🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Evanston, IL
A Narrower Path Forward for Short-Term Rentals in Evanston
Evanston Tightens the Screws on Short-Term Rentals—Again
Evanston’s City Council is moving decisively toward a more restrictive future for short-term rentals, voting Monday night to further tighten a proposed ordinance that already aimed to rein in vacation rentals across the city. What started as a staff-developed framework has now been reshaped by aldermanic amendments that significantly narrow where, how many, and by whom short-term rentals can operate.
At the heart of the revised ordinance is a broader definition. Instead of focusing only on rentals under 30 days, the new proposal would regulate any “short-term rental” of a furnished dwelling unit for less than a year. While hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, home-sharing arrangements, and fixed lease rentals remain exempt, the expanded definition captures a wider swath of properties that previously fell outside the city’s tighter oversight.
One of the most impactful changes came in the form of a cap. The original draft proposed allowing one short-term rental for every 80 long-term rental units citywide. That ratio was amended to one for every 100 long-term rentals, further limiting growth. City staff currently report 78 licensed units and have identified about 135 total units licensed and unlicensed that appear to be operating, putting the city close to the proposed ceiling.
Council members also approved an amendment expanding the required distance between short-term rentals from 300 feet to 600 feet. The intent, supporters said, is to prevent clustering and preserve neighborhood character, a recurring concern raised by residents during previous debates.
Another key revision affects property management. The council voted to reduce the allowable distance for off-site property managers from 10 miles outside the city to just three miles. Corporation Counsel Alex Ruggie cautioned that limiting managers exclusively to city residents could raise legal issues, but the approved amendment still tightens local accountability.
Not everyone supported the broader scope. Ald. Clare Kelly cast the lone vote against introducing the revised ordinance, arguing that regulation should be limited to rentals under 30 days rather than extending up to a year.
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These changes follow months of controversy. Since the current council took office last May, members have openly criticized the existing approval process, which often relied on neighbor complaints and ward-level discretion. That uncertainty led to uneven decisions and, last September, a 90-day moratorium on new vacation rental applications later extended into early March.
The ordinance could receive final approval at the Jan. 26 council meeting, though legal challenges remain a real possibility. For now, Evanston appears committed to pressing forward, even as the legal landscape continues to shift.
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