How many complaints against Terminix have been filed in Illinois?  How does the State of Illinois rate as a public agency in providing information to the public and/or in their own knowledge of the pest control businesses that spray toxic chemicals in homes?

On December 7, 1998, I sent an e-mail letter to the State of Illinois requesting the following information:

• The number of Terminix branches operating in the state of Illinois.
• The number of complaints filed against Terminix with Illinois’ licensing/regulatory agency and during what time period.
• The name of the licensing/regulating agency in Illinois.

In response to my request, I received an e-mail response stating:

This Department does not regulate your type of request.  For information on possible regulation by other agencies, I suggest you contact the Illinois State Library Reference Desk, 217-782-7596.  You may also wish to check on local regulation of this profession.

On February 22, 1999, I sent a letter to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs requesting the following:

• What is the name and address of Illinois’ pest inspection/pest control licensing and regulating agency?
• How many years does Illinois’ licensing and regulating agency maintain records of complaints against pest control/pest inspection companies?
• How many Terminix branches are currently operating in Illinois?  (My records, taken from the Yellow Pages on the Internet, indicate there are 54 Terminix, aka Terminix International, aka Terminix Pest Control, aka Terminix Termite & Pest Control branches operating in Illinois.)
• How many complaints, if any, have been filed in Illinois against Terminix International (and its aka’s); including the nature of the complaints, name and location of Terminix branch involved; and disposition of complaints (dismissed, settled, fine, suspended or revoked license, probation, etc.)?

A letter dated March 9, 1999, from Stephen J. Rotello, Assistant Attorney General, Freedom of Information Office, Office of the Attorney General, State of Illinois, stated:

Your letter of February 21, 1999, which was addressed to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, has been referred to this office for response.

Please be advised that commercial structural pest control businesses and technicians are licensed and regulated by Illinois’ Department of Public Health under the authority of the Structural Pest Control Act, which is codified in the Illinois Compiled Statutes at chapter 225, sections 235/1, et seq. You can reach the Department at 535 W. Jefferson Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62761-5058, or by calling 217-782-4977. Of course, complaints could also be filed against such a company for violations of more general statutes that are enforced by other agencies as well.

An entry posted 10/30/03 to the guestbook of this site states:

In Illinois, the Health Dept. controls companies like Terminix and the Dept. of Agriculture controls companies like TruGreen.  Under the Freedom of Information Act, you should be able to get any information about them that you want.