Aurora, IL Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Aurora regulates residential rental in two principal layers. Long-term (30 days or more): Chapter 22 of the City Code (Property Maintenance and Rental Licensing) requires every non-owner-occupied residential dwelling unit in Aurora to be licensed annually by the Division of Property Standards. Application requires owner contact information, a designated local agent within a reasonable distance, payment of a per-unit license fee, and submission to periodic exterior and interior inspections under the Property Maintenance Code (adopted by Aurora through Chapter 22). Tenancies are governed statewide by the Illinois Forcible Entry and Detainer Act (735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq.), the Security Deposit Return Act (765 ILCS 710/), and the Security Deposit Interest Act (765 ILCS 715/). Illinois is not a rent-control state: 50 ILCS 825/5 (the Rent Control Preemption Act) expressly prohibits any unit of local government, including home-rule municipalities, from enacting an ordinance that controls the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or commercial property. Short-term rentals (under 30 days): Aurora's Chapter 49 Zoning Ordinance does not list short-term rental as a permitted use in single-family residential districts; operators must obtain a special use or home-occupation approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Illinois Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax (35 ILCS 145/) and the Aurora hotel/motel tax apply to short-term rental stays. Fair housing: the federal Fair Housing Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/), and Aurora's local human relations ordinance prohibit discrimination based on protected classes.