Fox Lake CHAPTER 2 HOUSING REGULATIONS § 6-2-7-4
INSPECTION OF DWELLINGS
Operative Text
A. Determination Of Compliance: Any dwelling that is leased or rented shall be subject to inspection by a code official upon change of occupancy, upon a request of a tenant or owner, or for probable cause, for the purpose of determining whether that dwelling is in compliance with all applicable property maintenance laws, ordinances and regulations. B. Short Term Rentals: Short term rentals are required to be inspected and an inspection report provided to the plan commission before a special use permit is granted. An inspection is required every six (6) months from the date the special use permit was approved and adopted by the village board. C. Notice Of Inspection; Consent To Inspection: The code official shall provide notice of the inspection to the owner or at least one of the occupants of the dwelling. An inspection shall be conducted only if the owner or the occupant has given their consent to the inspection at a time agreed upon by the code official. Notice shall be given to the owner of record or the beneficial owner of the dwelling by either mailing notice to the address of the person or entity to whom real estate tax bills are mailed or by hand delivery to the owner. Notice shall be given to the occupant(s) by mailing the notice to the address of the dwelling to be inspected or by hand delivery of the notice to an occupant who is fourteen (14) years of age or older or by posting the notice on the front door of the dwelling. If the owner or the occupant (or both) refuses consent to the inspection, then the code official shall be authorized to obtain an administrative search warrant as provided in subsection E of this section. Property owner is responsible for the cost to enforce any provision. D. Scope Of Inspections: The code official, when inspecting the dwelling, shall limit the scope of the inspection to only those items that pertain to the property maintenance laws, ordinances, and regulations applicable to the dwelling being inspected. This includes, but is not limited to, the terms and provisions of the international property maintenance code, as adopted by the village and as amended from time to time including the various codes incorporated by reference in the international property maintenance codes. E. Administrative Search Warrant: The inspections required by this section 6-2-7 shall be administrative in nature. When the owner, person in charge, or occupant of a rental dwelling refuses to allow the code official to inspect the rental dwelling, nothing in this section 6-2-7 shall be construed as prohibiting the code official from obtaining an administrative search warrant issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. The code official's decision whether to obtain an administrative search warrant shall not preclude the code official from ordering the vacation of a rental dwelling not having a valid certificate of compliance and seeking judicial relief for the unlawful occupancy of a rental dwelling with a valid certificate. (Ord. 2016-07, 2-9-2016)
Fox Lake § 6-2-7-4 establishes when and how rental dwellings may be inspected by a code official to verify compliance with applicable property maintenance laws, ordinances, and regulations. Inspections can be triggered by a change of occupancy, a request from a tenant or owner, or probable cause, and short-term rentals face mandatory inspections every six months after a special use permit is granted. The code official must provide advance notice and obtain consent before entering; if consent is refused, the official may seek an administrative search warrant from a court. The property owner bears the cost of enforcing any provision of this section.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Fox Lake § 6-2-7-4, compliant property owners generally cooperate with scheduled inspections triggered by occupancy changes, tenant or owner requests, or probable cause, and they respond promptly to notice from the code official to arrange a mutually agreed-upon inspection time. Owners of short-term rentals ensure an inspection report is submitted to the plan commission before a special use permit is issued and arrange re-inspections every six months from the permit's approval date. Because § 6-2-7-4 places enforcement costs on the property owner, operators typically maintain their units in ongoing compliance with the International Property Maintenance Code as adopted by the village to minimize the likelihood of repeated inspections or warrant proceedings.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Fox Lake § 6-2-7-4 gives tenants the right to request an inspection of their dwelling to determine whether it meets applicable property maintenance standards, and the code official is required to provide notice and obtain consent before conducting any inspection. If a tenant believes their unit has maintenance or habitability issues, § 6-2-7-4 provides a formal mechanism—requesting an inspection through the code official—as one potential path toward documenting and addressing those concerns. Tenants facing questions about their rights under this provision may find it helpful to consult a local tenant-rights organization or legal aid service familiar with Fox Lake housing regulations.
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 11, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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