Unincorporated Lake County effectively imposes the strictest possible night cap: short-term rentals under 30 days are prohibited entirely in residential zoning districts under the Lake County Unified Development Ordinance (Chapter 151). The county classifies any rental of less than 30 days as a 'retail sales and service use' that is not allowed in residential zones. Illinois has no statewide STR preemption (proposed SB 1735 did not advance). The 30-day floor applies only in unincorporated areas; municipalities such as Waukegan, Highland Park, North Chicago, Lake Bluff, and the other 50 incorporated places set their own STR rules under home-rule authority (Ill. Const. Art. VII §6).
The Lake County Unified Development Ordinance, codified at Chapter 151 of the Lake County Code, defines residential use of a dwelling as occupancy of 30 days or more. The county has publicly clarified that 'the renting/leasing of any residential property in a residential zoning district in Unincorporated Lake County for less than a minimum 30-day period is considered a retail sales and service use, not a residential use, and is not allowed in those zoning districts' (Lake County notice on Short-Term Rentals Prohibition). There is no annual or per-month night cap analogous to the 30-night or 90-night limits seen in other jurisdictions because any single sub-30-day booking is itself a violation. Illinois grants home-rule status under Article VII §6 of the Illinois Constitution to municipalities over 25,000 (and others by referendum); home-rule cities within Lake County set their own STR night caps and many permit short-term stays subject to registration and a hotel/motel tax. There is no statewide STR preemption: SB 1735 (100th General Assembly) and SB 2564 (Short-Term Rental Tax Act, 103rd General Assembly) both failed to enact preemption language. State-level taxation of stays under 30 days is governed by the Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax Act (35 ILCS 145), which imposes a combined state rate of approximately 6% on the rental price; Public Act 103-0592 (FY 2025-28 Bulletin) requires hosting platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo to collect and remit that tax effective July 1, 2024. Because sub-30-day stays are prohibited in unincorporated Lake County, the state hotel tax practically does not apply to those properties. Lake County does not separately impose a county-wide hotel/motel tax on STRs.
Operating a residential dwelling in unincorporated Lake County as a sub-30-day rental violates Chapter 151 of the Lake County Code and is enforceable under §§ 151.250-151.253 (Violations, Penalties and Enforcement). The county's Code Enforcement Division pursues complaints through the Lake County Administrative Adjudication Ordinance (§§ 94.50-94.66); each day a violation exists is a separate offense. Remedies under § 151.253 include cease-and-desist orders, daily monetary fines, injunctive relief in circuit court, and revocation of any zoning approval issued for the property.
See how Lake County's night caps rules stack up against other locations.
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