State legislatures across the U.S. have been seeing new bills that would restrict private real estate listings, with mandates that such listings also be publicly marketed. Wisconsin enacted such legislation in December 2025 (to take effect in January 2027), while another bill of this nature is under consideration in Washington state.
Now, the Illinois legislature has introduced a new bill that would make the same change within that state. It revives an effort to restrict private listings in Illinois from a tabled bill which was introduced then stalled in 2025.
Notably, Zillow listed Illinois as a “target state” for lobbying efforts related to legislation that would limit private listings or support requirements that listings are broadly disseminated. Internal Zillow documents made public as part of Compass’s lawsuit against the portal listed Illinois as “on the cusp,” though it was not clear exactly what that meant, and noted the company’s government relations team is “close with the regulator” in Illinois.
Zillow did not immediately respond to RISMedia’s request for comment about this legislation.
The text of the legislation mandates that brokers must “within one calendar day of the start date of any brokerage agreement authorizing the licensee to sell the client’s property, publicly advertise or market the listed property for sale on an internet platform or website accessible to the public and any real estate licensees representing prospective buyers.”
The exception is if the listing’s seller completes and signs a disclosure and opt-out form. Unlike the 2025 bill, this proposed rule change does not apply to rental listings; the 2025 bill specified that “a licensee representing a seller or landlord” must make the listing publicly available, while the current bill only specifies “a licensee representing a seller of residential real estate.”
The central proposal of the bill is based on a similar premise to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy. However, unlike Clear Cooperation, this law does not mandate that listings have to be entered into an MLS; the text of the legislation only specifies the listing must be visible on “any internet platform or website accessible to the public.”
This legislation, if passed, would have a direct impact on the Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) MLS, which maintains a large private listing network. MRED has recently come into conflict with Zillow over the portal’s listing access standards, which apply Clear Cooperation principles to Zillow’s sites by mandating that publicly marketed listings must be entered into an MLS within one business day or else be removed from Zillow. MRED has defended its private listing network, and has disputed findings in a Zillow study that private listings have led to higher housing segregation in the Chicago metro area.
Zillow is also currently engaged in litigation with Compass over the portal’s new listing rules and Compass’s support for the consumer choice that private listings offer. As of February 2026, a judge denied Compass’s request for an injunction blocking Zillow’s listing rules.
MRED did not immediately respond to RISMedia’s request for comment about this legislation.
