Oak Park, IL Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Chapter 12, Article 2 of the Oak Park Village Code requires every property owner, corporation, partnership or agent who rents a dwelling unit, rooming house or rooming unit, or otherwise allows a property to sit nonowner-occupied, to hold a valid residential rental license issued by the Village for that specific address. Section 12-2-1(A) bars entering into or renewing any lease until the license is secured, and the requirement does not lift merely because a license was previously issued: a suspended or revoked license blocks new and renewed leases just the same.

The Village sorts licenses into five classifications set out in § 12-2-1(J): Single-Family Rental Residential Property (one to three units), and, for buildings with four or more units, Multiple-Family Gold, Silver, Bronze or Conditional tiers, assigned according to the property's building and nuisance-violation history under § 7-13-1 and Chapter 16. 5-3 violations per unit, and a Conditional license, triggered by more than 3 violations per unit, runs only six months and requires a mitigation plan. If a building is sold, the new owner must apply for a new license, though an existing license in good standing can transfer if the new owner requests it within 30 days and completes the Annual Property Owner Management Seminar within 90 days. The license must be posted in the main entryway of a four-or-more-unit building, or given to each tenant with a three-or-fewer-unit lease.