5.2 Renewal, Restoration, Address of Record & Fees

The even-year December 31 clock

Illinois auctioneer and auction-firm licenses do not renew on the anniversary of issuance. 1440.145(a) is the calendar: every license and registration issued under the Act expired on December 31, 2010, and thereafter expires every 2 years on December 31 of each even-numbered year. 1440.10 defines Renewal Deadline as December 31 of each even-numbered year and Pre-renewal Period as the 24 months prior to the expiration date. The 2026 deadline is therefore December 31, 2026. 225 ILCS 407/10-30(a) leaves expiration dates, renewal periods, and renewal fees to Department rule, so 1440.145 and 1440.170 are the numbers the exam tests.

Renewal is not automatic. The holder renews by paying the 1440.170 fee and meeting 1440.310 CE, unless an exemption in Chapter 5.3 applies. 1440.145(b) puts the address-change duty on the licensee and then states the trap in one sentence: failure to receive a renewal form from the Division is not an excuse for failing to pay the renewal fee and renew. I never got the postcard is not a defense.

1440.145(c) converts an expired or inactive credential into unlicensed activity, which is grounds for discipline under Section 20-15 of the Act. Calling a sale on January 2 of an odd-numbered year on a license that died at midnight on December 31 is not a paperwork glitch; it is unlicensed practice.

Address of record — 14 days, two sources

225 ILCS 407/10-22 and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1440.190 both require a valid mailing address and email address of record at application or renewal, and both require notice of a change within 14 days. Statute 10-22 allows notice through the Department's website or by contacting the licensure maintenance unit. Rule 1440.190 requires electronic notice to the Division and adds the consequence: a licensee who fails to notify the Division of an address change is responsible for any failure to comply with any notice sent to the old address, including effects on license status and penalties. Disciplinary mail, CE-audit letters, and renewal notices are all served to the address of record. Update both the mailing address and the email; 10-22 names both.

Work the 14-day clock. A licensee who moves on March 1 must have the new mailing and email addresses of record on file by March 15. Waiting until the December 31 even-year renewal is not compliance. 1440.145(b) still says failure to receive the renewal form is not an excuse, which is the predictable result of an outdated address of record.

Restoration inside two years — 10-40(a) and 1440.150(a)

225 ILCS 407/10-40(a): a licensee whose license has lapsed or expired has 2 years from the expiration date to restore without examination. The expired licensee applies on Department forms, provides evidence of 12 hours of approved continuing education during the period the license had lapsed, and pays all fees and penalties established by rule.

1440.150(a) implements that path. The restoration application includes:

• the applicant's name, address, and telephone number;
• Social Security Number and date of birth;
• license number;
• the fees in 1440.170;
• a properly completed 45-day sponsor card issued in accordance with Section 10-35 of the Act and 1440.140 (use the current 1440.140 process taught in Section 5.1; do not treat 10-35 as live statute);
• proof of 12 hours of approved CE; and
• any fitness information the Division requires, including criminal, tax, student-loan, or child-support history.

The 12 hours are a restoration element, not optional if you have time. They must have been completed during the lapse, matching 10-40(a).

Restoration after more than two years — 1440.150(b)

If the license has lapsed in excess of 2 years, 1440.150(b) changes the path. The person must certify successful completion of 12 hours of approved education within 6 months prior to making application and meet the requirements of an initial applicant under Article 10 and Part 1440. That is the re-examination path. Do not treat a three-year lapse as a late renewal. The 12 hours must be recent — inside six months before the application — and initial-applicant requirements include the written exam unless another exemption, for example reciprocity under 10-45, independently applies.

10-40(c) is a different restoration: after suspension, revocation, probation, or other discipline, the Department may restore without examination upon the order of the Secretary if the person files a completed application, pays the fees, and complies with the order. That is not a self-help 1440.150(a) filing.

Military and Department-employee exceptions — 10-40(b)

10-40(b) overrides the fee and CE rules for a license that expired while the licensee was (1) on active duty with the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or the State Militia called into service or training; (2) in training or education under United States supervision prior to induction; or (3) serving as a Department employee required to surrender the license. Those licensees may restore without paying lapsed fees and penalties and without completing CE for that licensure period, for 2 years following termination of the service or education, if termination was other than dishonorable discharge and the licensee furnishes an affidavit specifying that the licensee has been so engaged. Dishonorable discharge blows the waiver. Missing the affidavit blows the waiver. Waiting more than two years after termination blows the window described in the section.

The 1440.170 fee table

Cite 1440.170, not a commercial blog. The 2024 paper Auctioneer Renewal Application collected $450 on or before December 31, 2024 and $500 on or after January 1, 2025 — exactly $225 per year × 2, plus the $50 late penalty in 1440.170(a)(3). That paper form is the arithmetic illustration; the rule is the tested source. The 2024 firm paper form collected $250 on time and $300 after January 1, 2025, which is $125 per year × 2 plus the same $50 late penalty.

Work a restoration-fee example. An auctioneer who missed one two-year cycle does not pay an uncapped stack of every historical $225. 1440.170(a)(4) caps lapsed renewal fees at $675, then adds the $50 penalty and $25 sponsor-card fee.

Unpaid fines block issuance and renewal — 10-30(e) and (f)

10-30(e): the Department shall not issue or renew a license if the applicant or licensee has an unpaid fine or fee from a disciplinary matter or from a non-disciplinary action until the amount is paid or the person has entered a payment plan and is current. 10-30(f) is the unlicensed-practice twin: an unpaid fine or civil penalty for unlicensed practice likewise blocks issuance and renewal unless paid or current on a plan. A perfect CE transcript and a timely $450 check do not move a file that still owes a 20-15 civil penalty.

Put the paths together. A licensee who files on time in an even year with CE complete and $450 paid stays active. A licensee who lets December 31 pass is unlicensed the next morning. For two years that person can restore without re-examination if the 12 lapse-period CE hours and 1440.170 money are in the file. After two years the person is back on an initial-applicant track, including the exam unless another exemption applies. Military and Department-employee affidavits can waive the lapsed fees, penalties, and CE for that period. None of those paths bypass 10-30(e) or (f) while a Department fine remains unpaid.