Kendall County, IL Building Safety: Carbon Monoxide Detectors (2026)

Section 22-149(e) requires the Planning, Building and Zoning Department to conduct a life-safety inspection of every short-term rental before it is approved for the County registry, to confirm compliance with all applicable County, State, and Federal codes. The burden is on the applicant to demonstrate that the property is suitable for placement on the registry. The inspection checklist opens with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, followed by emergency egress, stairs and handrails, electrical and mechanical functions, structural requirements and access, and safety glazing (Section 22-149(e)(1)-(6)).

If the property fails the inspection, including for missing or non-functioning smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, Section 22-149(f) makes that failure grounds to deny the registry application or to revoke a property's existing registry placement until a new inspection confirms compliance. Because registration must be renewed annually, the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm check is repeated at every renewal inspection required under Section 22-149(i), so an owner cannot let alarms lapse after the initial approval. A property removed from the registry for failing this inspection may not resume short-term rental use until it is reinstated by the Planning, Building and Zoning Department under Sections 22-149(f) and 22-151(a).

The requirement sits inside the short-term rental article of Chapter 22, and applies specifically to properties seeking or holding a spot on the short-term rental registry in the unincorporated County.