Chicago's Protecting Renters Ordinance: Vote Delayed for Compromise Talks, Owner-Occupied 6-Flats Exempt

On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Chicago's City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate approved Mayor Brandon Johnson's Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO) by a vote of 12 to 9. In the version that cleared committee, owner-occupied buildings of six flats or fewer are exempted, and the "just cause" eviction requirement was dropped hours before the vote as a concession. The PRO is the biggest rewrite of Chicago's roughly 40-year-old Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO) in a generation. It still needs a full City Council floor vote to become law. The competing FAIR Ordinance passed the Zoning Committee on September 17, 2026, and a full City Council vote on both, planned for September 29, 2026, was called off while the sponsors negotiate a compromise. Below: what's in the version that passed, what got dropped, and what any of it would mean for Chicago landlords.

What the Ordinance Would Do

The PRO is pitched as a modernization of the RLTO, bundled with a "Tenant Bill of Rights." Four pieces matter most to landlords: a just-cause requirement for ending or declining to renew a tenancy, a citywide rental registry with an annual per-unit fee, a ban on junk fees, and a new city enforcement bureau to handle complaints. Each is a meaningful shift from how things work today.

Just Cause for Eviction and Non-Renewal

Today, a Chicago landlord can generally decline to renew a lease for almost any non-retaliatory reason, as long as they give the right Fair Notice (30, 60, or 120 days based on how long the tenant has lived there). The PRO would add a layer on top: you'd need a "just cause" to remove a tenant or decline renewal.

The proposal lists just causes including nonpayment of rent, serious or material lease violations, the owner (or family) moving in, substantial rehab or major repairs, demolition, and condo conversion, among others. For no-fault removals — where the tenant did nothing wrong, such as a gut rehab, condo conversion, or demolition — the landlord would owe the tenant relocation assistance. In practice, that means "I'd just rather not renew" would no longer be a complete answer; you'd need a recognized reason, and some reasons would come with a relocation payment attached.

A Citywide Rental Registry

The PRO would create a rental registry requiring landlords to register their units with the city each year. The proposed fee runs roughly $20 to $60 per unit annually, scaled by building size, and would fund inspections and enforcement. Several categories are proposed as exempt from registration fees: owner-occupied buildings of six units or fewer, nonprofit-owned units, and units owned or subsidized by the Chicago Housing Authority or the Low-Income Housing Trust Fund.

The ordinance would also stand up a new Bureau of Rental Housing Services inside the Department of Housing to process rental complaints, investigate violations, and coordinate enforcement — an administrative body aimed at resolving landlord-tenant disputes without every issue heading to court.

A Ban on Junk Fees

The PRO would bar hidden "junk" fees — think application and processing fees stacked on top of rent — and require that any amount charged to a renter reflect an actual, documented cost. This lines up with the direction Chicago already takes on charges like late fees and application fees, where the ordinance caps or constrains what you can charge. If it passes, "standard" fees that don't map to a real cost would be a liability rather than a revenue line.

What This Would Mean for Landlords

It isn't law yet, but the direction is clear, and small landlords in particular are better off getting ahead of it than reacting later. A few practical moves:

• Tighten your paper trail now. A just-cause regime rewards clean documentation — dated records of lease violations, careful notice timing, and honest, itemized charges. That's good practice today and near-mandatory if this passes.
• Know whether you'd have to register. If you own covered units, budget for the per-unit fee — and check whether your building fits an exemption (owner-occupied six-or-fewer is the big one).
• Rethink no-fault turnover. If your plans involve a gut rehab, condo conversion, or demolition, factor potential relocation-assistance costs into the math.
• Audit your fees. Any charge that isn't tied to a real, documented cost is exactly what a junk-fee ban targets.
• Watch the calendar. The September 29, 2026 vote was called off for compromise talks; the next City Council meeting is October 14, 2026. Effective dates haven't been confirmed in the final text, so there's still a window to prepare, not panic.

Where It Stands

Update — September 30, 2026: The full City Council did not vote on either bill on Tuesday, September 29. In a joint statement before the meeting, Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), the competing FAIR Ordinance's lead sponsor, and Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) called off the votes, saying, “We believe we are getting closer to an agreement.” The two sides are negotiating a compromise. The next regular City Council meeting is Wednesday, October 14, 2026, but no vote has been formally scheduled. The PRO is not law, and a compromise version could change any of the provisions below, including the owner-occupied exemption. Sources: Chicago Tribune and The Real Deal, September 29, 2026; Chicago City Wire.

Update — September 26, 2026: The PRO and the competing FAIR Ordinance were both due for a floor vote at the September 23 City Council meeting, but Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) moved to defer them. FAIR's lead sponsor, Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), then filed notice to force a vote on both at the next meeting, Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 10 a.m. Either bill needs 26 votes to pass, and 34 to override a mayoral veto. Villegas says FAIR has the votes; no public count has been released for either bill. Sources: WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times, September 25, 2026; Chicago City Wire, September 24, 2026.

Update — September 17, 2026: The competing FAIR Ordinance passed the Chicago City Council Zoning Committee 12 to 6 on Thursday, September 17, 2026, one day after PRO cleared the Housing Committee. Both bills are now on a collision course at the full City Council. Either could reach a floor vote on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, but the Chicago Tribune reports the rival sides are expected to use legislative maneuvers to delay, making mid-October floor votes more likely. Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) said the two bills are "getting to a point where they are similar enough" that a compromise vote could happen in "a week or two." Source: Chicago Tribune, Jake Sheridan, September 17, 2026.

Update — September 16, 2026: The Protecting Renters Ordinance passed the Chicago City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate 12 to 9 on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Ahead of the vote, Mayor Johnson dropped the "just cause" eviction requirement that would have owed relocation payments to tenants removed through no fault of their own, and dropped a separate provision requiring $10,000 in compensation to tenants facing "unconscionable" rent increases. The version that cleared committee keeps the rental registry, the new Bureau of Rental Housing Services, a Renters Bill of Rights (clear fee disclosure, no move-in fees, one pet fee), and the $20-per-unit annual registration fee expected to raise about $22 million. Owner-occupied buildings of six flats or fewer remain exempted. Landlord groups argue the PRO would raise rents; tenant advocates note similar registry and just-cause programs already run in New York, Los Angeles, and nearby Evanston. Source: Chicago Sun-Times, Fran Spielman, September 16, 2026.

In July 2026, a group of 16 City Council members introduced a competing, landlord-friendlier bill — the FAIR Ordinance — that would scale back several of these provisions. See our side-by-side breakdown of how the PRO and FAIR ordinances compare, and our rundown of all the 2026 Chicago & Illinois landlord law updates.

Key Takeaways

• The Protecting Renters Ordinance passed the Housing Committee 12-9 on September 16, 2026 — it still needs a full City Council floor vote and the mayor's signature
• Mayor Johnson dropped "just cause" and the $10,000 "unconscionable rent increase" compensation ahead of the vote
• The version that passed exempts owner-occupied buildings of six flats or fewer — that covers a 2-flat, 3-flat, or 4-flat where the owner lives on-site
• Retained: citywide rental registry (~$20/unit/year, ~$22M revenue), new Bureau of Rental Housing Services, and a Renters Bill of Rights (fee disclosure, no move-in fees, one pet fee)
• The competing FAIR Ordinance passed the Zoning Committee 12-6 on September 17, 2026. A September 29, 2026 Council vote on both was called off for compromise talks
• Provisions can still change on the Council floor. Neither is law yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the PRO Ordinance pass in Chicago?
The Protecting Renters Ordinance passed the Chicago City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by a vote of 12 to 9. A committee vote is not final passage — the ordinance still needs a full City Council floor vote to become law, followed by the mayor's signature.

Does the PRO Ordinance apply to owner-occupied 2-4 flats?
Not in the version that passed committee on September 16, 2026. Owner-occupied buildings of six flats or fewer are exempted from the ordinance. A 2-flat, 3-flat, or 4-flat where the owner lives on-site falls inside that exemption as written. The exemption could narrow or drop in later versions.

What did Mayor Johnson drop from the PRO Ordinance before the September 16 vote?
Two provisions were removed. The "just cause" eviction requirement, which would have required relocation payments to tenants removed through no fault of their own, was dropped as a concession. A separate provision requiring $10,000 in compensation to tenants facing "unconscionable" rent increases was also dropped amid rent-control concerns.

What is still in the PRO Ordinance after the committee vote?
The version that cleared committee retains the citywide rental registry, the new Bureau of Rental Housing Services, a Renters Bill of Rights (fee disclosure, ban on move-in fees, one pet fee), and the $20-per-unit annual registration fee expected to raise about $22 million.

When is the full City Council vote on the PRO Ordinance?
No vote is scheduled yet. Votes on the PRO and the competing FAIR Ordinance planned for September 23 and September 29, 2026 were both called off, the second time so the sponsors could keep negotiating a compromise. The next regular City Council meeting is October 14, 2026. Any bill needs 26 votes to pass, and 34 to override a mayoral veto.