The Illinois General Assembly recently amended the state insurance code to require insurance companies that write homeowners insurance in the state to report to the best of their ability all dog bite claims to the state. This legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2022.

All insurance companies offering homeowners' and renter's insurance that issue a policy or coverage for liability for injury to a person, or injury or destruction to a property that arises out of the ownership, lease, or rental of residential property under Section 143.10d of the Illinois Code are to document the circumstances and report the following information to the best for their ability for claims involving dog bites, including but not limited to:

1. The breed of the dog, and if the identification of the breed was made by visual identification, if the identification was made by the owner, the adjustor or the insured.
2. Where the owner of the dog obtained the dog from: a pet store, breeder, animal shelter or rescue organization, a friend or acquaintance, or if they found the dog or it was a stray.
3. The sex of the dog, and whether or not it was neutered or spayed.
4. Whether or not the person injured by the dog was observed teasing, tormenting, battering, assaulting or injuring or otherwise provoking the dog.
5. The type of injury that was sustained by the victim, such as fall or bite.
6. Whether the injury occurred on the insured's property or at another location.
7. Whether the dog had received any sort of obedience training, or there have been previous claims or past complaints against the dog. 

The information is to be collected for a two year period starting January 1, 2022 and shall be reported annually to the Illinois Insurance Department. The Department shall make this information available on their website on July 1, 2023 and then update on July 1, 2024. The data and information collected by the Department that contains any proprietary status or confidential information will not be released.