Kane County, IL Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Kane County Code section 7-64, part of the short-term rental licensing article the county board adopted by Ordinance 26-038 on January 13, 2026, sets the occupancy ceiling for every licensed short-term rental in unincorporated territory: two guests per bedroom, with an absolute maximum of sixteen guests regardless of bedroom count, and anyone renting the unit is counted in that total. The same section bars commercial vehicles heavier than three-quarter ton, plus livery vehicles, recreational vehicles, campers, food trucks, portable spas, hot tubs and saunas, and other trailers from the premises. The Director of the Kane County Development and Community Services Department may grant a case-by-case exception to either the guest count or the vehicle ban on request from the owner or a renter.

The occupancy cap sits inside a broader licensing scheme: section 7-63 requires ten-year sealed-battery smoke detectors on every level and in every bedroom, a carbon monoxide detector within fifteen feet of each bedroom, a fire extinguisher, a posted emergency plan with two egress routes per bedroom, and caps rental activity at twelve contracts or one hundred eighty days a year, whichever is greater. Section 7-67 requires owners to keep a written or digital guest registry naming every guest over eighteen along with arrival and departure dates. Owners must also post the county license where guests can see it and notify adjoining property owners by certified mail before the first rental of the year under section 7-65.