Urbana — Ch. 12.5 Landlord-Tenant Relationships § 12.5-34
Fees
Operative Text
(a) It being the goal of the city that the rental registration and inspection program be self-supporting, the council shall establish a two-tiered schedule of registration fees for: (1) Single-family dwellings and duplexes, which shall be applied on a per building basis; and (2) Multifamily housing, which shall be applied on a per building and per unit basis. The building official shall review income from fees and expenses of this program, and make recommendations to the council on any appropriate adjustments in the fee schedule. Fees shall also be set for: (1) Failure to register; (2) Incomplete registration information; (3) Failure to register by the due date; and (4) Reinspections of rental properties. (b) HUD assisted, low-income permanent housing projects for seniors, persons with disabilities, and/or homeless individuals; and Medicaid or Illinois Department of Human Services funded housing for persons with disabilities shall be eligible for a waiver of fees by the building official. (c) It shall be illegal for any owner or agent of the owner to charge a tenant or tenants, a fee greater than the actual pro rata cost of the registration fee and to attribute that greater than actual fee to the city. Any explicit pass-through of the registration fee must be accurately represented, calculated and communicated to the tenant in order to be effective, regardless of how the fee may be characterized in any lease documents.
Urbana Code § 12.5-34 establishes a fee structure for the city's rental registration and inspection program, with different schedules for single-family/duplex properties and multifamily buildings. Certain subsidized housing for seniors, people with disabilities, and homeless individuals may qualify for fee waivers. Critically, the provision prohibits landlords from passing through more than the actual proportional cost of the registration fee to tenants, and any such pass-through must be accurately calculated and clearly communicated.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 12.5-34, compliant operators register their rental properties on time, pay the applicable tiered fees, and avoid the additional charges set for late or incomplete registration. If a landlord chooses to pass any portion of the registration fee through to tenants, the amount passed through must reflect only the actual pro rata cost — not a higher figure — and must be accurately represented and communicated to tenants regardless of how it is characterized in lease documents. Operators of HUD-assisted or Medicaid/Illinois Department of Human Services-funded housing for qualifying populations may wish to explore the fee waiver process with the building official under § 12.5-34(b).
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 12.5-34(c) of the Urbana Code limits what a landlord may charge tenants in connection with the city's rental registration fee: the pass-through amount cannot exceed the actual pro rata share of that fee, and it must be accurately calculated and clearly communicated. If a tenant believes they have been charged more than the lawful amount, or that the fee has been misrepresented, general enforcement paths include raising the overcharge as a defense in relevant proceedings or filing a complaint with the appropriate city office. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Urbana's landlord-tenant ordinance can help explain what documentation and steps are generally available under § 12.5-34.
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 6, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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