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Illinois: two laws start Jan 1, 2027
Two signed laws start Jan 1, 2027: one on lease fees, one a definition in the Human Rights Act. Signed laws found as of Nov 6, 2026. City and county rules are not covered.
The laws
| Starts | The law | What changed | Who it reaches | The signed text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StartsJan 1, 2027.Signed Jun 26, 2026. The act’s own Section 99 says July 1, 2026; Public Act 104-0514 (HB 5234), signed the same day, rewrites that line to January 1, 2027. | The lawPublic Act 104-0479 (HB 3564), new 765 ILCS 705/35; the date set by Public Act 104-0514 (HB 5234).#pa-104-0479 | What changedEvery non-optional fee goes on page one of the lease; a fee not there is not owed. The listing discloses them too, and the lease disclosure or the listing says whether utilities are included. Eleven fees are banned by name, an application fee over $50 among them, with a third-party background check the one exception. Renaming a fee to escape the section is barred. | Who it reachesEvery residential lease entered into after Jan 1, 2027; no unit count. Outside it: leases for “dwelling units in owner-occupied premises containing 6 units or fewer” (e). Both halves must hold: an owner who does not live on the premises has no exemption, at 1 unit or at 4. | The signed textPublic Act 104-0479 (HB 3564) and Public Act 104-0514 (HB 5234), which sets the date; both read Nov 6, 2026. The first act’s page still prints July 1, 2026 in its body, with Jan 1, 2027 at the foot. |
| StartsJan 1, 2027.Signed Aug 7, 2026; a date clause, Section 99 of the act. | The lawPublic Act 104-0793 (HB 5284), the Menopause Equity and Care Act; 775 ILCS 5/1-103(L-5).#pa-104-0793 | What changedIn the Human Rights Act, pregnancy now means pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions, “including menopause-related conditions”. The act’s purpose clause is about workplaces, and it reaches housing through that definition alone: an owner who acts in a real estate transaction because of unlawful discrimination, pregnancy among the listed grounds, commits a civil rights violation (3-102). No new penalty. | Who it reachesOwners under the Human Rights Act’s housing article. Outside it: a building of 4 or fewer families where the owner lives in one (3-106(B)), except for the ad and application rule; rooms in a private home where the owner or family lives (3-106(C)). Not the fee law’s cutoff. | The signed textPublic Act 104-0793 (HB 5284), the act’s text read Nov 6, 2026. |
Public Act 104-0479’s own page says it took effect July 1, 2026. The date it starts is in the second act, signed the same day.
Days to return the deposit, in eight states
Illinois, any building size: itemized list with receipts in 30 days, or all of it back in 45. Refusal or bad faith costs twice the deposit, plus fees.
Checked Nov 5, 2026, at each state’s own statute text.
Signed laws found as of Nov 6, 2026
We checked the titles of all 854 Public Acts of the 104th General Assembly (a title stays as introduced, so a title search can miss) and the amendment histories of the 12 landlord acts and articles we track in the Illinois Compiled Statutes: the only 2026 act in any of them is Public Act 104-0479. Public Act 104-0793 reaches housing through a definition in Article 1 of the Human Rights Act, outside those 12. Not checked: the governor’s pending list, anything from the veto session that starts Nov 17, regulations, court rules and forms, local ordinances. Missed one? Write to hello@landlorddispatch.com.
An Illinois rental? Each of these gets its Card or its line in the Jan 1 wave issue.