to $10M in revenue, a figure that lumps the two trades together. That is a smaller pool than California or Texas, and it sits in a market where several platforms are actively looking. Fewer targets and more bidders is a good combination for a seller.

License and qualifier rules when you sell

In Illinois, the Department of Public Health licenses plumbers and plumbing contractors under the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320). It says individuals who plan, install, alter, repair or maintain plumbing systems must be licensed, and all plumbing contractors must register with the state, pay an annual fee and carry insurance. The IDPH also lists a reciprocity form for City of Chicago licensees, which tells you Chicago licenses plumbers on its own track.

What that means in a sale: the licenses sit with people, and the buyer needs licensed plumbers who stay. Check what the state and your city require of the company, and who on your team holds each license, before a buyer asks. Our master license page shows how buyers price it. We have not checked the Chicago rule in detail, so confirm it with the city and the IDPH.

What moves value in Illinois

Freeze work. State Farm paid over $628 million on more than 20,000 frozen pipe and winter water claims from 2024 through June 2025, and Illinois was on its list of the five highest states. Emergency calls in a hard winter help, but in our view buyers will look at your average year, not your best one.

Union shops sell differently. In our view, union commercial shops in Chicago mostly attract mechanical contractors and ESOPs, while residential platforms rarely buy them. If you run a union shop, plan for a smaller, more specialized group of buyers.

Buyers active in Illinois

Salt Creek's tracker (checked November 2026) names Sila Services, which bought Ahrens and Condill and Tangney and Sons Plumbing and Sewer in greater Chicago in August 2025; Northwinds Services Group, backed by TruArc Partners, which bought Lifeline Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Chicagoland the same month; and Team First Home Services, based in Lake Forest and backed by Grove Mountain Partners. Salt Creek also counts at least 9 of 36 tracked plumbing deals that included a Midwest company. See the full list of buyer types on our plumbing buyers page. None of these buyers pays us.

Business broker rules in Illinois

Illinois is different. BizBuySell says Illinois requires business brokers to register with the state securities regulator rather than hold a real estate license. Ask any broker whether they are registered. This is general information, not legal advice.