Fire and water damage leads in Illinois.

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• A public adjuster may not solicit a property owner while the loss, such as a fire, is still going on, or while the fire department is still working at the property. (215 ILCS 5/1590(b), as restated by the Illinois Department of Insurance)
• A public adjuster may not solicit anyone between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (215 ILCS 5/1590(b), as restated by the Illinois Department of Insurance)
• Any third party that passes client leads to a public adjuster in return for anything of value (a roofer, a home repair company, or a business whose only trade is lead generation) must itself hold an Illinois public adjuster license, and so must its staff who gather the client information. (Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2026-02 (26 Jan 2026), citing 215 ILCS 5/1510 and 5/1515)
• The Department says the 'thing of value' can be a direct payment for leads, common ownership, shared expenses, or the chance that the repair company gets a bigger job because the claim pays more. (Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2026-02 (26 Jan 2026))
• A public adjuster contract that was even partly solicited by an unlicensed person, for example through lead generation, is void and a court will not enforce payment under it. (Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2026-02 (26 Jan 2026), citing 215 ILCS 5/1515(e))
• Taking claim money under such a void contract could be treated as misappropriating funds, which is a Class 4 felony. (Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2026-02 (26 Jan 2026), citing 215 ILCS 5/1610)
• The Department can suspend or revoke a public adjuster license for letting an unlicensed representative do licensed work or for knowingly doing business with someone who should be licensed. (Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2026-02 (26 Jan 2026), citing 215 ILCS 5/1556(a)(12) and 5/1590(c))
• The Department asks public adjusters to record the name and license number of every third party that generated the lead or helped solicit the contract in the transaction file the law requires them to keep. (Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2026-02 (26 Jan 2026), citing 215 ILCS 5/1585)
• In every consumer complaint the Department will now ask both the consumer and the adjuster how the contract was solicited and whether any third party was involved. (Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2026-02 (26 Jan 2026))
• The contract must be in writing on a form approved by the Director of Insurance. (215 ILCS 5/1575, as restated by the Illinois Department of Insurance)
• Every contract must say the insured can cancel within 5 business days after the insurance company receives a copy of the contract, and that cancelling by email is allowed as well as by registered or certified mail or personal service. (Public Act 103-0216 and 50 Ill. Adm. Code 3118, as summarized in Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2024-16 (27 Aug 2024))
• On a personal residence claim, and on any claim from a catastrophic event, the public adjuster fee may not exceed 10% of what the insurer pays. (215 ILCS 5/1570(e), quoted in Illinois Department of Insurance Company Bulletin 2024-16 (27 Aug 2024))

Public adjusters are licensed by Illinois Department of Insurance.

General information, not legal advice. Last checked 2026-10-17 against the official sources linked above. Rules change, so confirm with the regulator before you contact a property owner. See fire and water leads for public adjusters.