What we checked
- Chicago, IL's short-term-rental registration requirement
- Chicago, IL's lodging-tax requirement
What we found
- →A licence is required — $125 per unit
- →Lodging tax applies — Hotel accommodations tax applies
Read this before you list — these are rules you must confirm, not a verdict.
This page is informational, not legal advice, and not a guarantee. Only the
base zoning above is checked live, and even that is just the zone designation — not a ruling
that short-term rental is allowed at this address. Short-term-rental legality is mostly
decided by layers we do not verify here: city registration,
primary-residence requirements, night caps,
RSO / rent-stabilized & ADU restrictions, and your HOA or condo rules
(an HOA can ban STR even where the city allows it). Confirm every rule with the issuing
authority before you advertise or accept a booking.
Chicago, IL · free check
Short-term rental rules (preview)
What you get free: the city's core registration + lodging tax to confirm.
Full packet, fine exposure, and stage checklist are in the $49 report below.
Registration / license
Shared Housing Registration (primary residence for 1-4 unit bldgs · reg # on listing · NOT in a Prohibited Building or Restricted Zone · $1M liability insurance)
Cost$125 per unit
Issued byChicago Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) · apply via Chicago Business Direct
Lodging / occupancy tax
Hotel Accommodations Tax (collected via platform/intermediary)
RateHotel accommodations tax applies
Paid toCity of Chicago
🔒 In the $49 report (not free)