(625 ILCS 5/6-402) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 6-402)

Sec. 6-402. Qualifications of driver training schools. In order to qualify for a license to operate a driver training school, each applicant must:

(a) be of good moral character;

(b) be at least 21 years of age;

(c) maintain an established place of business open to the public which meets the requirements of Section 6-403 through 6-407;

(d) maintain bodily injury and property damage liability insurance on motor vehicles while used in driving instruction, insuring the liability of the driving school, the driving instructors and any person taking instruction in at least the following amounts: $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in any one crash and, subject to said limit for one person, $100,000 for bodily injury to or death of 2 or more persons in any one crash and the amount of $10,000 for damage to property of others in any one crash. Evidence of such insurance coverage in the form of a certificate from the insurance carrier shall be filed with the Secretary of State, and such certificate shall stipulate that the insurance shall not be cancelled except upon 10 days prior written notice to the Secretary of State. The decal showing evidence of insurance shall be affixed to the windshield of the vehicle;

(e) provide a continuous surety company bond in the principal sum of $10,000 for a non-accredited school, $40,000 for a CDL or teenage accredited school, $60,000 for a CDL accredited and teenage accredited school, $50,000 for a CDL or teenage accredited school with 3 or more licensed branches, $70,000 for a CDL accredited and teenage accredited school with 3 or more licensed branches for the protection of the contractual rights of students in such form as will meet with the approval of the Secretary of State and written by a company authorized to do business in this State. However, the aggregate liability of the surety for all breaches of the condition of the bond in no event shall exceed the principal sum of $10,000 for a non-accredited school, $40,000 for a CDL or teenage accredited school, $60,000 for a CDL accredited and teenage accredited school, $50,000 for a CDL or teenage accredited school with 3 or more licensed branches, $70,000 for a CDL accredited and teenage accredited school with 3 or more licensed branches. The surety on any such bond may cancel such bond on giving 30 days notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of State and shall be relieved of liability for any breach of any conditions of the bond which occurs after the effective date of cancellation;

(f) have the equipment necessary to the giving of proper instruction in the operation of motor vehicles;

(g) have and use a business telephone listing for all business purposes;

(h) pay to the Secretary of State an application fee of $500 and $50 for each branch application; and

(i) authorize an investigation to include a fingerprint based background check to determine if the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime and if so, the disposition of those convictions. The authorization shall indicate the scope of the inquiry and the agencies that may be contacted. Upon this authorization, the Secretary of State may request and receive information and assistance from any federal, State, or local governmental agency as part of the authorized investigation. Each applicant shall have his or her fingerprints submitted to the Illinois State Police in the form and manner prescribed by the Illinois State Police. The fingerprints shall be checked against the Illinois State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history record information databases. The Illinois State Police shall charge a fee for conducting the criminal history records check, which shall be deposited in the State Police Services Fund and shall not exceed the actual cost of the records check. The applicant shall be required to pay all related fingerprint fees including, but not limited to, the amounts established by the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to process fingerprint based criminal background investigations. The Illinois State Police shall provide information concerning any criminal convictions and disposition of criminal convictions brought against the applicant upon request of the Secretary of State provided that the request is made in the form and manner required by the Illinois State Police. Unless otherwise prohibited by law, the information derived from the investigation including the source of the information and any conclusions or recommendations derived from the information by the Secretary of State shall be provided to the applicant, or his designee, upon request to the Secretary of State, prior to any final action by the Secretary of State on the application. Any criminal convictions and disposition information obtained by the Secretary of State shall be confidential and may not be transmitted outside the Office of the Secretary of State, except as required herein, and may not be transmitted to anyone within the Office of the Secretary of State except as needed for the purpose of evaluating the applicant. At any administrative hearing held under Section 2-118 of this Code relating to the denial, cancellation, suspension, or revocation of a driver training school license, the Secretary of State is authorized to utilize at that hearing any criminal histories, criminal convictions, and disposition information obtained under this Section. The information obtained from the investigation may be maintained by the Secretary of State or any agency to which the information was transmitted. Only information and standards, which bear a reasonable and rational relation to the performance of a driver training school owner, shall be used by the Secretary of State. Any employee of the Secretary of State who gives or causes to be given away any confidential information concerning any criminal charges or disposition of criminal charges of an applicant shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, unless release of the information is authorized by this Section.

No license shall be issued under this Section to a person who is a spouse, offspring, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, uncle or aunt, nephew or niece, cousin, or in-law of the person whose license to do business at that location has been revoked or denied or to a person who was an officer or employee of a business firm that has had its license revoked or denied, unless the Secretary of State is satisfied the application was submitted in good faith and not for the purpose or effect of defeating the intent of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 102-982, eff. 7-1-23.)