Park Forest — Ch. 18 Art. III Housing § 18-286
Duties, responsibilities of owners and occupants
Operative Text
(a) Every owner of a dwelling containing two or more dwelling units shall be responsible for maintaining in a clean and sanitary condition the shared or public areas of the dwelling and premises thereof. (b) Every occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall keep in a clean and sanitary condition that part of the dwelling, dwelling unit and premises thereof which he occupies and controls. (c) Every occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall dispose of all rubbish in a clean and sanitary manner by placing it in the rubbish containers required by applicable sections of this Code and ordinances of the village. (d) Every occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall dispose of all garbage and any other organic waste which might provide food for rodents in a clean and sanitary manner by placing it in the garbage disposal facilities or garbage storage containers required by applicable sections of this Code and ordinances of the village. (e) Every occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall be responsible for installing all screens whenever screens are required under this article or under any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto. (f) Every occupant of a single dwelling unit shall be responsible for the extermination of any insects, rodents or other pests therein or on the premises. Whenever infestation exists in any dwelling unit, in any two-family or multifamily dwelling, or in the shared or public parts of any dwelling containing two or more dwelling units, extermination thereof shall be the responsibility of the owner. (g) Every occupant of a dwelling unit shall keep all plumbing fixtures therein in a clean and sanitary condition and shall be responsible for the exercise of reasonable care in the proper use and operation thereof. (h) Every owner or occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall be responsible for keeping all windows and doors of such units, whether occupied or not, from being boarded, closed up or other means, except if such dwelling unit is damaged by fire, tornado or other such catastrophe or upon the approval of the building commissioner. When the securing of windows and doors is warranted, only one-fourth by one-fourth or one-fourth/one-fourth-inch weld wire fabric mesh or equivalent is permitted.
Park Forest Ch. 18 Art. III § 18-286 divides cleanliness and maintenance duties between property owners and the people who live in their units. Owners of multi-unit buildings must keep shared and common areas clean and sanitary, and are responsible for pest extermination when an infestation affects shared spaces or multi-family dwellings. Occupants, meanwhile, are responsible for keeping their own units clean, disposing of rubbish and garbage in designated containers, installing required screens, maintaining plumbing fixtures with reasonable care, and handling pest control within a single-unit dwelling. Neither owners nor occupants may board up or close off windows and doors except in limited circumstances such as fire or tornado damage, or with building commissioner approval.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 18-286, compliant owners of two-or-more-unit buildings generally maintain a routine cleaning and inspection schedule for hallways, stairwells, laundry rooms, and other shared spaces. When pest activity is reported in common areas or spreads across units in a multi-family property, the owner is the responsible party for arranging extermination. Owners also ensure that windows and doors on all units—occupied or vacant—remain unboarded unless a qualifying event such as fire damage has occurred or the building commissioner has granted approval, and that any approved securing uses only the wire mesh fabric specified in § 18-286(h).
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 18-286 establishes that occupants have a direct responsibility to keep their own dwelling unit and the areas they control clean and sanitary, to use designated containers for rubbish and garbage disposal, and to install screens when required. Tenants in single-unit dwellings are also responsible for pest extermination within their unit, though that duty shifts to the owner when an infestation is present in a multi-family building or its shared areas. Tenants who believe an owner is failing to meet the owner-side duties under § 18-286—such as neglecting common-area sanitation or pest control in a multi-unit building—may consider contacting the Park Forest building or code enforcement office or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand available options.
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 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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