Oak Park Title 12 Residential Rental Licensing (Arts. 2, 4, 6) § 12-2-1

A. No person, corporation, partnership, business entity, or agent shall operate or engage in the business of renting any dwelling unit to the public, operate a rental dwelling unit, rooming house or rooming unit, or otherwise allow any such property to be nonowner occupied, unless a valid residential rental license has been issued by the Village for the specific location. A dwelling unit may not be rented and no new lease may be entered into and no lease may be renewed until a license is secured pursuant to this section, or while a license is suspended or revoked.


B. The license requirement pursuant to this section shall not be applicable to group homes governed by the specialized living centers act, 405 Illinois Compiled Statutes 25/1 et seq., as amended, for the developmentally disabled, or to other similar uses governed by federal or state laws, rules or regulations. (Ord. 16-088, 7-18-2016, eff. 9-1-2016)


C. Licenses issued by the Village Manager or the Manager's designee will be based upon the following license classifications: Single-Family Rental Residential Property, Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Gold, Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Silver, Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Bronze, or Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Conditional as set forth in subsection 12-2-1
J of this section. (Ord. 16-095, 9-6-2016)


D. If the ownership of a building changes during a licensing period, the new owner is required to submit an application for a new license; however, the remaining period and the associated fees of the existing license are transferable to the new property owner under the following conditions 1) the current license is in good standing, 2) the request for the license to be transferred is made by the new property owner or agent up to thirty (30) days after of the building purchase, and 3) the new property owner or agent have taken the Annual Property Owner Management Seminar within 90 days of transfer. Prior to the expiration of the newly issued license, the property owner must renew the license.


E. No rental license shall be issued or renewed unless the owner of the building agrees that inspections shall take place pursuant to section 12-2-6 of this article.


F. Every licensee of a multi-family residential building with four (4) or more rental units shall conspicuously post the current license certificate in the main entryway or other conspicuous location of the building. For rental dwellings of three (3) or fewer units, the licensee must provide a copy of the license certificate to each tenant by attaching a copy to the tenants' copy of the executed lease agreement.


G. License type shall be determined on the basis of established criteria based on property and nuisance violations defined in section 7-13-1 et seq., and chapter 16 of this code.


H. Licenses will be issued for a time period according to the license type in subsection 12-2-1 J of this section.


I. All licenses may be reviewed at any time after the beginning of the license term to determine whether the appropriate type license is maintained for the property. (Ord. 16-088, 7-18-2016, eff. 9-1-2016)


J. Licenses shall be classified as follows:


License Type
Renewal Frequency
License Fee
Inspection Performance
Mitigatio n Plan
Single-Family Rental Residential Property
2 years
$10/unit
n/a
n/a
Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Gold
4 years
$20/unit
Up to 0.75 violation per unit
Not required
Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Silver
2 years
$20/unit
0.75 - 1.5 violations per unit
Not required
Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Bronze
1 year
$20/unit
1.5 - 3 violations per unit
Not required
Multiple-Family Rental Residential Property - Conditional
6 months
$20/unit
> 3 violations per unit
Required





(Ord. 16-095, 9-6-2016)


K. For the purposes of inspection and the determination of license type only, the total combined common area set forth herein shall be considered a separate unit. Any part of a building not exclusively available to an individual tenant shall be considered a common area including, but not limited to, building exterior, yard, basement, stairway, laundry facility, lobby, mailroom, or roof. The total common area shall be considered a separate unit for the purpose of determining license eligibility.


L. Properties for which a rental license is not required due to new construction or a change from owner occupied to rental will qualify for a silver license. Properties found operating without a valid rental license from the Village or failing to meet code requirements or that have been the subject of an enforcement action(s) such as a violation of this article, shall only qualify for a conditional license.


M. All rental properties are subject to review by the Village Manager or the Manager's designee and an owner may be required to apply and qualify for a different license type based on a property's compliance with this code and any other applicable laws or regulations. Based on such review, the Manager may require an owner to apply for, and meet the terms of, a conditional license if the Manager determines that the nature of applicable property and nuisance violations, pursuant to section 7-13-1 et seq., and chapter 16 of this code, are so severe that they require an increased level of monitoring and an urgent need for compliance. The Manager may determine that such a requirement is warranted even if the number of violations per unit is equal to, or less than, three (3) as set forth for a conditional license in subsection 12-2-1 J of this section.


N. At any time during a license period, if a rental property does not meet or exceed the criteria established for the current license type, the license may be reviewed by the Village Manager and may be subject to suspension, revocation, and/or license type review. Violations identified by inspections other than those conducted for the purpose of license issue or renewal shall only be included in the calculation of violations per unit, as described in subsection 12-2-1 J of this section, if they are not corrected before a citation is issued.


O. Rental properties for which a conditional license has been issued must meet the requirements set forth in subsection 12-2-1
R of this section.


P. Buildings containing three (3) rental dwelling units or fewer shall only qualify for a single-family rental residential property license type and only be subject to the license requirements set forth in this section and section 12-2-12
of this article and shall not be subject to the inspection requirements set forth in sections 12-2-6
, 12-2-7
, 12-2-9
and 12-2-10 of this article except as otherwise provided. A multiple-family rental residential property shall be subject to the inspection and records requirements set forth in sections 12-2-6
, 12-2-7
, 12-2-9
and 12-2-10
of this article.


Q. If the property owner uses a property manager or agent, an individual serving the property from that property manager or agent must be located within 45 miles of Oak Park to manage the rental property, including but not limited to performing property inspections, signing and explaining leases to tenants or potential tenants, enforcing the provisions of the lease agreements, having access to the property and represents the property owner in the event of an emergency. Property owners located more than 45 miles from Oak Park must use a property manager or agent.


R. Rental properties that meet the conditional license criteria set forth in this section are eligible only for conditional licenses. The Village should provide by mail to each licensee a list of the applicable property and nuisance violations defined in section 7-13-1
et seq., and chapter 16 of this code that resulted in the conditional license.


1. Mitigation Plan: An applicant for a conditional license must submit for review by the Village Manager or the Manager's designee a mitigation plan for the license period. The mitigation plan shall describe steps proposed by the applicant to reduce the number of property and nuisance violations, defined in section 7-13-1 et seq., and chapter 16 of this code to a level that qualifies for a gold, silver, or bronze license.


2. Village Manager Consideration: A license application that contains a proposed mitigation plan shall be presented to the Village Manager or the Manager's designee as to the disposition thereof. After giving the applicant an opportunity to be heard and present evidence, the Manager shall approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions the application and the mitigation plan. If the Manager disapproves an application and mitigation plan or approves it with conditions, the Manager shall state the reasons for so doing in writing. In evaluating a mitigation plan, the Manager shall consider, among other things, the building, its management practices, the nature and seriousness of property and nuisance violations as defined in section 7-13-1 et seq., and chapter 16 of this code, and the expected effectiveness of measures identified in the plan to reduce the number of property and nuisance violations. In evaluating a mitigation plan submitted by an applicant operating under a provisional license, the Manager shall also consider the effectiveness of measures identified in the applicant's previous mitigation plan and the need for different or additional measures to reduce the property and nuisance violations.


3. Compliance With Mitigation Plan: The licensee shall comply with the mitigation plan as approved or modified by the Village Manager. No later than the tenth day after each calendar month, the licensee shall mail or deliver to the Village Manager a written report describing all steps taken in furtherance of the applicant's mitigation plan during the preceding month. (Ord. 16-088, 7-18-2016, eff. 9-1-2016; amd. Ord. 25-154, 11-11-2025)