Rental Inspections in Illinois (2026)
28 rules on the books across Illinois, 20 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Inspection Programs
Proactive rental inspection programs, registration requirements, systematic and periodic inspection cycles, what inspectors check, and the fees landlords pay to fund them.
Bolingbrook
Significant RestrictionsBolingbrook requires a passed code compliance inspection and an approved rental occupancy permit before any leased…
Read full rule →Evanston
Significant RestrictionsEvery dwelling unit rented in Evanston for the first time must be registered with the Community Development Department…
Read full rule →Oak Lawn
Significant RestrictionsOak Lawn requires an annual code compliance inspection and signed occupancy permit before any non-owner occupied rental…
Read full rule →Peoria
Significant RestrictionsPeoria requires every registered dwelling to be inspected by the landlord and tenant before move-in and at least once a…
Read full rule →Schaumburg
Significant RestrictionsSchaumburg requires every landlord to hold a rental license from the finance department before renting a residential…
Read full rule →Waukegan
Significant RestrictionsWaukegan inspects at least 33 1/3 percent of a licensed rental building's units every year, cycling every unit through…
Read full rule →Winnebago County
Significant RestrictionsWinnebago County requires every rooming house operator to hold an annual health department license, tying renewal to…
Read full rule →Aurora
Some RestrictionsAurora, Illinois requires a mandatory follow-up inspection after every rental code violation, escalating uncorrected…
Read full rule →Champaign
Some RestrictionsUnder Municipal Code Sec. 22-21.1(3), Champaign inspects the exterior and common areas of every R-2, R-4 or…
Read full rule →Chicago
Some RestrictionsChicago does not have a mandatory systematic rental inspection program like some other major cities. Instead, the city…
Read full rule →Cook County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cook County requires a Department inspection of every licensed rental unit at least once every four…
Read full rule →Elgin
Some RestrictionsElgin conditions every rental license on a physical inspection: the licensing inspection must occur within one hundred…
Read full rule →Joliet
Some RestrictionsEvery covered rental property in Joliet, from single-family rentals to hotels, goes through a biennial inspection under…
Read full rule →Kane County
Some RestrictionsBefore Kane County will license a short-term rental, the owner must document an approved inspection of the well, water…
Read full rule →Oak Park
Some RestrictionsThe Village of Oak Park inspects licensed rental housing under Village Code § 12-2-6: the Neighborhood Services…
Read full rule →Skokie
Some RestrictionsSkokie runs a mandatory, ongoing inspection program for every building that contains a registered residential rental…
Read full rule →Tinley Park
Some RestrictionsTinley Park inspects the exterior and public areas of rental buildings before issuing or renewing a residential rental…
Read full rule →Lake County
Light RestrictionsLake County treats renting out living quarters the Health Officer finds unfit for habitation as a public nuisance, but…
Read full rule →Tenant Complaint Process
How tenants can file complaints about code violations, what triggers a city inspection, and protections against landlord retaliation for reporting issues.
Cicero
Some RestrictionsA Cicero landlord's failure to provide required heat cannot even be found a violation until a tenant's complaint…
Read full rule →Cook County
Some RestrictionsTenants in unincorporated Cook County can file a complaint with the Department of Public Health, which must investigate…
Read full rule →Evanston
Some RestrictionsEvanston's code official can enter and inspect a rental unit once there is reasonable cause, typically a tenant's…
Read full rule →Joliet
Some RestrictionsA Joliet rental property that already earned an inspection waiver isn't exempt from an unannounced check: Sec…
Read full rule →Oak Lawn
Some RestrictionsOak Lawn's Director of Inspectional Services must get a Cook County Circuit Court warrant to inspect a rental unit…
Read full rule →Peoria
Some RestrictionsPeoria tenants can complain directly to the city about a building, housing or health code violation, or an illegal…
Read full rule →Schaumburg
Some RestrictionsEvery Schaumburg rental agreement must warn tenants that the unit can be regularly inspected or investigated in…
Read full rule →Springfield
Some RestrictionsWhen a Springfield property owner or occupant refuses to let a building or housing inspector in, the inspector can ask…
Read full rule →Tinley Park
Some RestrictionsUnder the Village Code's condominium conversion chapter, Tinley Park's Building Commissioner cannot force entry into a…
Read full rule →Skokie
Light RestrictionsSkokie lets a tenant, not just the owner or operator, trigger a fuller rental inspection. Section 22-509(D) normally…
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