Are Rental Application Fees Legal in Illinois?
What Illinois lets a landlord charge to apply — and how that compares to what screening actually costs.
no cap — Illinois has no statewide application-fee cap, though some local ordinances add protections. Statewide, your leverage is the gap between the fee and what screening actually costs.
A full tenant screen costs a landlord about $30. Landlords typically charge applicants $55 — so any fee well above ~$30 is mostly markup.
| Cap type | No cap |
|---|---|
| The legal line | no cap |
| Refund rights | No statewide statutory refund right; check your city's ordinance. |
| Receipt required | Not specified |
| Reusable screening report | Not specified |
| Statute | No statewide application-fee statute |
Check your Illinois application fee
We'll compare it to the law and the real cost of screening.
How Illinois compares
See every state's cap, the real cost of screening, and the markup landlords add — the full picture in one place.
Laws verified as of July 12, 2026. Informational only, not legal advice — verify No statewide application-fee statute and current screening costs before acting.