Freeport Ch. 876 Residential Rental Property Regulation § 876.03
APPLICATION
Operative Text
(a) The owner of a residential rental structure shall register such residential rental structure with the City of Freeport by completing (on forms supplied by the City of Freeport) a written application for registration, and filing the application for registration with the Building Commissioner of the City of Freeport. The owner may not register through an agent, unless such agent is an attorney or otherwise legally authorized by a court of law to act on the owner's behalf, i.e. probate of an estate, bankruptcy trustee, etc. (b) The application for registration shall state, concerning the residential rental structure: (1) Its address, (2) A description of the structure, (3) The number of rental units in the structure, (4) The name, mailing address, e-mail address and telephone number of each owner of the structure. If an owner is a business entity that has its own separate legal existence, rather than a natural person, then the application shall provide the name, phone number, e-mail address and address of a natural person that is the controlling individual on that entity, or in the case of a land trust, a natural person that is the trustee having legal authority to act on behalf of the land trust - in no event shall compliance consist of the name of another company or non-natural persons, (5) The name, mailing address, physical address, e-mail address and telephone number of the local agent for the structure. (6) A signature or electronic form thereof swearing that the applicant is the title holder of the premises, as shown by the records of the Stephenson County Recorder's office, verification that the information contained within the application is true and correct, expressly consenting to the sufficiency of mailed service of process for purposes of administrative adjudication proceedings in accordance with Section 299.05 (a)(2)C. of these Ordinances if directed to the owner of the property, at the owner's address, as each is indicated in the application and requiring the owner to promptly notify the City in the event of a change in said owner's address. (c) It shall be a separate violation of this chapter to knowingly provide false or inaccurate information on the application, or to fail to update changes in same within forty-five days of such change. (Ord. 2013-56. Passed 11-18-13; Ord. 2014-29. Passed 6-16-14; Ord. 2017-50. Passed 7-3-17; Ord. 2023-01. Passed 1-3-23; Ord. 2024-62. Passed 12-2-24.)
Freeport Ch. 876 § 876.03 requires owners of residential rental properties in Freeport to register their structures with the city by submitting a written application to the Building Commissioner. The application must include the property address, a structural description, the number of rental units, owner contact details (including a natural person if the owner is a business entity), and local agent information. Owners must personally file the registration — or through a legally authorized representative such as an attorney or court-appointed agent — and must keep all information current, as knowingly providing false information or failing to update changes within 45 days each constitute separate violations.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Freeport Ch. 876 § 876.03, compliant residential rental property owners complete and file the city-supplied registration form directly with the Building Commissioner, rather than delegating that task to an unlicensed agent. Operators who own property through an LLC, corporation, or land trust ensure the application identifies a natural person as the controlling individual or trustee, not simply the entity name. Diligent owners also track any changes to ownership, contact information, or local agent details and submit updates within the 45-day window to avoid a separate violation under this section.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Freeport Ch. 876 § 876.03 establishes a public registration requirement that is intended to ensure tenants and the city can identify a responsible owner and a local agent for any registered rental structure. If a tenant believes their landlord has not registered the property, or that the registration contains false or outdated information, that concern can generally be raised with the Freeport Building Commissioner, who administers this chapter. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Freeport's ordinances can help residents understand how a landlord's failure to comply with § 876.03 may be relevant to other proceedings or complaints.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 10, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.