What an Illinois roofing contract must include

The terms 225 ILCS 335/5.5 requires: the 72-hour rescission clause, the deductible statement, deposits held in trust, plus the Home Repair and Remodeling Act.

Illinois has two laws that shape a roofing contract with a homeowner. The Roofing Industry Licensing Act sets specific terms every licensed roofer must put in writing, and the Home Repair and Remodeling Act sets rules for home improvement contracts over $1,000. Together they give you a 72-hour right to rescind, a ban on deductible "deals", and a promise that your deposit is held in trust. Here is what to look for.

Before any work: a signed written contract

Section 5.5 of the Roofing Industry Licensing Act says that "prior to engaging in any roofing work, a roofing contractor shall provide a written contract to the property owner, signed by both the roofing contractor or the roofing contractor's designee and the property owner" (225 ILCS 335/5.5(b)). The contract must state at least:

1. the scope of roofing services and materials;
2. the approximate dates of service;
3. for a roof repair, the approximate cost based on damage known when the contract is signed;
4. the roofer's contact information, including a street address that is not a post office box, an email address and a phone number;
5. the roofer's surety and liability insurer and the insurer's contact information, if applicable;
6. the roofer's cancellation and refund policy, including a rescission clause letting you cancel and get a full refund of any deposit within 72 hours, and a written statement that you may rescind;
7. a written statement that if you plan to pay with insurance proceeds, the roofer cannot pay, waive, rebate or promise to pay, waive or rebate any part of your insurance deductible.

Subsection (a) separately requires the phone number, street address and email on any contract for professional roofing services, and Section 5 requires the license number and the licensee's name as it appears on the license on all contracts and bids.

Your deposit is held in trust

The contract must also say, "on the face of the contract, in bold-faced type", that the roofer "shall hold in trust any payment from the property owner until the roofing contractor has delivered roofing materials at the property site or has performed a majority of the roofing work" (225 ILCS 335/5.5(c)). In plain terms, a deposit is not the roofer's money to spend on other jobs until your materials show up or most of your roof is done. Look for that bold statement. If it is missing, the contract does not meet the Act.

The 72-hour rescission right

The rescission clause gives you 72 hours after signing to cancel and get your full deposit back. Use it if you signed in a hurry, for example on your doorstep after a storm. Cancel in writing (email to the address in the contract plus a letter is sensible) and keep proof of when you sent it.

The deductible rule

A common storm-season pitch is "we'll cover your deductible". Illinois requires the contract to tell you plainly that the roofer cannot do that (225 ILCS 335/5.5(b)(7)). Paying, waiving or rebating your deductible means the insurer is billed for more than the real cost of the job. If a roofer offers it anyway, that is a reason to choose someone else.

The Home Repair and Remodeling Act

Roofs are expressly included in "home repair and remodeling" under the Home Repair and Remodeling Act (815 ILCS 513/10), which covers single-family homes and buildings with six or fewer units. Two of its rules matter for a roof:

• Written contract over $1,000. Before starting work over $1,000, the business must give you a written contract or work order stating the total cost, including parts and materials listed with reasonable particularity and any charge for an estimate, plus its business name and address (815 ILCS 513/15).
• The consumer rights pamphlet. For any contract, the contractor must give you the pamphlet "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights". For a contract over $1,000, you sign an acknowledgment form and keep a duplicate (815 ILCS 513/20).

Someone who suffers actual damage from a violation of the Home Repair and Remodeling Act may sue under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Reading the contract: a checklist

• License number and the licensee's exact name, matching IDFPR's License Look-Up and the profile here.
• Street address (not a PO box), email and phone.
• Scope: tear-off or overlay, number of layers removed, underlayment and ice-and-water shield, ventilation, flashing, drip edge, gutters, and how rotten decking is priced (per sheet is common).
• Approximate dates.
• The surety and liability insurer named, with contact details.
• The 72-hour rescission clause and a statement that you may rescind.
• The deductible statement if insurance is paying.
• The bold trust statement for your payment.
• Payment schedule tied to delivery of materials and completion, with the final payment after the final inspection where your town inspects.
• The workmanship warranty in writing, separate from the shingle manufacturer's warranty.

Permits and the license number

Where your town requires a roofing permit, it may only issue one to a roofer who shows a current state license, and the license number goes on the application and the permit (225 ILCS 335/5). A permit applicant must also show government-issued identification, and a person who puts a roofer's license number on a permit application without intending that roofer to do the work commits identity theft under the Criminal Code. Ask your roofer for the permit number and check it with your building department.

If something goes wrong

Keep the contract, every change in writing, photos and receipts. A violation of the Roofing Industry Licensing Act can be reported to IDFPR, which can fine a licensee up to $15,000 per violation, reprimand it, place it on probation, or suspend or revoke its license (225 ILCS 335/9.1). A complaint does not by itself recover your money; for that, talk to the Illinois Attorney General's consumer protection division or a lawyer.

Updated 2026-10-16.

General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Illinois Roofer Check is not a recommendation or a guarantee of anyone's work. A license record shows registration status on the date shown, not workmanship, insurance coverage at the time of your job, or suitability for your project. Confirm license, insurance and permits directly before you hire. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.