Bloomington, IL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

The City of Bloomington enforces the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments codified at Bloomington City Code § 45-201, and two of those amendments set the baseline for what makes a rental unit livable. Section 305.0, as locally amended, requires every interior surface, including windows and doors, to be maintained in good, clean, and sanitary condition; peeling, chipping, flaking, or abraded paint must be repaired, removed, or covered, and cracked or loose plaster, decayed wood, and other defective surfaces have to be corrected. The amendment specifically calls out raw or unfinished drywall as never counting as clean or sanitary, closing off a common shortcut after a repair.

Section 602.2, also locally amended, requires dwellings to have heating facilities capable of maintaining a room temperature of 68°F (20°C) in every habitable room, bathroom, and toilet room, based on the winter outdoor design temperature for the area; a space heater or the stove cannot be used to satisfy that requirement. Sections 602.3 and 602.4 tie the heating season to specific dates, October 1 through May 31, for maintaining that minimum temperature in occupied spaces and workspaces alike. A tenant who believes a unit falls below these standards can bring it to the Department of Economic & Community Development for a property maintenance inspection; nothing in the City's separate rental inspection program bars the Department from responding to a complaint about a specific unit at any time.