If insurance companies will not sell you a liability policy, the Illinois Secretary of State says to ask an agent about the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan. The plan is the state-monitored route for drivers who have trouble getting coverage. Some companies will not insure an owner who has been driving uninsured.

The plan is the question to ask before you keep driving without a policy. The plan does not change the minimum. You still need at least $25,000, $50,000, and $20,000 of liability coverage, and you still have to carry the card in the vehicle.

Who is the plan for?

The Secretary of State's mandatory-insurance pamphlet describes two moments. First, if you have problems buying insurance, ask your agent about the plan. Second, if companies decline a request for vehicle insurance, ask an agent about the plan. The pamphlet calls it a state-monitored program for drivers who have difficulty obtaining insurance. It does not publish a phone number for the plan in that pamphlet, and it does not say the Secretary of State sells the policy. The path it gives you is the agent.

Bring the declination, or a note of which companies said no, to that conversation. A verbal "we do not write that" is harder to use than a letter. The Department of Insurance regulates companies, agencies, and agents. A complaint about how an application was handled is a written filing with that department. A decline by itself is the reason to ask about the plan. See how a written insurance complaint works.

What coverage still has to be on the policy?

Liability of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury, and $20,000 for property damage, is the floor under 625 ILCS 5/7-203. The shopping guide ties the duty to carry insurance to 625 ILCS 5/7-601. Trailers are not required to have liability insurance. The motor vehicle is. Uninsured-motorist coverage for bodily injury or death is included automatically at the legal minimum. Collision, comprehensive, medical payments, and uninsured property damage are not required by the state. A lender can still require physical damage on a financed car.

Those rules are the same whether the policy came from a company that wanted your business or from the plan. Read the declarations page. See the 25/50/20 minimums and what the uninsured-motorist line covers.

What happens if you drive anyway?

The pamphlet says that without coverage, a crash can mean a large loss and the loss of driving privileges. An at-fault driver who is uninsured must pay the damages or face suspension of the registration plates and the driver's license. If no officer is present, 625 ILCS 5/11-407 requires notice to local police, or to the sheriff or Illinois State Police outside a municipality, when anyone is hurt or killed or property damage is over $1,500. Property damage over $500 requires that notice when a vehicle that must be insured under 7-601 has no liability policy. The driver does not file a written report with the Department of Transportation. Section 11-406 was repealed.

The Secretary of State does not keep insurance information for every registered vehicle. Proof is the card in the car. "I applied to the plan" is not an insurance card.

What should I ask the agent?

Ask whether the application is to the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan or to one more company in the regular market. Ask what liability limits will be on the binder, and whether uninsured-motorist injury coverage is at the minimum or higher. Ask the premium and the date coverage starts. Do not drive on a quote. Coverage starts when the company or the plan says it starts, and the card is what an officer will ask to see.

If the dispute is a premium the company already charged, or a cancellation of a policy you had, that is a complaint to the Department of Insurance after you have written the company. Consumer Assistance, for questions, is (866) 445-5364. The complaint is in writing.

What do I write down from each decline?

Keep the company name, the date, and whether the answer was a letter or a phone call. The pamphlet does not give you a state form that collects those declines. The agent is the person it tells you to ask about the plan. A list of three companies is more useful in that meeting than a general statement that insurance is hard. If one company offered a policy at the minimum and you turned it down on price, that is not the same fact as a decline. Say which it was. The mandatory-insurance division at the Secretary of State is listed on the pamphlet for questions about the law itself: 501 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62756-7000, mandatoryinsurance@ilsos.gov. That office does not replace the agent who can submit an application.

FAQ

Does the Secretary of State sell this policy? No. The pamphlet tells you to ask an insurance agent about the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan.

Can the plan insure me for less than 25/50/20? No. Those are the minimums for a liability policy in Illinois. The plan is a way to buy coverage, not a discount on the legal floor.

I was uninsured. Will any company take me? The pamphlet says some companies do not sell to owners who have been driving uninsured, and it points those drivers to the plan through an agent.

Is a declination letter a complaint? A decline is the reason to ask about the plan. File with the Department of Insurance if the problem is how the company handled the application, a bill, or a claim.

Does applying pause the mandatory-insurance law? No. You need a policy in force and the card in the vehicle. An application is not coverage.

Next step

Take the names of the companies that declined you to an agent and ask, in those words, about the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan. Confirm the effective date and put the card in the car before you drive. If a company you already have is the problem, write that company before you write the department.

Sources: Illinois Secretary of State: Mandatory Vehicle Insurance (VSD 361), Illinois Department of Insurance: auto insurance shopping guide, 625 ILCS 5/11-407.

If you buy the liability insurance Illinois requires, the policy includes uninsured-motorist coverage for bodily injury or death at the legal minimum. The Secretary of State says that coverage is automatic. It pays when the other driver has no insurance. It does not pay for damage to your own car.

The state does not require uninsured property-damage coverage, collision, or comprehensive. The liability floor is still $25,000, $50,000, and $20,000. Uninsured-motorist injury coverage rides at that bodily-injury minimum unless you buy more. Read the declarations page before you assume the two lines match a higher limit you asked for.

What does the automatic coverage pay?

The pamphlet describes it as protection if you are in a crash with an uninsured driver, for bodily injury or death. The Department of Insurance describes bodily-injury liability, the coverage you buy for people you hurt, as at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash under 625 ILCS 5/7-203. Uninsured-motorist coverage points the other way. It is there for you and the people it covers when the at-fault driver has nothing to collect. The pamphlet's phrase is "at the legal minimum requirements for bodily injury or death." Treat the declarations page as the dollar amount, and treat the pamphlet as the promise that the line exists.

Property damage you cause to someone else is the separate $20,000 liability limit. Uninsured property damage, the coverage that would fix your car when the other driver has no insurance, is on the list of coverages state law does not require. If that line is missing, a crash with an uninsured driver can leave your repair bill on you unless you also have collision.

What should I compare on the declarations page?

Look for three labels and do not mix them up:

• Bodily-injury liability, at least 25/50, pays people you injure.
• Property-damage liability, at least $20,000, pays property you damage.
• Uninsured motorist, included at the bodily-injury minimum, pays injury caused by a driver with no insurance.

Collision and comprehensive are physical-damage coverages. The state does not require them. A lender on a financed car often does. That requirement is in the loan agreement. A card that only proves liability still satisfies the officer who asks for proof of insurance. It does not tell the body shop who pays for your bumper.

The full minimums and the card rule are in Illinois auto insurance minimums.

What if the other driver is uninsured and at fault?

The Secretary of State says an at-fault uninsured motorist must pay the damages or face suspension of the license plates and the driver's license. That suspension is the state's leverage on the other driver. It is not a check for your medical bills. Your uninsured-motorist coverage is the part of your own policy that responds to the injury. Open the claim with your company and keep the other driver's information if the officer recorded that there was no insurance.

If no officer is present, 625 ILCS 5/11-407 requires notice to local police, or outside a municipality to the nearest sheriff or Illinois State Police, when anyone is hurt or killed or property damage is over $1,500. That property-damage amount is $500 only if a vehicle required to be insured under 7-601 has no liability policy. The officer files the written report. Repealed section 11-406 does not make the driver send one to the Department of Transportation. The Secretary of State does not keep an insurance file on every vehicle.

Where do you argue about the claim?

Call your company first and write down the name and the date. If the answer does not match the policy, the Department of Insurance takes a written complaint. Phone questions go to (866) 445-5364. The complaint itself is not a phone call. See how to file an Illinois insurance complaint. If companies will not sell you a liability policy at all, the next door is the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan, not a waiver of the uninsured-motorist line. See what to ask after a decline.

What do I ask the agent to point at?

Ask the agent to show the uninsured-motorist bodily-injury limit and the liability bodily-injury limit on the same page. If you raised liability above 25/50 and the uninsured-motorist line stayed at the minimum, that is a choice you should see before you pay the premium. Ask whether uninsured property damage is on the policy at all. The pamphlet says the state does not require it. Ask what collision deductible would apply to your own car in a crash with an uninsured driver. Write the answers on the quote. A renewal that drops a line you thought was permanent is the declarations page to read every term, not only the first year.

FAQ

Do I have to ask for uninsured-motorist coverage? No. The Secretary of State says liability policies automatically include it at the legal minimum for bodily injury or death.

Does that coverage fix my car? No. Uninsured property-damage coverage is not required. Collision is the coverage that repairs your car, and the state does not require collision either.

Is the amount always 25/50? The automatic inclusion is at the legal bodily-injury minimum. A higher limit has to be on the declarations page. Do not assume it rose because you raised liability.

What if I hurt someone and I am uninsured? You are outside this coverage. The pamphlet says an at-fault uninsured driver must pay the damages or face plate and license suspensions.

Who do I call if the company denies the injury claim? Your company first. Then a written complaint to the Department of Insurance. Questions only: (866) 445-5364.

Next step

Find the uninsured-motorist line on the declarations page and read the dollar limits next to liability. If you want the car repaired when the other driver has no insurance, ask for collision or for uninsured property damage as its own purchase. The automatic line will still be the injury coverage.

Sources: Illinois Secretary of State: Mandatory Vehicle Insurance (VSD 361), Illinois Department of Insurance: auto insurance shopping guide, 625 ILCS 5/11-407.

If an Illinois insurer will not fix a claim, a cancellation, or a bill, start with the company and write down the call. When that fails, the Department of Insurance will take a complaint only in writing. Analysts at (866) 445-5364 can answer general questions. That phone call is not the complaint.

Illinois law gives the insurer or agent 21 days to respond. The department asks you to allow four to six weeks for the investigation. Send copies. Keep the originals. A file number arrives in writing after the complaint is received. Use that number on every later call.

What should I do before I file?

The department's complaint page tells you to contact the company or the agent and to document each call: the name, the date, and a short summary. Keep copies of letters and emails. If the company's answer is still wrong, then use the department. Calling Consumer Assistance first is useful when you do not know whether the dispute is something the department handles. The analyst can point you at the form. The form, not the conversation, opens the file.

Gather the policy number, the claim number, the denial letter, and the estimate you disagree with. A mine-subsidence fight and an auto-liability fight use the same intake. The policy language is what changes. See the 25/50/20 auto minimums and mine-subsidence coverage if you are checking which contract applies before you write.

Where does the writing go?

The department lists four ways to submit the complaint:

• Online at idoihelpcenter.illinois.gov/s/
• Email to DOI.complaints@illinois.gov
• Mail to 4800 Wabash Avenue, Springfield, IL 62711
• Fax to (217) 558-2083

For a printed form, call (866) 445-5364 and ask them to send one. The Secretary of State's insurance pamphlet also lists the department at 320 West Washington Street, Springfield, IL 62767-0001, and insurance.illinois.gov. Use the address on the complaint page you are actually filing, so the packet reaches the unit that opens files. A copy of your complaint is sent to the insurance company. That is why the 21-day clock matters. Do not expect a decision the week you mail it.

What does the 21 days mean?

Illinois law, as the department describes it, allows 21 days for an insurer or agent to respond to a complaint. Your own wait is longer. The page says to allow four to six weeks for the investigation to finish. When the file is opened you get a written notice with the file number. Quote that number if you add documents. Send more copies, not a second complaint about the same facts, unless the department asks for a new filing.

A mover who holds goods or bills above a tariff is a different office. Household-goods complaints go to the Illinois Commerce Commission. See how to complain about an Illinois mover. Use the Department of Insurance when the dispute is the policy.

What if you were turned down for auto insurance?

A decline is not, by itself, this complaint. The Secretary of State tells drivers who cannot buy a policy to ask an agent about the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan. File with the department if the problem is how a company treated an application, a premium, or a claim. See the plan after a decline.

What should the written complaint contain?

Put the policy number, the claim number if you have one, and the outcome you want in the first lines: a coverage decision that matches the form, a correction of a bill, or an explanation of a cancellation. Attach the denial, the declarations page, and your log of calls. The department says a copy goes to the company, so do not put a Social Security number or a full account number in the narrative if the policy number is enough to find the file. The 21 days the department cites is the company's time to respond to the department, not a promise that your roof will be paid on day 22. Use the file number they send you if you add a document later. A second complaint about the same facts, sent because the first week felt slow, restarts the story for a reader who already has the file.

The Secretary of State pamphlet points general auto-insurance questions to the department and gives 320 West Washington Street, Springfield, as a department address. The complaint page you are filing from is the one that lists 4800 Wabash Avenue, the email DOI.complaints@illinois.gov, and the fax (217) 558-2083. Use the channel printed on the current complaint instructions so the packet is not split across buildings.

FAQ

Can I complain by phone? No. The department says complaints must be in writing. (866) 445-5364 is for questions and for requesting a paper form.

How long does the company have? The department says Illinois law allows 21 days for the insurer or agent to respond. Plan on four to six weeks for the department's review.

Should I mail original photos? No. Keep originals and send copies. The same rule applies to email attachments. Keep your own set.

Will I get a file number? Yes. The department sends written notice of the number when the complaint is received. Use it after that.

Is a moving bill this complaint? Only if an insurance policy is the dispute. A household mover's charges and license are an Illinois Commerce Commission matter.

Next step

Write the company, save the names and dates, and send copies through one of the four channels if the answer is still wrong. Put the policy number in the first lines. Wait for the file number before you send a second packet.

Sources: Illinois Department of Insurance: understanding the complaint process, Secretary of State: Mandatory Vehicle Insurance (VSD 361).

In 34 Illinois counties that have been judged to have a significant mine-subsidence exposure, insurance companies must place mine-subsidence coverage on the policy. You can have it removed only by signing a waiver. The coverage, when it is on the policy, shows up as its own endorsement or rider.

A standard homeowners form does not pay mine subsidence just because it pays for fire. The Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund reinsures the companies. It does not issue your policy, and it is not a state-operated program.

Who is the Fund?

The General Assembly created the Fund. The Fund says it operates as a private enterprise and does not rely on state or federal money. The Department of Insurance has general regulatory authority over it. The Fund provides reinsurance to the insurance companies, runs geotechnical investigations to decide whether mine subsidence caused the damage, and educates the public. You buy the coverage from your own insurer. You report a claim to that insurer or to your agent. Only companies that contract with the Fund can open the investigation.

Mine subsidence, in the disclosure statute that sits next to this coverage, means lateral or vertical ground movement that directly damages a structure because a man-made underground mine collapsed. Earthquake, landslide, soil conditions, frost, tree roots, and a collapsed sewer are not mine subsidence under that definition. The insurance form uses its own wording. Read the endorsement.

What are the limits and the price?

The Fund sets the maximum reinsurance it will give the primary insurer. It does not set the limit on your structure. Some insurers may sell more than the reinsured amount. The residential maximum reinsured is currently $750,000 per residence. The commercial maximum reinsured through the Fund is $750,000. A primary carrier may offer more and is not required to. Excess coverage can also be bought through surplus-lines brokers.

Premiums are based on the amount of coverage. They do not change with construction type or location. Rates in the Fund's consumer examples have been in effect since July 1, 2013. Those examples price $100,000 of residential coverage at $44 a year, $200,000 at $71, $300,000 at $99, $400,000 at $127, $500,000 at $154, and $750,000 at $224. Commercial rates are slightly higher. Confirm the premium on your own declarations page. A table from 2013 is a reference, not a quote.

How do condos and townhouses differ?

A condominium association organized under the Condominium Property Act usually insures the building on a commercial policy in the association's name. The Fund says the reinsurance on that policy follows the commercial limit, up to $750,000. Each unit owner's policy can have an additional $15,000 of mine-subsidence reinsurance for that living unit. A townhouse or a house in a common-interest community is often insured by the owner for the full residence. Reinsurance then follows that policy, up to the $750,000 residential maximum. The bylaws say who must insure what. Ask before you assume the association policy covers your interior.

What do you do if the ground moves?

Most events are slow. If the house is unstable or a utility line is affected, get people out and call from a safe place. Call the gas or electric company if a line is involved. The Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Division is 618-650-3197 or 217-782-0588. After hours, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency is 800-782-7860. Then call your agent.

The policy in force on the date of loss responds up to its limits. For one event, or several events that are continuous, the reimbursable amount is the coverage in force when the damage first became reasonably observable. Payments already made to you or to an earlier owner come off that amount. A seller who says "there is still insurance money after you buy" is describing a remainder, not a new limit. If you waive coverage during an active event, put it back after the movement stops and the repairs are done. Insurers may refuse coverage on a house that is still unrepaired. Maps of old mines are at the Illinois State Geological Survey. Call 217-333-3222 if you cannot read a map. The sale disclosure is a separate paper. See what a seller must tell you about paid mine-subsidence claims.

FAQ

Does every Illinois homeowner have this coverage? Companies must place it on policies in the 34 counties with significant exposure. You may waive it in writing. Outside that rule, ask the agent whether the endorsement is on the policy.

Is the Fund a state agency I call for a claim? No. The Fund reinsures insurers. You report the claim to your insurance company or agent.

What is the most the Fund will reinsure on a house? The Fund's current residential maximum is $750,000. Your insurer may offer more. The Fund is not required to reinsure the extra.

Can I raise a condo unit above $15,000 with the Fund? The Fund's reinsurance on an individual living-unit policy is described as $15,000. The association's commercial policy is a separate limit, up to the commercial maximum.

Will the Fund tell me if the house I want to buy already had a claim? No. The Fund says privacy rules bar it from disclosing claim information to the public. Use the seller's written disclosure and the insurer the lender can identify.

Next step

Read the homeowners policy for a mine-subsidence endorsement before you waive it. If you are buying in coal country, ask the seller for paid claims in writing and look at the Illinois State Geological Survey mine locator. A claim still starts with the company named on the policy.

Sources: Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund: consumer FAQ, 765 ILCS 95, Mine Subsidence Disclosure Act.

Illinois law requires liability insurance of at least $25,000 for injury or death of one person in a crash, $50,000 for injury or death of more than one person, and $20,000 for damage to another person's property. The Secretary of State cites those figures as the way a driver complies with the mandatory insurance law.

The Department of Insurance ties the bodily-injury and property-damage floors to 625 ILCS 5/7-203, and the duty to carry insurance to 625 ILCS 5/7-601. Keep the insurance card in the vehicle and show it when an officer asks. The card usually arrives when the policy is issued or renewed.

What do the three numbers pay?

Bodily-injury liability pays for injury or death of a pedestrian or a person in another car. The Department of Insurance says it may also cover your passengers when they are not members of your household. It may pay for a lawyer if you are sued because of the crash. The $25,000 figure is per person. The $50,000 figure is the total for the crash when more than one person is hurt.

Property-damage liability pays for another person's car or property, including a fence, a building, a utility pole, a sign, or a tree. The floor is $20,000 per crash. Trailers are not required to carry liability insurance. The vehicle that tows one still needs its own policy if it is registered and operated in Illinois.

What does the state not require you to buy?

The Secretary of State's mandatory-insurance pamphlet says state law does not require collision, comprehensive, medical-payments, or uninsured property-damage coverage. A lender can still require physical damage coverage on a financed vehicle. That requirement is the loan, not 625 ILCS 5/7-203.

Liability policies automatically include uninsured-motorist coverage at the legal minimum for bodily injury or death. That coverage is there if the other driver has no insurance. It is not a substitute for collision coverage on your own car. Read the declarations page so you know whether you bought anything above the floor. See how uninsured-motorist coverage sits on an Illinois policy.

What happens after a crash?

If no officer is at the scene, 625 ILCS 5/11-407 requires the driver to give notice by the fastest means available. Inside a municipality, call the local police department. Outside one, call the nearest county sheriff or the nearest Illinois State Police headquarters. Notice is required when anyone is injured or killed, or when property damage to any person, including the driver, is more than $1,500. That property-damage amount is $500 only if a vehicle that must carry liability insurance under section 7-601 has no liability policy. Section 7-203 sets the 25/50/20 floor. It does not set this notice rule. Section 11-406, the old duty to file a written crash report, was repealed. The driver does not mail a report to the Department of Transportation.

An at-fault driver who is uninsured must pay the damages or face suspension of the license plates and the driver's license. Minimum limits are the floor. A serious crash can cost more than $25,000 for one person. The pamphlet says the minimum is only the foundation of a policy.

What if a company will not sell you a policy?

Some companies will not insure a driver who has been uninsured. The Secretary of State says to ask an agent about the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan, a state-monitored program for drivers who have trouble buying coverage. The plan does not erase the 25/50/20 floor. See what to ask after a decline.

Questions about a claim, a cancellation, or a bill go to the Department of Insurance after you have written the company. Consumer Assistance is (866) 445-5364. A complaint itself has to be in writing. See how to file that complaint.

What should I keep with the card?

The pamphlet's enforcement note is the electronic check the state runs against the policy, not a file you can call up at the Secretary of State for every plate. If an officer asks, the card in the vehicle is the proof the pamphlet tells you to show. Put the company name, the policy number, and the dates on the card next to a photo of the declarations page on your phone. If the card is expired because a renewal is in the mail, ask the company for a current card before you rely on the old one. A financed car can have a second requirement, physical damage, that will not appear on a liability-only card. Ask the lender what the loan calls for and match it to the declarations page the same day.

If you are also buying a house, the auto policy does not pay mine subsidence and it does not set the property tax. Those are separate contracts and a separate bill. The insurance complaint path is the same department if a company mishandles the auto claim.

FAQ

Is 25/50/20 the whole policy? It is the liability floor in 625 ILCS 5/7-203. Collision and comprehensive are separate. A lender may require them even though the state does not.

Do I have to carry the card? Yes. The Secretary of State says you must carry the insurance card in the vehicle and show it to a law enforcement officer on request.

Does the policy include uninsured-motorist coverage? Liability policies automatically include uninsured-motorist coverage at the legal minimum for bodily injury or death. Uninsured property damage is not required.

When do I have to notify the police? If no officer is present, 625 ILCS 5/11-407 requires notice for an injury or a death, or for property damage over $1,500. The amount is $500 only when a vehicle required to have liability insurance under 7-601 has none. Call local police inside a municipality. Otherwise call the nearest sheriff or Illinois State Police office. You do not file a written report with the Department of Transportation.

Are trailers included? The pamphlet says trailers are not required to have liability insurance. The motor vehicle that is registered and driven in Illinois still is.

Next step

Read the declarations page against 25/50/20 and against whatever the lender wrote into the loan. Put the current card in the vehicle. If a company has declined you, ask the agent about the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan before you drive uninsured.

Sources: Illinois Secretary of State: Mandatory Vehicle Insurance (VSD 361), Illinois Department of Insurance: auto insurance shopping guide, 625 ILCS 5/11-407 (P.A. 103-1047, eff. Jan. 1, 2025). Section 11-406 was repealed by P.A. 102-560.