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

Elgin Municipal Code § 16.12.010 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code 2021 as the city's Property Maintenance Code, and § 16.12.020 then rewrites individual sections. The heat rule is amended Section 602.3, titled "Heat supply." It binds every owner and operator of a building who rents, leases or lets one or more dwelling unit, rooming unit, dormitory or guest room on terms, express or implied, to furnish heat. Those landlords must supply sufficient heat from October 1 to May 31 to hold at least sixty-five (65) degrees Fahrenheit (eighteen (18) degrees Celsius) in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms. The heating season is fixed by date, so a warm October afternoon does not suspend the duty.

There is one exception. When the outdoor temperature falls below the winter outdoor design temperature for the city, the landlord does not have to reach 65 degrees, provided the heating system is running at its full design capacity. The design temperature is read from appendix D of the International Plumbing Code.

Two companion sections sharpen the standard. Section 602.2 requires dwellings to have heating facilities capable of maintaining 65 degrees in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms, and bars cooking appliances from serving as the space heating that meets the requirement. Section 601.2 puts mechanical and electrical facilities on the owner and forbids a person to occupy, or let another person occupy, premises that fail the chapter. Section 604.2 adds that dwelling units must be served by a three-wire, 120/240 volt, single-phase electrical service rated at not less than 60 amperes.

Enforcement belongs to the code official, who heads the property maintenance division of the neighborhood services department under amended Section 103.1. Amended Section 105.1 lets that official interpret the code and adopt policies and procedures, though those policies cannot waive requirements the code states. Section 16.12.030 adds that where this chapter conflicts with another Elgin Municipal Code provision on the same subject, the more stringent or restrictive provision applies.

A landlord who disagrees with a notice or order has a written appeal right under amended Section 107.1, with a deadline of 20 days after the decision, notice or order was served. The board of appeals has seven members: five qualified by experience and training in the property maintenance code and two members at large, all appointed by the mayor and city council. Four members make a quorum, and the board changes the code official's decision only by a majority vote of members present. Appeals of notices and orders, other than Imminent Danger notices, stay enforcement until the board hears the appeal. The chapter was enacted by Ord. No. G21-25 on May 14, 2025.