225 ILCS 320/13.1

(225 ILCS 320/13.1)

Sec. 13.1. Plumbing contractors; registration; applications.

(1) On and after May 1, 2002, all persons or corporations desiring to engage in the business of plumbing contractor, other than any entity that maintains an audited net worth of shareholders' equity equal to or exceeding $100,000,000, shall register in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

(2) Application for registration shall be filed with the Department each year, on or before the last day of September, in writing and on forms prepared and furnished by the Department. All plumbing contractor registrations expire on the last day of September of each year.

(3) Applications shall contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person and the plumbing license of (i) the individual, if a sole proprietorship; (ii) the partner, if a partnership; or (iii) an officer, if a corporation. The application shall contain the business name, address, and telephone number, a current copy of the plumbing license, and any other information the Department may require by rule.

(4) Applicants shall submit an original certificate of insurance documenting that the contractor carries general liability insurance with a minimum of $100,000 per occurrence, a minimum of $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury, property damage insurance with a minimum of $50,000 or a minimum of $300,000 combined single limit, and workers compensation insurance with a minimum $500,000 employer's liability. No registration may be issued in the absence of this certificate. Certificates must be in force at all times for registration to remain valid.

(5) Applicants shall submit, on a form provided by the Department, an indemnification bond in the amount of $20,000 or a letter of credit in the same amount for work performed in accordance with this Act and the rules promulgated under this Act.

(5.5) The Department, upon notification by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance, shall refuse the issuance or renewal of a license to, or suspend or revoke the license of, any individual, corporation, partnership, or other business entity that has been found by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance to have failed:

(a) to secure workers' compensation obligations in the manner required by subsections (a) and (b) of Section 4 of the Workers' Compensation Act;

(b) to pay in full a fine or penalty imposed by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance due to a failure to secure workers' compensation obligations in the manner required by subsections (a) and (b) of Section 4 of the Workers' Compensation Act; or

(c) to fulfill all obligations assumed pursuant to any settlement reached with the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance due to a failure to secure workers' compensation obligations in the manner required by subsections (a) and (b) of Section 4 of the Workers' Compensation Act.

A complaint filed with the Department by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance that includes a certification, signed by its Director or Chairman or designee, attesting to a finding of the failure to secure workers' compensation obligations in the manner required by subsections (a) and (b) of Section 4 of the Workers' Compensation Act or the failure to pay any fines or penalties or to discharge any obligation under a settlement relating to the failure to secure workers' compensation obligations in the manner required by subsections (a) and (b) of Section 4 of the Workers' Compensation Act is prima facie evidence of the licensee's or applicant's failure to comply with subsections (a) and (b) of Section 4 of the Workers' Compensation Act. Upon receipt of that certification, the Department shall, without a hearing, immediately suspend all licenses held by the licensee or the processing of any application from the applicant. Enforcement of the Department's order shall be stayed for 60 days. The Department shall provide notice of the suspension to the licensee by mailing a copy of the Department's order to the licensee's or applicant's address of record or emailing a copy of the order to the licensee's or applicant's email address of record. The notice shall advise the licensee or applicant that the suspension shall be effective 60 days after the issuance of the order unless the Department receives, from the licensee or applicant, a request for a hearing before the Department to dispute the matters contained in the order.

Upon receiving notice from the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance that the violation has been corrected or otherwise resolved, the Department shall vacate the order suspending a licensee's license or the processing of an applicant's application.

No license shall be suspended or revoked until after the licensee is afforded any due process protection guaranteed by statute or rule adopted by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance.

(6) All employees of a registered plumbing contractor who engage in plumbing work shall be licensed plumbers or apprentice plumbers in accordance with this Act.

(7) Plumbing contractors shall submit an annual registration fee in an amount to be established by rule.

(8) The Department shall be notified in advance of any changes in the business structure, name, or location or of the addition or deletion of the owner or officer who is the licensed plumber listed on the application. Failure to notify the Department of this information is grounds for suspension or revocation of the plumbing contractor's registration.

(9) In the event that the plumber's license on the application for registration of a plumbing contractor is a license issued by the City of Chicago, it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to forward a copy of the plumber's license to the Department, noting the name of the registered plumbing contractor, when it is renewed. In the event that the plumbing contractor's registration is suspended or revoked, the Department shall notify the City of Chicago and any corresponding plumbing contractor's license issued by the City of Chicago shall be suspended or revoked.

(Source: P.A. 103-26, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)