Cook County Ordinance 19-5236 lets the Department of Revenue suspend or revoke a short-term rental registration after repeated violations such as unpaid taxes, ignored complaints, illegal parties, or false registration data, with a layered notice and hearing process before final revocation.
After a first verified violation, the Department of Revenue typically issues a written warning and a chance to cure within 30 days. A second violation in a 12-month window triggers a formal Notice of Violation, fines up to $1,000 per occurrence, and mandatory remediation such as new noise plans or local-contact changes. A third violation, or any single egregious incident such as a serious safety failure or undisclosed second unit, triggers proceedings before the Cook County Department of Administrative Hearings to suspend or revoke the registration. Revocation forces platforms to delist the unit through Cook County's data-sharing agreements and bars re-registration of the same address for at least 12 months.
Operating after suspension or revocation, transferring registration to a related party to dodge a strike, or skipping the administrative hearing triggers daily fines, contempt findings, additional Hotel Tax assessments, and referral to the Cook County State's Attorney.
See how Evanston's repeat violator strikes rules stack up against other locations.
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