St. Clair County, IL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Section 29-5-3 sets the baseline fixture requirement for habitability in unincorporated St. " The lavatory must sit in the same room as the water closet or close to the door leading into that room, and a kitchen sink is not an acceptable substitute for the lavatory. Section 29-5-2 places the compliance duty squarely on the owner, making it unlawful to occupy or let anyone occupy a unit that does not meet these plumbing requirements. Rooming houses get a shared-fixture minimum instead under Section 29-5-4: one water closet, lavatory and bathtub or shower for every four rooming units.

Heat is a separate, mandatory habitability duty. Section 29-6-4 requires dwellings to maintain 68 degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms, and bars cooking appliances or portable unvented space heaters from being used to meet that requirement. Section 29-6-5 puts the obligation on any owner or operator who rents, leases or lets a unit: heat must be supplied from October through April to hold that 68-degree minimum, measured three feet above the floor near the center of the room under Section 29-6-7.

Water heating facilities must deliver water at a minimum of 110 degrees at every sink, lavatory, bathtub and shower under Section 29-5-14. A tenant whose unit lacks required fixtures or heat can report the condition to the code official, who may issue a notice of violation and correction order under Sections 29-1-34 and 29-1-38, with noncompliance enforceable as a misdemeanor under Section 29-1-36.