Terms of Service

These Terms govern the software development services provided by Lakeshore Code LLC. By approving an estimate or Statement of Work, paying an invoice, or using this website, you agree to them.

1Services

Lakeshore Code LLC ("we," "us," "our"), an Illinois limited liability company, provides custom software development services — including websites, web applications, bots, automation, integrations, payment integrations, and related support. The specific scope, deliverables, milestones, timeline, and price of each project are defined in a written estimate or Statement of Work ("SOW") that you approve.

2Order of precedence

If there is a conflict between these Terms and an approved SOW, the SOW governs for that project.

3Project process

• You submit a request through our website or by email.
• We discuss your requirements and prepare an SOW that divides the project into milestones, each with deliverables, a timeline, and a price.
• Work begins after you approve the SOW and pay the deposit.

4Fees and payment

We do not require full payment in advance. Payment is made per milestone:

• A deposit of 20% of the total project cost (or the cost of the first milestone, as stated in the SOW) is due before work begins.
• Each milestone is invoiced after you accept it.
• The next milestone begins after the previous milestone invoice is paid.

Invoices are due within seven (7) days of the invoice date. We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and ACH bank transfer. Payments are processed securely through a PCI DSS–compliant third-party payment provider; we do not store your card details. All prices are in U.S. dollars and exclude applicable taxes unless stated otherwise. If an invoice is overdue, we may pause work until payment is received, and timelines will be extended accordingly.

5Review and acceptance

• When a milestone is completed, we deliver it for review — for example, via a demo, staging environment, or repository access.
• You have five (5) business days to review the milestone and either accept it or provide a written list of deviations from the SOW.
• We correct any deviations from the agreed scope at no additional cost and resubmit the milestone.
• If you do not respond within the review period, the milestone is considered accepted.

6Changes to scope

Any changes or additions to the agreed scope ("Change Requests") must be agreed in writing. We will estimate the additional cost and time. Approved Change Requests are added to the SOW as new or updated milestones. Requests for new features beyond the agreed scope are not defects.

7Client responsibilities

You agree to provide timely information, feedback, content, and access (such as accounts, servers, and third-party credentials) needed to complete the project. Delays caused by missing inputs may extend the timeline.

8Intellectual property

• Upon full payment of all milestones, all rights, title, and interest in the custom code and deliverables created specifically for you are transferred to you.
• Until full payment, we retain ownership of the deliverables, and you receive a limited license to review and test them.
• We retain ownership of our pre-existing tools, libraries, and know-how, and grant you a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use any of them included in your deliverables.
• Third-party and open-source components are subject to their own licenses.
• Unless you ask us not to in writing, we may mention your company name and a general description of the project in our portfolio. We will never disclose confidential information.

9Confidentiality

Each party agrees to keep confidential any non-public information received from the other party and to use it only for the project. This obligation survives the end of the project. We are happy to sign a separate NDA on request.

10Warranty

For thirty (30) days after final delivery, we will fix, at no cost, any defects that cause the deliverables to not function as described in the SOW. This warranty does not cover issues caused by modifications made by you or third parties, third-party services, or changes to hosting environments. Except as stated here, the services are provided "as is," without other warranties, express or implied.

11Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability arising out of any project is limited to the amount you paid us for that project. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, including lost profits or data.

12Cancellation and refunds

Either party may terminate a project by written notice. Cancellation and refunds are governed by our Refund & Cancellation Policy.

13Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois. Before initiating any formal proceedings, both parties agree to try to resolve any dispute in good faith by contacting each other. Any unresolved dispute will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois.

14Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version in effect on the date you approve an SOW applies to that project.

15Contact