Oak Park Title 12 Residential Rental Licensing (Arts. 2, 4, 6) § 12-6-1
TITLE, PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Operative Text
A. This article shall be known and may be cited as the Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance and shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its purposes and policies. B. The purpose of this article and the policy of the Village is to protect and promote the public health, safety, and welfare of its residents, to establish the rights and obligations of the tenant and the landlord in the rental of dwelling units, and to encourage the tenant and the landlord to maintain and improve the quality of housing. C. This article applies to, regulates, and determines rights, obligations, and remedies under a rental agreement, wherever made, for a dwelling unit located within the Village. In addition, this article applies specifically to rental agreements for dwelling units operated under subsidy programs of agencies of the United States and/or the State of Illinois, including specifically programs operated or subsidized by the Oak Park Housing Authority, Housing Authority of Cook County and/or Illinois Housing Development Authority to the extent that this article is not in direct conflict with statutory or regulatory provisions governing such programs. D. This article is subject to the home rule as established by the Constitution of the State of Illinois Article VII Section 6. Powers of Home Rule Units. This article regulates all residential buildings and structures that exist or are erected, constructed, altered, demolished, or relocated within the boundaries of the Village. (Ord. 21-60, 7-19-2021)
Oak Park Title 12, § 12-6-1 establishes the Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance as the governing framework for rental housing within the Village of Oak Park. The ordinance is designed to protect public health, safety, and welfare by defining the rights and obligations of both landlords and tenants, and by encouraging the maintenance and improvement of housing quality. It applies broadly to all rental agreements for dwelling units located within Village boundaries, including units covered by federal or state subsidy programs such as those administered by the Oak Park Housing Authority, the Housing Authority of Cook County, and the Illinois Housing Development Authority, unless a direct conflict with those programs' governing rules exists.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating rental units within Oak Park should be aware that § 12-6-1 establishes the foundational scope of the Village's Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance, which applies to all residential buildings and structures within Village boundaries. Compliant operators generally familiarize themselves with the full ordinance framework, recognizing that it governs rental agreements regardless of where those agreements were signed. Landlords participating in federal or state subsidy programs—such as those run through the Oak Park Housing Authority or the Housing Authority of Cook County—should also review whether any specific provisions of § 12-6-1 interact with the rules of those programs.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Tenants renting a dwelling unit within the Village of Oak Park are covered by the Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance established under § 12-6-1, which is intended to be interpreted broadly in favor of protecting residents' health, safety, and welfare. This ordinance applies even to tenants in subsidized housing programs, such as those administered by the Oak Park Housing Authority or the Housing Authority of Cook County, except where the ordinance directly conflicts with the rules of those programs. Tenants seeking to understand their rights under this framework may find it useful to review the full ordinance or consult a local tenant-rights organization familiar with Oak Park's regulations.
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
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation