GoHighLevel · Expert services, Illinois
GoHighLevel Expert and Setup Agency in Illinois: Builds That Follow Illinois Law
Quick answer
A GoHighLevel expert for Illinois businesses builds the standard account plus what Illinois changes: an all-party eavesdropping statute for recorded calls, the Biometric Information Privacy Act that lists voiceprints, a live-operator Telephone Solicitations Act, an Automatic Telephone Dialers Act with $500 statutory damages, and no state do-not-call registry statute.
Key takeaways
- Illinois eavesdropping, 720 ILCS 5/14-2, makes it a crime to record a private conversation you are part of, in a surreptitious manner, unless all other parties consent. First offense is a Class 4 felony (14-4). 'Surreptitious' means done by stealth, deception, secrecy or concealment, which is why an announced recording notice is the build default.
- The Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14, lists a voiceprint as a biometric identifier. Collecting one needs written notice, a stated purpose and term, and a written release, plus a public retention policy. Liquidated damages are $1,000 for negligence and $5,000 for intentional or reckless violations.
- The Telephone Solicitations Act, 815 ILCS 413, covers live-operator calls: no solicitation between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., and the operator must ask at the start whether the person consents to the solicitation. The Automatic Telephone Dialers Act, 815 ILCS 305, covers recorded messages with a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. window and $500 per violation statutory damages.
- ILGA lists the state Restricted Call Registry Act as repealed by P.A. 100-621. We found no Illinois statute that addresses marketing texts, so federal rules do the work there; confirm with an Illinois attorney.
- Illinois has no single calling-hours rule. Live-operator sales calls stop between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. (815 ILCS 413/15), recorded-message calls between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. (815 ILCS 305/15). A 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. window in the contact's time zone satisfies both.
In Illinois the risky GoHighLevel settings are the voice ones. Recording a call you are on can be a felony if it is done in secret, and the Biometric Information Privacy Act lists voiceprints, which matters for AI voice agents and call analytics. Illinois also splits live-operator calls and recorded messages into two separate statutes with different hours, so one calling window does not fit both. A GoHighLevel expert in Illinois builds the standard account, then sets recording notices, voice-feature reviews and call windows to these rules.
aibrevo is based in San Francisco and builds remotely for businesses across Illinois, from Chicago and Naperville to Aurora, Rockford and Springfield. aibrevo works with its partner company autoesta, whose team delivers GoHighLevel builds; aibrevo’s CRM team scopes the project with you. For CRM work on other platforms in the city, see our Chicago CRM implementation page.
This page is not legal advice. Illinois gives its voice rules in four separate acts, so each section below links the statute for an Illinois attorney to check.
Call recording: eavesdropping is a felony if done in secret
720 ILCS 5/14-2(a)(2) says a person commits eavesdropping when he or she knowingly and intentionally uses an eavesdropping device, in a surreptitious manner, to transmit or record a private conversation to which he or she is a party, unless he or she does so with the consent of all other parties to the private conversation. Under 14-1, “surreptitious” means obtained or made by stealth or deception, or executed through secrecy or concealment, and a “private conversation” is one where a party intended it to be private under circumstances reasonably justifying that expectation. A first offense is a Class 4 felony and a second or later offense a Class 3 felony under 14-4.
Because the offense turns on secrecy, the build removes it. A short spoken notice plays before any recorded call, on inbound, outbound and voicemail, and the recording starts after it. The same line goes in the script of any AI voice agent. Whether a notice is enough for a particular call is a question for your Illinois attorney, which is why we do not treat it as a guarantee. Our call recording FAQ covers the state-by-state picture.
Voice features and the Biometric Information Privacy Act
The Biometric Information Privacy Act defines “biometric identifier” as a retina or iris scan, fingerprint, voiceprint, or scan of hand or face geometry. A private entity in possession of biometric identifiers must publish a written retention and destruction policy (section 15(a)). Before it collects one, it must tell the person in writing that it is collecting or storing one, tell them the purpose and length of term, and receive a written release (section 15(b)). Section 20 gives a right of action: $1,000 or actual damages for negligent violations, $5,000 or actual damages for intentional or reckless violations, plus attorney’s fees.
The statute does not list a call recording or a transcript as a biometric identifier. What matters is whether a tool turns a voice into a voiceprint used to identify a person. So the build includes a review:
- Inventory voice features. Call recording, transcription, AI voice agents, call scoring and any third-party voice tool connected to the account.
- Ask each vendor whether it creates a voiceprint or speaker identification template, and where it is stored.
- Leave identification features off unless you want them and have the written notice, written release and retention policy in place.
- Record the answer in your compliance file.
Public Act 103-769, effective August 2, 2024, changed section 20 so that repeated collection of the same identifier from the same person by the same method is a single violation with one recovery. It did not remove the notice and release requirements. See our conversation AI guide and the AI voice agent comparison for what each tool records.
Live-operator calls: the Telephone Solicitations Act
The Telephone Solicitations Act defines telephone solicitation as a communication through a telephone by live operators for soliciting the sale of goods or services. Its rules, in 815 ILCS 413/15:
- No solicitation by telephone call between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.
- A live operator must immediately state his or her name, the business represented and the purpose of the call, and must ask at the beginning whether the person consents to the solicitation.
- If the person asks to be taken off the contact list, the operator must stop calling and take all steps to remove the person from the organization’s contact records. Compliance with the FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule’s 310.4(b) counts as compliance with this part.
- A caller may not impede caller ID when the equipment can display the number.
It is a violation to continue a solicitation placed by a live operator without the consent of the called party (413/25(b)). A customer injured can recover three times actual damages plus costs and attorney’s fees (413/25(d)), and the Attorney General can enforce it as an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud Act. Section 10 carves out some businesses, including banks, credit unions, licensed insurers and licensees under the Real Estate License Act of 2000, and their affiliates, employees and agents. Section 20 says the Act does not apply to calls made by an autodialer, other than the caller ID rule.
In HighLevel, the click-to-call and power-dialer screens get a script prompt and a disposition field for the consent question, and sales reps’ calling hours are limited by the contact’s time zone. Our power dialer guide shows how the dialer works.
Recorded messages: the Automatic Telephone Dialers Act
The Automatic Telephone Dialers Act covers a dialing system that automatically connects a call with a recorded message, meaning a taped communication soliciting the sale of goods or services without live voice interaction. Under 815 ILCS 305/15 an autodialer may not place calls between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., must disconnect within 30 seconds after the call ends (or use a live operator who asks whether the person consents to hear the message), must not dial numbers in sequence, and must not impede caller ID. Section 20 exempts calls made on express request or to someone with a prior or existing business relationship, but the caller ID rule still applies. Section 22 requires a list of all numbers called and records to document any exemption claimed.
Section 30 makes playing a prerecorded message placed by an autodialer without the called party’s consent a violation, and (c-5) adds statutory damages of $500 per violation on top of treble actual damages. Whether a specific AI voice drop or ringless voicemail falls under the Act is a legal question; the Act’s text does not mention either. Until you have an answer, the build treats them like recorded messages: consent recorded first, call list kept, window 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Texting and do-not-call in Illinois
We looked for an Illinois statute that addresses marketing texts and did not find one in the two calling statutes above: neither mentions text messages. ILGA lists the Restricted Call Registry Act as “Repealed by P.A. 100-621.” That means an Illinois account is built mostly against federal rules for texts: documented opt-in, STOP handling, A2P 10DLC registration and a do-not-call check against the federal registry. A new Illinois law could change this, so we recheck before each build.
Illinois statutes at a glance
| Rule | Illinois law | What we build in GoHighLevel |
|---|---|---|
| No surreptitious recording of a private conversation without all other parties’ consent | 720 ILCS 5/14-2(a)(2) | Recording notice played on every recorded call; recording starts after it |
| Collecting a voiceprint needs written notice and a written release | 740 ILCS 14/15(b) | Voice features reviewed for voiceprint creation; written release and retention policy if any are used |
| Live operators state name, business and purpose, and ask for consent to the solicitation | 815 ILCS 413/15(b) | Call scripts and a dialer disposition that logs the consent answer |
| No telephone solicitation between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. | 815 ILCS 413/15(a) | Calling windows inside 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the contact’s time zone |
| Honor a request to be taken off the contact list | 815 ILCS 413/15(b)(3) | DND on calls, SMS and voicemail; a do-not-contact tag set from the conversation |
| Do not impede caller ID | 815 ILCS 413/15(c), 815 ILCS 305/15(d) | Registered numbers with caller ID shown |
| Recorded messages: 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. ban, disconnect rules, list of numbers called | 815 ILCS 305/15 and 22 | Voice drops only to consented contacts; call list kept and exportable |
| Statutory damages of $500 per autodialer violation | 815 ILCS 305/30(c-5) | Consent records attached to every voice-drop recipient |
Sources: Illinois Compiled Statutes on ilga.gov, checked October 12, 2026.
Illinois misconfigurations we look for
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Outbound calls ring contacts at 8:15 p.m. in the contact’s time zone and the rep skips the consent question | One account-wide calling window and no script prompt | Window set to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the contact’s time zone; consent question on the dialer script |
| A voice drop goes to a purchased list | No consent field checked before the voice-drop workflow | Voice-drop workflows require a consent tag and log the call list |
| A recording starts on answer with no notice | Call recording turned on without a greeting | Notice plays first; recording begins after it |
| An AI voice tool tags speakers by voice | Speaker identification left on by default | Feature reviewed, switched off unless written release and policy are in place |
| An unsubscribed contact is dialed by another rep | Do-not-contact status kept in notes, not in DND | DND applied on calls, SMS and voicemail from the conversation |
The same opt-in wording supports your A2P 10DLC registration. Our guide to A2P rejections covers what carrier reviewers look for.
Chicago time and Illinois contacts
Illinois is in the Central time zone. Businesses that call contacts in other states need each contact’s own time zone in the calling window. The build sets the sub-account and calendars to America/Chicago and gives each contact its own time zone from area code or form.
An Illinois account, part by part
| Part of the build | Illinois-specific detail |
|---|---|
| Phone and dialer | Consent-question prompt for live-operator calls, caller ID shown, calling windows by contact time zone |
| Call recording | Notice before recording; same line in voicemail and AI voice scripts |
| Voice and AI | BIPA review of each voice feature, written release and retention policy where needed |
| Workflows | Voice-drop workflows gated by consent tag; call list kept and exportable |
| Opt-out | DND across calls, SMS and voicemail; do-not-contact tag from the conversation |
| Forms and funnels | Phone-number consent wording saved with date and source |
| A2P 10DLC | Brand and campaign filed with opt-in wording that matches the forms |
| Records | Consent and call-list records exportable for your compliance file |
The voice rows are where Illinois differs from most states: they are about how calls are recorded, scripted and analyzed, not about who may be texted.
Illinois businesses we build for
| Industry | What the build focuses on | Related guide |
|---|---|---|
| Dental practices | Recall, booking, recorded front-desk calls with a notice | GoHighLevel for dental practices |
| Law firms | Intake calls, recording notices, consult booking | GoHighLevel for law firms |
| Real estate | Lead routing, showings, nurture with a consent basis | GoHighLevel setup for real estate |
| Insurance agents | Quote follow-up, renewals, call scripts with consent prompts | GoHighLevel for insurance agents |
| Med spas | Consult booking, deposits, reminders | GoHighLevel for med spas |
Cost, and the extra voice review
Our published range for a complete single-business GoHighLevel build is $500 to $4,000, white-label SaaS $4,000 to $10,000 and multi-location $4,000 to $12,000, at the time of writing. HighLevel’s own subscription and usage fees are separate; the GoHighLevel pricing calculator estimates them, and the setup cost estimator prices your build.
A tested build usually takes two to four weeks. If you already have an account and want it checked first, the account health check flags common problems in a few minutes. The main GoHighLevel expert page covers what is included and how to vet any expert.
If your callers are in other states
Illinois’s recording rule is one of the stricter ones, and Pennsylvania’s all-party Wiretap Act is another, so a notice-first setup travels well. Next door, Michigan also limits its telephone solicitation law to voice calls today, which makes it the closest comparison for text campaigns.
Sources
- Illinois General Assembly, 720 ILCS 5/14-1, 14-2 and 14-4, eavesdropping, checked October 12, 2026.
- Illinois General Assembly, Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14, including P.A. 103-769, checked October 12, 2026.
- Illinois General Assembly, Telephone Solicitations Act, 815 ILCS 413, checked October 12, 2026.
- Illinois General Assembly, Automatic Telephone Dialers Act, 815 ILCS 305, checked October 12, 2026.
- Illinois General Assembly, Restricted Call Registry Act, 815 ILCS 402 (repealed by P.A. 100-621), checked October 12, 2026.