Highland Park, IL Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

Highland Park adopted Section 150.430 of the Zoning Code on November 9, 2020 to govern short-term rentals as an accessory use of dwelling units, and integrated the program with the City's broader Residential Rental Certificate of Registration Program in Chapter 154. The annual registration application requires the owner's signed Affirmation & Acknowledgement Form and contact information for the owner and any local property agent, and the owner must deliver written notice to contiguous property owners before the first rental of each calendar year. Highland Park does not advertise a specific dollar-amount liability insurance minimum for short-term rentals on its rental registration page; operators are directed to the Community Development Department (Building Division, 847-432-0808 or building@cityhpil.com) for the current contents of the application packet, which the City updates from time to time. At the state level, Illinois has no statute setting a numeric minimum liability limit for STRs (the Illinois Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax Act, 35 ILCS 145, is a tax statute and does not impose insurance limits). Most Highland Park hosts pair the Airbnb Host Liability Insurance program or Vrbo Liability Coverage program (each of which provides up to $1,000,000 per occurrence on covered platforms) with a homeowner or landlord policy specifically endorsed for short-term rental activity, because standard homeowner policies typically exclude commercial or transient-rental use. Hosts in condominium or HOA buildings should also confirm that their declaration does not impose its own STR insurance minimum or prohibit the activity outright.