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General Liability Insurance in Illinois

In Illinois negligence claims for bodily injury, death, or physical damage to property, all liable defendants share joint-and-several liability for past and future medical expenses; for other damages, a defendant at 25% or more of the specified fault total may also be jointly liable. A claimant is barred only above 50% fault, and the personal-injury period is generally two years after accrual. 2,1,3

What Is General Liability?

General liability can protect your business when a customer or visitor claims you caused injury or damaged their property. It suits businesses serving customers or working on their premises; your own building, tools and stock need property coverage. Read the national General liability guide.

What to Watch for in Illinois

  • Medical Costs Have a Separate Allocation Rule

    Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1117, all defendants found liable in covered negligence claims are jointly and severally liable for past and future medical and medically related expenses. Ask the broker how the policy limit responds to the insured’s potential responsibility for these costs; the statute does not itself determine coverage. 2

  • The 25% Test Uses a Defined Fault Total

    For other damages, a defendant below 25% is severally liable only; at 25% or above, the defendant may be jointly liable. The statutory total counts the plaintiff, sued defendants, and third-party defendants, but excludes the plaintiff’s employer. Ask how that allocation affects the insured’s potential share and limit. 2

  • A Claimant Is Barred Only Above 50%

    Section 2-1116 reduces damages by claimant fault and bars recovery only when that fault exceeds 50%; exactly 50% is not the bar. Its stated scope is negligence bodily-injury/death or physical-property claims and strict-tort product liability, with a narrow childhood-sexual-abuse exception. 1

  • Keep the Two-Year Period Within Its Scope

    Section 13-202 gives two years after accrual for listed injury-to-person actions, subject to stated exceptions and tolling. Do not apply it automatically to property, contract, or every liability claim; ask counsel to classify the cause and separately follow policy notice requirements. 3

Who Regulates Insurance in Illinois

Illinois Department of Insurance

The Department licenses and oversees insurers and insurance producers doing business in Illinois, reviews regulated insurance activity, and investigates complaints about coverage, claims, premiums, and sales. 4,6,5

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 3.5% of taxable premium plus a 0.04% stamping fee; separate 1% fire marshal tax on taxable fire premium When Illinois is the insured’s home state, the broker reports and remits a 3.5% tax on gross taxable surplus-line premium less returned taxable premium. The separate SLAI stamping fee is 0.04% for policies effective on or after January 1, 2023; a 1% fire marshal tax also applies to taxable fire premium. 8,7,11,12,9

Surplus Line Association of Illinois

  • Illinois guaranty fund limits: For covered claims against a member insurer, the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund generally caps its obligation at $500,000 per claim; workers’ compensation claims are excepted from that dollar cap. This fund does not protect policies issued by nonadmitted surplus-lines insurers. The net-worth exclusions apply to covered claims against member insurers. 9
  • Illinois FAIR Plan: If you cannot obtain basic property coverage in the voluntary market, the Illinois FAIR Plan offers a residual-market option for eligible property. Check its current eligibility and coverage limits before relying on it for a commercial location. 10

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for General liability; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Illinois. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 15
  • ERGO NEXT InsuranceNext First Insurance Agency, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28ERGO NEXT’s current license table lists Next First Insurance Agency, Inc. in 50 jurisdictions, including Washington, DC; New York is excluded because its table rows name Next Insurance Services and AP Intego, not Next First. The table is company-reported; it does not establish product availability or provide state-regulator verification for each entry. 17
  • HiscoxHiscox Insurance Company Inc.Insurer · checked 2026-09-28Hiscox’s U.S. company information states that Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is company-reported insurer authority for this entity and does not establish which company issues every Hiscox-branded product. 16
  • RisklyticsRisklytics, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Risklytics’ licensing page lists its Massachusetts resident agency license plus state license records in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Washington; it identifies the NPN record date as September 10, 2026. This list is company-published and not a product availability map. 18
  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 19
  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 20

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Illinois

  1. How could §2-1117’s joint liability for past and future medical expenses affect our limit analysis?
  2. For nonmedical damages, what fault percentage and comparison group apply, including third-party defendants and the plaintiff’s employer exclusion?
  3. Does §13-202 govern this specific claim, what starts accrual, and is an exception or tolling rule involved?

General Liability in Illinois: FAQ

At what fault percentage is a claimant barred in Illinois? 1

More than 50% for covered negligence bodily-injury, death, or physical-property claims under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116. Damages are reduced by claimant fault at 50% or below, subject to the statute’s narrow exception. 1

When can an Illinois defendant be jointly liable for damages? 2

For covered negligence injury claims, all liable defendants are jointly liable for past and future medical expenses. For other damages, the defendant generally must be at least 25% of the statutory fault total; the total excludes the plaintiff’s employer. 2

What is Illinois’s deadline for a personal-injury lawsuit? 3

Generally two years after accrual for the injury-to-person actions listed in 735 ILCS 5/13-202, subject to exceptions and tolling stated in that section. 3

General Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in Illinois

Sources

  1. 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, Limitation on recovery in tort actions. Illinois General Assembly; Full current section text; ordinary negligence and strict-tort product claims; P.A. 103-1053, effective 2024-12-20; childhood-sexual-abuse exception. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. 735 ILCS 5/2-1117, Joint liability. Illinois General Assembly; Full current section text; past/future medical expenses and 25% threshold for other damages; denominator excludes plaintiff employer; source notes P.A. 93-10 and 93-12 effective 2003-06-04. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. 735 ILCS 5/13-202, Personal injury - Penalty. Illinois General Assembly; Full current section text; injury-to-person limitation; P.A. 99-90, effective 2016-01-01. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Illinois Department of Insurance. Illinois Department of Insurance; Official agency homepage and agency information. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. File a Complaint. Illinois Department of Insurance; Official insurance complaint intake and consumer phone. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Calculating & Remitting Taxes: Surplus Line Tax. Surplus Line Association of Illinois; Current surplus-line tax applicability and rate. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. 215 ILCS 5/445: Surplus line. Illinois General Assembly; Subsections (3)(a), (12): tax and code applicability. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. 215 ILCS 5: Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund. Illinois General Assembly; Article XXXIV: cap, net-worth exclusions, exceptions, and non-admitted insurer exclusion. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Illinois FAIR Plan Association. Illinois FAIR Plan Association; Plan overview and current eligibility information. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Stamping Fees: Fee Calculation. Surplus Line Association of Illinois; Current stamping fee 0.04% of premium for policies effective January 1, 2023 or later; may be passed to insured. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. 50 Ill. Adm. Code § 2701.130: Taxes. Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules; Surplus line producer pays 1% fire marshal tax on gross premiums less returned premiums for insurance subject to the Fire Investigation Act. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  12. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  13. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  14. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  15. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  16. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  17. About Risklytics. Risklytics; What we do; Who we insure; Licensing; Agency licenses table dated 2026-09-10. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  18. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  19. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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