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

The City of Peoria's Short-Term Rental License program does not impose a flat ceiling on guests per property (such as 'two per bedroom plus two'). Instead, occupancy of an STR is governed by the same Property Maintenance Code that applies to every dwelling unit in the city, codified in Peoria Code of Ordinances Chapter 5, Article VI (Property Maintenance Code), which adopts the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) with local amendments. Under the IPMC as adopted, every sleeping room must contain a minimum floor area per occupant, every habitable room must have proper ceiling height, every sleeping room must have a code-compliant means of egress (an operable window or door meeting size and sill-height standards), and every dwelling unit must be equipped with operating smoke alarms in each sleeping room and on each story and carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas (consistent with the Illinois Smoke Detector Act, 425 ILCS 60/, and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Detector Act, 430 ILCS 135/). Rooms not classified as sleeping rooms on the property record (such as basements without legal egress, attics, garages, or unfinished spaces) may not be used to expand STR sleeping capacity without permits. Where the STR operates under a Special Use Permit under the Unified Development Code (Appendix A), the Zoning Commission may attach an occupancy condition specific to the property; that condition then becomes the enforceable cap. Operators should publish a clear maximum occupancy in their listing tied to the legal bedroom count, exclude unpermitted spaces, and ensure life-safety equipment is functional before every stay.