Illinois § 15-5

§ 15-5.

Exemptions; private detective. The provisions of this Act relating to the licensure of private detectives do not apply to any of the following: (1) An employee of the United States, Illinois, or a political subdivision of either while the employee is engaged in the performance of the employee's official duties within the scope of the employee's employment. However, any such person who offers services as a private detective or uses a similar title when these services are performed for compensation or other consideration, whether received directly or indirectly, is subject to this Act. (2) A person, firm, or other entity engaged exclusively in tracing and compiling lineage or ancestry who does not hold oneself out to be a private detective. (3) A person engaged exclusively in obtaining and furnishing information, including providing reports, as to the financial rating or creditworthiness of persons in connection with (i) consumer credit transactions, (ii) information for employment purposes, or (iii) information for the underwriting of consumer insurance. (4) Insurance adjusters employed or under contract as adjusters who engage in no other investigative activities other than those directly connected with adjustment of claims against an insurance company or a self-insured entity by which they are employed or with which they have a contract. No insurance adjuster or company may use the term "investigation" or any derivative thereof, in its name or in its advertising. (5) A person, firm, or other entity engaged in providing computer forensics services so long as the person, firm, or other entity does not hold oneself out to be a private detective. For the purposes of this item (5), "computer forensics services" means a branch of forensic science pertaining to the recovery and analysis of electronically stored information. (6) A person employed as an investigator exclusively by only one employer in connection with the exclusive activities of that employer and who does not hold oneself out to be a private detective. (7) A person appointed by the circuit court pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure to make service of process in a specific case, provided that such person is not otherwise engaged in the business of serving process. (8) A person appointed by the circuit court pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure who is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the United States and is self-employed as a process server. (Source: P.A. 103-309, eff. 1-1-24.)