Long-term rental of any dwelling unit in Aurora (including any second unit lawfully created through a variance) requires an annual rental property license under Chapter 22 of the Aurora Code of Ordinances, with a per-unit fee, designated local agent, and periodic inspections. Short-term rentals under 30 days are regulated through the city's home-occupation and special-use provisions in Chapter 49 and remain disfavored in single-family districts. Illinois prohibits municipal rent control under 50 ILCS 825/ (Rent Control Preemption Act).
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.
Operating an unlicensed long-term rental under Chapter 22: per-unit civil penalties, denial of license renewal, and possible administrative adjudication. Failure to license can be an affirmative defense raised by a tenant in a forcible-entry-and-detainer action under 735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq. Operating an unauthorized short-term rental in a single-family district: Chapter 49 zoning violations, administrative penalties, and cease-and-desist orders from the Department of Development Services. Failure to remit Illinois Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax or the Aurora hotel/motel tax: state and city tax collection actions with interest. Discrimination violations: Illinois Human Rights Act enforcement through the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
Aurora, IL
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