Storm contractor rules in Illinois: repairs following damaging weather, home repair fraud and the three-day cancellation right
Illinois has a section written for the days after a tornado, windstorm or hailstorm: section 18 of the Home Repair and Remodeling Act. This page restates it, the Home Repair Fraud Act and the door-to-door sale section of the Consumer Fraud Act as the General Assembly publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. None of it names tree work, and the sections read hold no price limit for emergencies. Section 18 is written around roofing and insurance claims, and its text is set out below so the reader can judge how far it reaches.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| 513/10, home repair and remodeling | Fixing, replacing, altering, converting, modernizing or improving real property used as a residence, other than maintenance, service or repairs under US$500. The list includes driveways, fences, roofs and other improvements on the land next to the residence. It excludes landscaping. Residence means a home with six or fewer dwelling units |
| 513/15 and 513/20 | Before work of more than US$1,000 the contractor furnishes a written contract or work order stating the total cost and the business name and address, and gives the customer the pamphlet "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights" with a signed acknowledgment. For a contract of US$1,000 or less the pamphlet is given, without the acknowledgment |
| 513/18(a), catastrophe | A natural occurrence, including flood, drought, earthquake, tornado, windstorm or hailstorm, that damages or destroys more than one residence |
| 513/18(b) to (d) | A contractor may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate any part of an insurance deductible, may not accept money for letting an out-of-area contractor use its business name or licence, and must put its Illinois roofing licence name and number on contracts, bids and advertisements for roofing work |
| 513/18(e) to (h) | A person with a written contract paid from a property insurance policy may cancel until midnight on the earlier of the fifth business day after the insurer's written notice that the claim is not covered or the thirtieth business day after the insurer received a proof of loss. The contract must carry a 10-point boldface notice and a detachable cancellation form. The contractor tenders payments back within 10 days, keeping the reasonable value of goods or services the insured agreed in writing were needed to prevent damage |
| 513/18(i) | A contractor may not represent a homeowner on an insurance claim, file a claim for the insured, or climb on a roof or inspect for exterior damage without the insured's express permission. A contractor may give an estimate, confer with the insurer's representative and discuss repair options |
| 515/3 and 515/4, home repair fraud | Knowing misrepresentation of a material fact, deception to win a contract, or an unconscionable contract of at least US$4,000 is home repair fraud. A price more than four times fair market value is prima facie unconscionable. Damaging a person's property to win the contract is also covered. Penalties run from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class 3 felony, depending on the amount |
| 505/2B, residence sales | For a sale of US$25 or more made where the seller is at the consumer's residence, the consumer may avoid the contract within 3 full business days. The seller must give a completed receipt or contract with a boldface notice and a detachable cancellation form, and the three days do not start until the consumer gets them |
Tree work and the definitions
The Home Repair and Remodeling Act excludes landscaping and repairs under US$500 from its definition and says nothing about tree removal or pruning. The Home Repair Fraud Act also excludes landscaping. Whether storm tree work is home repair under either act is a question for the Illinois Attorney General. The roofing licence in section 18(d) belongs to the Roofing Industry Licensing Act, which this page does not restate.
Fraud and cancellation
The Fraud Act makes the unconscionable contract an offence only from US$4,000, and the amount of the contract decides the class of the crime. Section 18(e) gives a cancellation right tied to an insurer's refusal, which is different from the three-day right in section 2B. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- Illinois General Assembly, 815 ILCS 513, Home Repair and Remodeling Act, read October 9, 2026
- Illinois General Assembly, 815 ILCS 515, Home Repair Fraud Act, read October 9, 2026
- Illinois General Assembly, 815 ILCS 505, Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, section 2B, read October 9, 2026