Evanston, IL Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Evanston City Code § 5-3-5-5
- Required disclosure
- EPA lead-based-paint pamphlet
- Compliance window after notice
- 7 days
- Tenant remedy
- 1 month's rent or actual damages
- Adopted by
- Ord. No. 52-O-24 (2024)
Summary
Evanston housing providers must give every tenant the EPA lead-paint pamphlet and disclose any known lead hazards before renting; failing to fix that within seven days after notice costs a month's rent or actual damages plus attorney's fees.
(A)Housing providers...must specifically:1.Provide all prospective and current lessees with a copy of the current, approved U.S. environmental protection agency federal pamphlet on lead based paint disclosure.2.Disclose any known lead hazards.(B)If the housing provider fails to comply...within seven (7) days after the tenant provides written notice of that failure, the tenant shall recover one (1) month's rent or actual damages, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorney's fees.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21).
Full Breakdown
Section 5-3-5-5 of the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance requires every Evanston housing provider to give prospective and current tenants the EPA's federal lead-based-paint pamphlet and to disclose any lead hazards the landlord actually knows about, on top of whatever state and federal lead disclosure rules already apply. The remedy runs to the tenant: if the housing provider does not fix a violation within seven days of written notice, the tenant recovers one month's rent or actual damages, whichever is larger, plus reasonable attorney's fees. The rule applies citywide to rental housing covered by Evanston's landlord-tenant ordinance, adopted by Ord. No. 52-O-24.
Violations & Fines
Tenants can sue for one month's rent or actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney's fees, if a housing provider fails to disclose lead hazards or provide the EPA pamphlet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Evanston require lead paint disclosure for rentals?
What happens if an Evanston landlord skips the lead disclosure?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evanston
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