13.1 Contracts, Advertising & License Display

Illinois treats roofing as a regulated profession because unfinished roofs, storm-chase scams, and disappearing contractors create real consumer harm. The Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act (225 ILCS 335), administered by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), couples licensing with day-to-day business rules: how you write contracts, how you advertise, and how you display your license identity. On the exam, these rules often appear as practical scenarios rather than pure memorization drills.

Why contracts and display rules matter

A license proves you met entry requirements. Contract and advertising rules prove you remain accountable after the license issues. IDFPR and local permit offices use the license number as a verification key. Homeowners use the same number to look you up before signing. If the number is missing from a bid, website, truck, or contract, both regulators and customers treat that as a red flag.

Sec. 5.5 contract contact requirements

Under Sec. 5.5, when a licensed roofing contractor signs a contract for professional roofing services, the contract must include:

• A phone number where the contractor can be contacted
• A street address other than a post office box
• An email address for contact

These details exist to stop fly-by-night operators who leave only a cell phone and a P.O. box. Exam questions often test the street-address-not-P.O.-box point because it is easy to overlook in a busy sales conversation.

Written contracts before work begins

Sec. 5.5 also requires a written contract before engaging in any roofing work. Both the roofing contractor or the contractor's designee and the property owner must sign. At minimum, the contract must state key terms that include:

1. The scope of roofing services and materials to be provided
2. Approximate dates of service
3. For roof repair work, approximate costs of the services and materials (as framed in the Act)
4. The contractor's cancellation and deposit-refund policy, including a rescission right allowing the property owner to rescind and obtain a full deposit refund within 72 hours after entering the contract, plus a written statement that the owner may rescind
5. A written statement that if the owner plans to use property and casualty insurance proceeds to pay for the work, the roofing contractor cannot pay, waive, rebate, or promise to pay, waive, or rebate all or part of any applicable insurance deductible

The Act also requires a bold-faced statement on the face of the contract indicating that the roofing contractor shall hold owner payments in trust until roofing materials have been delivered to the property site or a majority of the roofing work has been performed. Keep a fully executed copy available for Department inspection.

Do not invent extra statutory clauses from memory on exam day. Focus on the verified themes: written agreement first, real contact information, clear scope and timing, consumer rescission language, insurance-deductible integrity, and trust handling of owner funds.

Home Repair and Remodeling Act overlap

Separately from the Roofing Act, Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act expectations commonly require a written contract for home repair or remodeling work exceeding $1,000. Residential roofing jobs often clear that threshold. In practice, compliant roofers treat a signed, detailed written contract as the default for almost every homeowner project, not as optional paperwork.

Consumer-protection pamphlets, change-order discipline, and clear payment schedules also support good Illinois practice. If the scope changes mid-project, document the change in writing before performing extra work. Verbal "while we are up there" add-ons create payment disputes and complaint risk.

License number and name on contracts, bids, and ads

Sec. 5 requires each State licensed roofing contractor to affix the roofing contractor license number and the licensee's name, as it appears on the license, to all contracts and bids. Advertising for regulated roofing services must likewise include the license number and the licensee's name as shown on the license. Building-permit processes rely on proof of current licensure; municipalities and counties that require permits generally may not issue a roofing permit without sufficient proof that the contractor is currently licensed.

Commercial vehicles

Sec. 5.1 requires any entity offering services regulated by the Act to affix the roofing contractor license number and the licensee's name, as it appears on the license, on all commercial vehicles used in offering those services. Violations of the vehicle display rule are subject to a civil penalty of no less than $250 and no more than $1,000, and enforcement can involve IDFPR, the Attorney General, or local code enforcement officials for work in their jurisdiction.

Practical display checklist

Exam traps to avoid

• Thinking a P.O. box alone satisfies the street-address requirement
• Starting tear-off work on a handshake before a signed written contract exists
• Advertising with a nickname or DBA that does not match the licensed name shown on the credential
• Putting the license number on trucks but omitting it from website ads or written bids
• Promising to "cover the deductible" as a sales closer when insurance proceeds will fund the job

Business practice habits that keep you exam-ready

Build templates that already contain Sec. 5.5 contact fields, rescission language, deductible integrity language, and the bold trust statement. Train estimators to refuse start dates until signatures are complete. Photograph vehicle lettering during shop audits. Before every marketing campaign, confirm the license number and exact licensed name appear wherever roofing services are offered. These habits protect consumers, reduce IDFPR exposure, and match the business-law emphasis of the Illinois roofing exam.