Lombard — Title XIII Ch. 135 Multi-Family Housing Maintenance § 135.03
Criminal housing manager
Operative Text
(A) Any manager/owner who is convicted three or more times, in any 12-month period after the effective date of this provision, of any one, or any combination, of the following violations of the Lombard Village Code, where all of the convictions pertain to action or non-action involving the same premises, and shall be subsequently convicted a fourth time within the same time period for one of the following violations of the Lombard Village Code and is found to have recklessly permitted the physical condition or facilities on the premises to become or remain in a condition which endangers the health or safety of any person shall be adjudged to be a criminal housing manager: (1) Any section pertaining to provisions related to residential building maintenance in the BOCA Property Maintenance Code as published by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. and as adopted in § § 150.090 -- 150.092 of the Lombard Village Code; or (2) Any of the following sections of the Health and Sanitation Chapter of the Lombard Village Code: (a) § 92.02 --stagnant pools; (b) § 92.03 --refuse deposit; (c) § 92.06 --abatement of nuisances; (d) § 92.13 --waste containers; (e) § 92.16 --garbage disposal; (f) § 92.20 --accumulations prohibited; (g) § 92.31 --destruction of noxious weeds; or (3) Any of the following sections of the Nuisance Chapter of the Lombard Village Code: (a) § 94.02 --nuisances prohibited; (b) § 94.21 --inoperable vehicles; or (4) § 133.02 pertaining to the responsibility of property owners under the Gambling Offenses Chapter of the Lombard Village Code; or (5) Subsection 135.02 (B) of the Lombard Village Code regarding duties and responsibilities of a manager/owner. (B) Anyone adjudged to be a criminal housing manager shall be punished upon conviction with a fine not to exceed $750.00 and/or a term of incarceration not to exceed six months. (C) Upon a finding by the Village Manager that any building, in relation to which a conviction under this § 135.03 has occurred, is no longer safe for habitation and is a dangerous building, the Village Manager may declare that building to be a dangerous and unsafe building and the corporate authorities may apply to the circuit court for an order requiring removal of garbage, debris, hazardous, noxious or unhealthy substances and requiring repairs to be made to put the building in a safe condition. Such order may authorize the village to take action to put the building in a safe and sanitary condition and to charge the cost of taking that action, including all court costs and attorneys' fees, to the building owner and to place a lien against the real estate involved for payment of such costs.
Section 135.03 of Lombard's Title XIII, Chapter 135 establishes the designation of 'criminal housing manager' for property owners or managers who accumulate a pattern of serious code violations. Specifically, a manager or owner who is convicted three or more times within any 12-month period for qualifying violations—covering building maintenance, health and sanitation, nuisance, gambling offenses, or manager duties—and then receives a fourth conviction while found to have recklessly allowed dangerous conditions may be adjudged a criminal housing manager. Upon that designation and conviction, the individual faces a fine of up to $750 and/or up to six months of incarceration, and the Village Manager may pursue additional remedies including court-ordered repairs or even a dangerous-building declaration that can result in a lien against the property.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 135.03 of Lombard's Multi-Family Housing Maintenance Code, compliant property operators maintain consistent adherence to building maintenance, health and sanitation, nuisance, and related code requirements to avoid accumulating the pattern of convictions that triggers the criminal housing manager designation. Operators generally keep records of any code-related proceedings and promptly remediate cited conditions, since the provision tracks violations across a rolling 12-month window and considers whether conditions were 'recklessly permitted' to persist. A fourth qualifying conviction within that window—combined with a finding of reckless endangerment—can expose an owner or manager not only to fines and potential incarceration but also to a dangerous-building declaration and property liens for remediation costs.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 135.03 of Lombard's Title XIII, Chapter 135 provides a mechanism through which the Village can hold repeat-offending property owners and managers criminally accountable when dangerous conditions are allowed to persist across multiple code violations. Tenants living in buildings where health, safety, or maintenance violations have been cited may be able to report ongoing concerns to the Village, which has authority to pursue the criminal housing manager designation and, if warranted, seek court-ordered repairs or a dangerous-building declaration. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid resources can help residents understand how this provision interacts with other protections and what options may be available when a landlord has a documented history of code violations.
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 10, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.