Plumber in Chicago, IL: written quotes on one scope

For a Chicago plumbing job, request written quotes against one scope.Chicago's permit page lists a permit for work on condominium property (read 2 November 2026), quoted below.75.2% of Chicago's homes were built before 1980 (Census ACS 2020-2024).

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Sources read: 17 October 2026 Latest source read: 2 November 2026 Updated 2026-10-27

Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.

For your AI assistant

MCP connector · REST API · plain HTML

Hand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.

MCP connector URLhttps://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp
Agent API (OpenAPI)https://instabids.ai/openapi.json
Start-request linkhttps://instabids.ai/intake?from=hire-plumber--il--chicago&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=hire&page_type=hire&place=chicago%2C+IL#job=plumbing%20job
Prompt for any AI, with your job

Open it in your assistant

Add InstaBids as a connector

Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.

Key facts for hiring a plumber in Chicago

Half of Chicago's homes were built in 1953 or earlier (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Chicago's homes by age: 58.1% (±0.5 points) were built in 1959 or earlier, 17.2% (±0.3 points) from 1960 to 1979, 9.9% (±0.3 points) from 1980 to 1999 and 14.9% (±0.3 points) in 2000 or later (Census ACS 2020-2024, margins of error at 90%).
Chicago's permit page lists a permit for repair or in-kind replacement of plumbing risers within existing chases (read 2 November 2026), quoted below.

How to get written quotes on one scope

Describe the job once, using the scope checklist below, built from what we found for Chicago.
Post it on InstaBids and send it.
Every quote is written against the same scope, so they compare line by line.
You choose who gets your number.
Your AI assistant can help you write it: InstaBids works as a connector in Claude and in any MCP client, added by URL with your InstaBids sign-in, and a ChatGPT app is coming. You send the request yourself. Connect an assistant

Your written scope for a plumbing job in Chicago

What the job covers: which fixtures, pipes or water heater, with size, type and location
If your home was built before 1960, ask how the quote handles original supply or drain lines the work uncovers
Whether your job is one Chicago's page quoted below lists (work on condominium property), and who applies for the permit if one applies to your job
Whether your job is one Chicago's page quoted below lists (repair or in-kind replacement of plumbing risers within existing chases), and who applies for the permit if one applies to your job
Whether your job is one Chicago's page quoted below lists (plumbing repair and maintenance), and who applies for the permit if one applies to your job
Removal and disposal of the old parts or materials
Warranty terms on parts and labor, in writing

Do you need a permit for a plumbing job in Chicago?

Chicago's permit page (read 2 November 2026): “If the work to be permitted is on property that is part of a condominium association (including work in an individually owned condominium unit) you must upload: Condominium association approval letter This letter must briefly describe the work to be performed (example: interior renovations in unit 9A) and be signed by an authorized representative of the condominium association, such a property manager or officer of the association.” Open Chicago's source page

Chicago's permit page (read 2 November 2026): “If the scope of work includes repair or in-kind replacement of plumbing risers within existing chases, you must upload: Plumbing contractor drawing The plumbing contractor drawing must include either a two-dimensional or isometric piping diagram of the entire riser that is being repaired or replaced, including size and material information and other appropriate notes.” Open Chicago's source page

Chicago's permit page (read 2 November 2026): “The Express Permit Program offers a streamlined way to obtain a permit for many common types of plumbing repair and maintenance work.” Open Chicago's source page

What license does a plumber need in Illinois?

The source page (illinois.gov), in its own words: “Under the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320), the Department licenses plumbers, plumbing contractors, plumbers’ apprentices, irrigation contractors and retired plumbers.”

Illinois license lookup guide

What in Chicago changes the job

Ask how the quote handles original supply or drain lines the work uncovers.

Median hourly wage for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, May 2025: $49.70 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).

This is what workers in this occupation are paid per hour. It is not what a contractor charges for a job.

How does InstaBids work?

InstaBids does not hold payment for the work; you pay the contractor directly on the terms of the bid you accepted.

How is InstaBids different?

Each bidder appears under a stable label such as Contractor A, so you judge the work, not the brand.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.

Sources for the facts on this page

Chicago permit page, read 2 November 2026: www.chicago.gov
illinois.gov, read 2 November 2026: www.illinois.gov
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25035), ACS 5-year 2020-2024, read 17 October 2026: api.census.gov
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (series OEUM001698000000047215208), May 2025, read 17 October 2026: api.bls.gov
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year (B25034), ACS 5-year 2020-2024, read 17 October 2026: api.census.gov

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.