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

3, 'Heat supply,' is the enforceable rental-heat standard inside Chapter 22's Mechanical and Electrical Requirements division, and it applies to any owner or operator who rents, leases or lets a dwelling unit, rooming unit, dormitory or guestroom on terms, express or implied, to furnish heat, covering the overwhelming majority of Champaign's off-campus student housing and dormitory-style rentals. The minimum temperature, 65 degrees Fahrenheit in every habitable room, bathroom and toilet room, must be maintained for the entire heating season the code defines: October 1 through May 15, not just on the coldest days of winter.

5 standard, three feet above the floor near the center of the room and two feet in from the center of each exterior wall, giving inspectors a consistent measuring method rather than a spot-check anywhere convenient. 3 itself: if the outdoor temperature falls below minus one degree Fahrenheit, the landlord is not in violation for failing to hit 65 degrees, but only if the heating system is already running at its full design capacity, meaning the furnace has to be maxed out, not merely operating.

2 sets a parallel 65-degree requirement for owner-occupied dwellings generally and separately bars using cooking appliances as a substitute heat source, while portable electric space heaters are allowed only as supplemental heat, plugged directly into an outlet rather than an extension cord, and kept at least three feet from combustibles. Together these sections make heat supply a base habitability standard rather than a lease negotiation point.