Winnebago County, IL Short-Term Rentals: Parking Rules (2026)

Winnebago County treats Vacation Rentals as a Special Use in the R-A (Residential-Agricultural) district under Chapter 90 Article 8 Table 8.1 and prohibits them in the R-R sub-district. The Unified Development Ordinance does not contain a separate vacation-rental parking ratio (such as 'one space per bedroom') as some other Illinois jurisdictions have adopted. Instead, off-street parking for a vacation rental defaults to the standards in Chapter 90 Article 23 (Off-Street Parking and Loading) that apply to the underlying single-family detached dwelling - typically two off-street spaces per dwelling unit, with surface, location, and screening rules also drawn from Article 23. The Zoning Board of Appeals can attach a site-specific parking condition (for example, requiring that all guest vehicles park on-site rather than on the rural shoulder of an unincorporated road) when it issues the Special Use Permit. Operators inside Rockford, Loves Park, Machesney Park, South Beloit, or Cherry Valley follow that municipality's separate parking and STR rules rather than Chapter 90. The county does not maintain on-street parking enforcement on most unincorporated rural roads; the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office and IDOT enforce state Vehicle Code restrictions on shoulder parking and obstruction. Confirm any current parking condition or site plan requirement with Planning & Zoning at 815-319-4350 before listing.