How Chicago Housing Regulations Become Law: A Guide for Landlords

Chicago is currently debating what could become some of the most significant changes to its Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance in decades. The RLTO has governed landlord-tenant relationships in much of Chicago since 1986, and while it has been amended over the years, the current debate over the Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO) and the competing FAIR ordinance has brought renewed attention to how Chicago regulates rental housing.

For landlords, property managers, and rental property owners, following that debate can be confusing. A proposal may be “introduced,” “passed out of committee,” “deferred and published,” or scheduled for a City Council vote without actually becoming law.

At City Roots Properties, we closely follow changes to Chicago housing regulations because new rules can affect everything from lease language and move-in fees to property registration, tenant screening, notices, and day-to-day property management.

With PRO and FAIR currently moving through City Hall, we thought this would be a good time to explain how a Chicago housing ordinance actually becomes law, what each stage means, and when landlords should begin preparing for a change.

This article is intended as general information for Chicago property owners and is not legal advice.

Step 1: Someone Introduces an Ordinance

Chicago legislation can be introduced by the Mayor or executive departments, one or more alderpersons, a City Council committee, and in certain circumstances through submissions made through the City Clerk.

Once legislation is introduced, the City Clerk assigns it a legislative number and maintains a public record showing its status.

This is an important distinction for landlords:

An ordinance being introduced does not mean the law has changed. At this point, it is a proposal. It could eventually pass largely as written, be heavily amended, be replaced with substitute language, remain in committee, or never become law at all.

That is why headlines announcing a “new Chicago landlord law” can sometimes be misleading when the legislation is still early in the process.

Step 2: The Proposal Is Usually Referred to a City Council Committee

Most ordinances are referred to an appropriate City Council committee before the full Council considers them.

The committee assignment depends on the subject matter. Housing legislation may involve committees dealing with housing, zoning, or other areas of city government.

Chicago's City Council rules generally require proposed ordinances to go through committee before the Council takes final action.

For landlords following a proposal, committee referral is where things often start to become more interesting. Committees can hold hearings, take testimony, debate provisions, consider amendments, and ultimately recommend whether legislation should pass.

Step 3: The Language Can Change — Sometimes Significantly

One of the most important things property owners should understand is that the ordinance introduced on Day One may not be the ordinance voted on months later.

Chicago's legislative rules allow proposals to be amended during the process, and a committee can even substitute an entirely new version of an ordinance before recommending it to the full Council. This is particularly relevant during contentious housing debates.

A provision that receives significant attention when an ordinance is first announced may later be:

• narrowed,

• expanded,

• removed,

• rewritten, or

• replaced with a compromise provision.

That is one reason City Roots generally recommends that owners follow the current legislative text, rather than relying entirely on early news coverage or social-media summaries.

Step 4: The Committee Votes

After hearings and deliberation, the committee can report its recommendation to the full City Council.

Committee reports generally recommend that an ordinance either pass or do not pass.

This is where another common misunderstanding occurs:

“Passed Committee” Does Not Mean “Became Law”

Committee passage is significant because it means the proposal can advance to the full City Council. But landlords do not generally need to change their lease forms, fee structures, or operating procedures simply because an ordinance passed committee.

The full City Council still needs to act.

The current PRO and FAIR debate provides a useful real-world example. In September 2026, the Council's Housing Committee advanced PRO, while the Zoning Committee separately advanced FAIR. Both proposals then moved toward consideration by the full Council.

Step 5: The Full City Council Considers the Proposal

Once a committee reports legislation out, it can come before the full Chicago City Council.

The committee chair reports the committee's recommendation, and Council members can consider the measure. But even at this stage, a final vote does not necessarily occur immediately.

What Does “Deferred and Published” Mean?

This phrase comes up frequently in Chicago legislative reporting and can understandably confuse people following a proposal. Under the City's process, two alderpersons may exercise the right to defer and publish legislation. When that occurs, final consideration is postponed and the ordinance is published in the Council proceedings before it can later be called for a vote.

It does not necessarily mean the proposal failed. It means final consideration has been delayed. That happened with the current housing proposals. The City Clerk listed both Chapter 5-12 measures as having been deferred following the September 23 Council meeting and subsequently noticed for further consideration.

As of September 30, 2026, the Council still has not taken a final vote on either competing proposal; consideration was delayed again, with another potential vote expected in October.

For landlords, this is a good example of why following the procedural status matters as much as following the headlines.

Step 6: City Council Votes

Eventually, an ordinance that continues moving forward can come up for final Council action.

Chicago has 50 alderpersons, and ordinary legislation generally requires a majority for passage when the required quorum and voting rules are satisfied.

Once the Council votes, there can also be procedural steps involving reconsideration before the vote becomes final. The City Clerk's explanation of the legislative process notes that a member voting on the prevailing side can move to reconsider a vote under Council rules.

For most property owners, however, the practical takeaway is simpler: A committee vote is not the final vote. A full City Council vote is the key legislative milestone.

Step 7: The Mayor Can Veto an Ordinance

Even passage by the City Council may not always be the end of the process.

The Mayor has the authority to veto legislation passed by the Council. If that occurs, City Council can override the veto with a two-thirds vote of the elected Council members.

This distinction can become especially important when the Mayor and a significant bloc of alderpersons disagree over legislation. The current PRO and FAIR debate has involved competing proposals backed by different groups within City government, making the possibility of mayoral action part of the broader discussion surrounding the measures.

For landlords, the lesson is again the same: do not assume a proposal is settled simply because it has cleared one stage of the process.

Step 8: Passage and Effective Date Are Not the Same Thing

Even after an ordinance becomes law, another date can matter just as much:

The effective date.

An ordinance may become operative immediately upon passage and publication, or it may specify a future effective date.

Some regulatory changes provide time for:

• city departments to create administrative procedures,

• landlords to revise documents,

• property owners to register,

• software systems to be updated, or

• new enforcement programs to be established.

Before changing a lease or property-management procedure, landlords should therefore verify both:

1. Has the ordinance actually been enacted?2. When does the relevant provision become effective?

The City's Municipal Code is updated as ordinances are enacted, and Chapter 5-12 contains Chicago's Residential Landlords and Tenants provisions.

Why PRO and FAIR Are a Good Example of the Process

The current debate demonstrates how complicated the path from proposal to law can be.

PRO and FAIR address many overlapping subjects but differ in several areas, including how rental-housing rules would be administered and enforced and how certain requirements would apply to different types of property owners. Supporters and opponents of each proposal have offered co#86C6E5mpeting assessments of their likely effects. More importantly for this discussion, the proposals themselves have evolved during the legislative process.

That illustrates why landlords should avoid treating the earliest version of any proposed ordinance as the final rule.

At any given point, there may be:

• an original ordinance,

• amendments,

• a substitute ordinance,

• committee recommendations,

• deferred Council consideration, and

• continued negotiations over a final version.

For someone who does not follow City Hall regularly, it can be surprisingly difficult to determine which version actually matters.

What Should Chicago Landlords Do While a Proposal Is Pending?

Generally, there is no reason to immediately change your rental practices simply because legislation has been introduced.

Instead, property owners can use the legislative period to understand where their operations might be affected if a proposal ultimately becomes law.

That might include reviewing:

• lease forms,

• move-in and move-out fees,

• security-deposit procedures,

• tenant notices,

• rental-registration requirements,

• tenant screening practices,

• non-renewal procedures,

• repair documentation, and

• property-management recordkeeping.

The key is to distinguish preparing for a possible change from complying with a law that has not yet taken effect.

How Can Landlords Track Chicago Housing Legislation?

The best starting point is the Office of the City Clerk.

The Clerk maintains public records of legislation introduced before City Council, including ordinance numbers, committee activity, Council agendas, Council journals, and legislative status. City Council and committee meetings are also available through public meeting records and video archives.

For major housing proposals, property owners may also want to monitor:

• the actual ordinance text,

• substitute ordinances,

• committee agendas,

• committee votes,

• full Council agendas,

• mayoral action, and

• the effective date of any final ordinance.

News coverage can be helpful for context, but when there is a discrepancy, the official legislative record should generally be the first place to check.

Why This Matters for Chicago Rental Property Owners

Chicago already has one of the more detailed municipal landlord-tenant regulatory systems in the country.

For individual landlords, condominium owners, and small multifamily owners, keeping track of regulatory changes can be challenging—especially when they manage only one or two rental properties and do not deal with housing regulations every day.

A proposed change to something as seemingly small as a fee, notice period, disclosure, or registration requirement can require updates to:

• lease documentation,

• tenant communications,

• accounting procedures, and

• property-management workflows.

Understanding how legislation moves through City Hall makes it easier to know when a news story represents something worth watching and when it represents a rule that actually requires action.

City Roots Properties Will Continue Following PRO, FAIR and Other Chicago Housing Changes

The current PRO and FAIR debate is still developing, and the final outcome—and final language—has not yet been determined as of September 30, 2026.

City Roots Properties will continue monitoring these proposals and other changes affecting Chicago landlords and rental-property owners. Our goal is not to advocate for one political outcome over another, but to help owners understand what is being proposed, where it stands in the legislative process, and what they may need to do if the law changes.

If you own a rental property in Chicago and would like help navigating the leasing process, City Roots Properties offers both full-service property management and tenant placement services. Whether you are looking for ongoing management of your property or simply need help marketing the unit, screening applicants, preparing the lease, and placing a qualified tenant, we can tailor our services to fit your needs.