Springfield, IL Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Springfield, IL, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Code Section
- Springfield City Code Secs. 110.003 and 100.61
- Standalone STR permit
- None; covered by business license + hotel-tax registration
- Tax registration deadline
- Within 30 days of business start date (Sec. 100.61)
- B&B owner-occupancy
- Owner must reside on or contiguous to the premises (Sec. 95.104)
- State authority
- 65 ILCS 5/11-60-1 (municipal licensing power)
Summary
Springfield has no standalone short-term-rental permit. Operators must hold a city business license under City Code Sec. 110.003 and register for the Springfield Hotel and Motel Room Tax within 30 days of starting business under Sec. 100.61.
No person, shall operate any business, occupation, activity, or establishment, either by himself or itself or through an agent, employee, partner, or corporate officer for which a license, permit, or registration is required by this Code or by any city ordinance, without first having obtained the required license, permit, or registration for the business, occupation, activity, or establishment. ... Every business required to file a return with the office, shall fully complete an 'application for registration of Springfield tax' form. The application must be completed and on file with the office within 30 days of the business start date.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 82).
Full Breakdown
The City of Springfield, Illinois does not maintain a separate vacation-rental or short-term-rental license; instead, a host who rents a dwelling or rooms for short stays is reached by two existing requirements. First, Title XI, Chapter 110 (Business Licensing), Sec. 003 makes it unlawful to 'operate any business, occupation, activity, or establishment' for which a license, permit, or registration is required without first obtaining it, exercising the city's power under 65 ILCS 5/11-60-1. Second, because short-term lodging falls within the 'hotel' definition of the Springfield Taxation Code (Sec.
2, which expressly reaches 'room and/or house rentals' and online platforms), the operator is a tax collector that must file an 'application for registration of Springfield tax' under Sec. 61 within 30 days of the business start date. Owner-occupied bed-and-breakfast operations are separately conditioned on the owner residing on site (Sec. 104). Springfield has no Type 1/2/3 short-term-rental classification system in its code. There is no statewide Illinois short-term-rental licensing scheme; the state has left registration and permitting to local governments while imposing its own lodging tax (35 ILCS 145).
Violations & Fines
Operating without a required registration or license is enforceable under the business-licensing and taxation chapters; tax-registration and remittance failures trigger penalties under Sec. 100.62 and fines under Sec. 100.999 ($25-$500 per day, with each day a separate offense).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Springfield, IL require a special short-term-rental permit?
Do I have to live at the property to run a short-term rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
How Springfield compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Springfield to another location·View the Illinois short-term rentals overview
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