Romeoville Title XV Ch. 153 Rental Property Inspections § 153.32
ISSUANCE OR WITHHOLDING OF OCCUPANCY
Operative Text
The Code Official shall, within three working days, or sooner, of the inspection, grant or withhold a certificate of occupancy in the following manner: (A) Issuance. Upon the determination of the Code Official that the rental property in question substantially complies with the provisions of § 153.30 and division (B) of below, the Code Official shall issue the certificate of occupancy to the applicant. It shall be the responsibility of the property manager to provide a copy of the occupancy permit to the lessee for their records. (B) Violation abatement required. If violations were reported during the inspection and all were verified abated by reinspection of the premises, a certificate of occupancy shall be issued. (C) Failure to abate. If violations are not abated within the time specified in the report of the Inspector, the owner shall be deemed in violation of this chapter and subject to the fines and penalties contained herein. (D) Withholding the certificate of occupancy. The Code Official shall withhold the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for any rental property until all violations reported during the initial inspection are abated by the owner, agent or person in charge of the property. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter with respect to rental properties in multi-unit complexes, occupancy or re-occupancy of any rental property (i.e., residential, industrial or commercial) shall be prohibited without a new rental inspection and new certificate of occupancy being issued prior to each change of lessee, tenant or occupant, including changes of less than all lessees, tenants or occupants of a single rental property leased, occupied or shared by multiple lessees, tenants or occupants. (Prior Code, § 155.12) (Ord. 2340-95, passed 6-7-1995; Ord. 12-0987, passed 5-2-2012; Ord. 25-2031, passed 12-17-2025) Penalty, see § 153.99
Romeoville Title XV Ch. 153 § 153.32 establishes the process by which the Code Official must either grant or withhold a certificate of occupancy within three working days of a rental property inspection. A certificate is issued when the property substantially complies with applicable standards or when any cited violations have been verified as corrected through reinspection. Occupancy or re-occupancy of a rental property is prohibited without a new inspection and a new certificate of occupancy before each change of tenant or occupant, and failure to correct violations within the required timeframe exposes the property owner to fines and penalties under § 153.99.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 153.32, compliant property operators ensure that all violations identified during an inspection are fully abated and verified before seeking a certificate of occupancy, since the Code Official is required to withhold the certificate until abatement is confirmed. Operators also arrange for a new rental inspection and obtain a new certificate of occupancy prior to each change of lessee or occupant — including partial changes in multi-tenant properties — rather than relying on a previously issued certificate. Once a certificate is issued, the property manager is responsible for providing a copy of the occupancy permit to the incoming lessee for their records.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 153.32 establishes that a rental property must hold a valid certificate of occupancy before a new tenant or occupant moves in, meaning tenants have a basis to inquire whether a current certificate was issued prior to their occupancy. If a landlord has failed to obtain the required certificate or has not abated cited violations, that failure constitutes a violation of this chapter and may be raised as a concern with the Romeoville Code Official or relevant municipal enforcement authority. Tenants who believe this provision has not been followed may also consult a local tenant-rights organization to understand what options are generally available under § 153.32 and related provisions.
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.
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