10 rules for unincorporated St. Clair County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
St. Clair County has no dedicated short-term rental permit. In unincorporated areas, an occupancy permit and inspection are required on any change of rental occupancy. Cities like Belleville, O'Fallon and Fairview Heights set their own STR/lodging rules.
St. Clair County Occupancy Program (Building & Zoning)
An occupancy permit is required upon change of occupancy whether rental, leased or purchase of residential property.
St. Clair County has no STR-specific noise ordinance. Guests must obey the county nuisance rules, Illinois disorderly-conduct law (720 ILCS 5/26-1), and Illinois Pollution Control Board noise limits (35 Ill. Adm. Code 900). Cities enforce their own noise ordinances.
Illinois charges a 6% state Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax on rentals under 30 days. Counties may add up to 5% under 55 ILCS 5/5-1030, but only on hotels outside a municipality that levies its own hotel tax. Occupancy inspection fees also apply.
55 ILCS 5/5-1030
The county board of a county may impose a tax upon all persons engaged in the business of renting, leasing or letting rooms in a hotel ... not to exceed 5% of the gross rental receipts ... which is not located within a city, village, or incorporated town that imposes a tax under Section 8-3-14.
St. Clair County has no short-term-rental-specific parking rule. Off-street parking for unincorporated homes follows the county Zoning Ordinance's residential parking standards. Cities set their own STR and on-street parking rules within their limits.
St. Clair County sets no dedicated guest-count cap for short-term rentals. Occupancy is governed by the building/property-maintenance code's habitable-space standards and by any city rules. Unincorporated rentals must pass a county occupancy inspection before use.
St. Clair County does not require short-term-rental hosts to carry liability insurance. No county ordinance mandates STR coverage, and Illinois sets none statewide. Hosts should still carry adequate liability coverage; some cities require proof of insurance.
St. Clair County sets no annual night cap on short-term rentals. No county ordinance limits the number of rental nights per year. The 30-day threshold only matters for hotel-tax purposes; caps, if any, come from a city ordinance.
There is no separate short-term rental registry in St. Clair County. Unincorporated rentals register through the county's Occupancy Program, which requires an occupancy permit and inspection valid one year. Municipalities may run their own rental registrations.
St. Clair County Occupancy Program (Building & Zoning)
Once completed, an occupancy inspection shall be valid for a period of one (1) year.
St. Clair County has no rule requiring a host or manager to be on-site during a short-term rental. No county ordinance mandates host presence. Any on-site or local-contact requirement would come from a municipality's own STR ordinance.
St. Clair County does not require short-term rentals to be the owner's primary residence. No county ordinance limits STRs to owner-occupied homes. Any such restriction would come from a municipality that has adopted its own STR ordinance.
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