What has to be in a bathroom remodeling contract in Illinois?
Updated
Short answer
Illinois has no state license for remodelers, so the Home Repair and Remodeling Act does much of the work a license would. It sets what the paperwork must say, what insurance the contractor must carry, and gives older homeowners a way out of a contract signed under pressure. That last rule is why this guide sits under accessible bathrooms, the work most often sold door to door to older owners.
The Act covers bathrooms by name
815 ILCS 513/10
“"Home repair and remodeling" includes the construction, installation, replacement, or improvement of driveways, swimming pools, porches, kitchens, bathrooms, basements, chimneys, chimney liners, garages”
The written contract
815 ILCS 513/15
“Prior to initiating home repair or remodeling work for over $1,000, a person engaged in the business of home repair or remodeling shall furnish to the customer for signature a written contract or work order that states the total cost, including parts and materials listed with reasonable particularity and any charge for an estimate.”
Read the contract for these, line by line:
- The total cost, not just a deposit or a weekly rate.
- The materials listed with “reasonable particularity”: the tub or shower base model, the valve, the tile, the vanity. “Shower, standard” is not particular.
- Any charge for the estimate itself.
- The contractor's business name and address.
The Act does not require a start or finish date, a payment schedule or a warranty. Ask for all three in writing anyway, and hold the last payment until the final inspection passes and the punch list is done.
The consumer rights pamphlet
815 ILCS 513/20
“For any contract over $1,000, any person engaging in the business of home repair and remodeling shall provide to its customers a copy of the "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights" pamphlet prior to the execution of any home repair and remodeling contract.”
You sign an acknowledgment that you received it. A contractor who skips the pamphlet is skipping the law, which tells you something about how the rest of the job will go.
Insurance
815 ILCS 513/25
“Any person engaged in the business of home repair and remodeling shall obtain and maintain in full force and effect during the operation of the business public liability and property damage insurance in the amount of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence of bodily injury and $50,000 per occurrence for property damage”
Ask for the certificate of insurance before work starts, and check that the policy dates cover the job. A water leak from a bad shower connection can damage the ceiling below, and property damage coverage is what pays for that.
Arbitration is your choice
815 ILCS 513/15.1
“The consumer shall be given the option of accepting or rejecting both the binding arbitration clause and the jury trial waiver clause before the contract or agreement is accepted and executed by the consumer.”
If the contract sends disputes to binding arbitration and waives a jury trial, the contractor has to point that out. You can strike it before signing.
65 or older: 15 business days to cancel
815 ILCS 513/22
“A person age 65 or older who purchases home repair or remodeling services from an uninvited solicitor may cancel any contract with a person engaged in home repair or remodeling by notifying that person within 15 full business days following the day on which the contract was signed if the agreement for the home repair or remodeling was made at the home of the purchaser.”
This matters for bathroom work in particular. Walk-in tubs, tub-to-shower conversions and grab bars are often sold in the living room, and 34.7% of owner households in Winnebago County are headed by someone 65 or older (Census ACS, 2020 to 2024). The rule applies when the salesperson came uninvited and the contract was signed at home. Cancel in writing and keep a copy.
What the Act does not do
It does not license anyone or check workmanship. Permits and inspections do that for plumbing and wiring, and the plumbing itself has to be done by a licensed plumber or by you as the owner-occupant. The hiring guide covers those checks.
Compare quotes on the same scope
A contract with every material listed is also the only way to compare two quotes fairly. National price ranges for each kind of bathroom job are on the bathroom remodel cost page.
Quick answers
Does a bathroom remodel need a written contract in Illinois?
Any job over $1,000 does, under 815 ILCS 513/15. It has to state the total cost and list the parts and materials with reasonable particularity, plus any charge for the estimate.
What is the Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights pamphlet?
A state-required pamphlet the contractor must give you before you sign any remodeling contract over $1,000. You both sign an acknowledgment that you got it.
How much insurance does a remodeler need in Illinois?
Public liability and property damage coverage of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per occurrence of bodily injury and $50,000 per occurrence of property damage, unless the business is worth at least $1,000,000 (815 ILCS 513/25).
Can a senior cancel a bathroom remodeling contract in Illinois?
Someone 65 or older who signed at home with an uninvited salesperson can cancel within 15 full business days of signing, under 815 ILCS 513/22.
Do I have to accept arbitration in a remodeling contract?
No law makes you. The Act requires that you be given the option to accept or reject both the binding arbitration clause and the jury trial waiver before you sign.
Planning a bathroom?
Tell us which bathroom, what you want changed and anything you have noticed. We reply with a price first.