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

Chapter 216, Article IV of the McLean County Code defines a "bed-and-breakfast establishment" as "an operator-occupied residence providing accommodations for a charge to the public with no more than five guestrooms for rent, in operation for more than 10 nights in a twelve-month period" (§ 216-30). " The article expressly excludes motels, hotels, boardinghouses, or food establishments from this definition, meaning a short-term rental that exceeds five rentable rooms or that runs 10 nights or fewer in a year falls outside the bed-and-breakfast rules entirely and must be evaluated under other county code or zoning provisions instead.

The article applies throughout unincorporated McLean County and also inside any city, town, or village that has an intergovernmental agreement with the county and Health Department for bed-and-breakfast regulation (§ 216-29). The operator, defined as the owner or the owner's agent required by the state Bed-and-Breakfast Act to reside on-site or on contiguous property, must hold an annual Health Department permit under § 216-36 to operate. Because Article IV sits inside the food service chapter, its enforcement (inspections, suspension, revocation, and hearings) runs through the Health Department and Board of Health rather than through the zoning office.