Housing codes
City law already sets standards for safe, clean housing. The City’s Housing Division enforces them and deals with unsafe buildings.
On your November 3 ballot
No cost estimate. No details. Just a blank check.
Vote NO on the Springfield Landlord Registry — on or before November 3.
The question, word for word
Everyone wants rental properties to be safe.
But read the ballot question: It isn’t a plan, it’s a blank check.
“Shall the City of Springfield adopt a landlord registry, inspection, and licensing program similar to other Illinois cities?”
What’s missing?
Cost?
What will it cost?
Not on the ballot
Staff?
How many new City employees?
Not on the ballot
Property Taxes?
Who will pay for it?
Not on the ballot
Fees?
What will renters and landlords pay?
Not on the ballot
It’s advisory. If YES wins, the City Council writes the rules afterward. Voters shouldn’t approve a costly new bureaucracy and let City Hall fill in the details later.
Thousands of new inspections. More City employees. Unknown costs.
21,000 to 27,000 rental units in Springfield, the City’s own lawyer told the City Council.
If voters approve the landlord registry, Springfield will have to register, oversee and regularly inspect thousands of rental properties. The City will have to create a costly new bureaucracy with more City employees — and taxpayers and renters will end up paying the cost.
Who really pays? You do.
Renters
through higher rents
Taxpayers
through a bigger City government
Vote NO on a blank check for Springfield.
Springfield already has the tools
Springfield already has housing codes and ways for tenants to complain about property conditions. Instead of creating a new program and more bureaucracy, the City should enforce the laws and tools it already has — and go after problem landlords.
A complaint line
Problem with your rental? Call the City’s Housing Division:
Online reports
Report a housing concern on the City’s website.
A registry for problem properties
In 2025, the City Council unanimously passed a registry for problem properties. A property with three or more housing code violations in 12 months goes on a public online list, and its owners must register. Owners of three or more listed properties must register all of their properties and face a fine of at least $5,000.
It covers problem properties — not every rental.
Use the tools we have. Go after problem landlords.
Vote NO until City Hall shows its work.
I’m voting NOYou may have seen this in your mailbox
Both sides of the card going to Springfield voters. Tap a side to see it larger.
Pledge to vote NO on or before November 3
Add your name. We’ll keep you posted on the landlord registry vote.
Thank you, !
You’re pledge #. Now make it count.
When will you vote?
Early voting is open now. Find an early voting site.
Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling place.
Apply by Oct. 29. Mail your ballot so it’s postmarked by Nov. 3 — or use a drop box.
0 Springfield neighbors have pledged to vote NO
Tap a ZIP code to see its pledges.
Here’s what you’ll see on your ballot
It’s an advisory question from the City of Springfield.
- It’s near the end of your ballot. Keep going until you find it.
- Look for the words “landlord registry.”
- Mark NO.
Advisory question of public policy for City of Springfield
Shall the City of Springfield adopt a landlord registry, inspection, and licensing program similar to other Illinois cities?
YES
NO Vote NO
Where to vote
Voting information from the Illinois State Board of Elections and Sangamon County Clerk.
Early voting in Sangamon County
Click here for information about Early Voting in Sangamon County Sangamon County Clerk · sangamonil.gov (opens in a new tab)Find your Election Day polling place
Your polling place depends on your address.
Google Maps
Pick your address from the list.
Looking up where you vote…
We use your address only to find your polling place. We don’t keep it. Google uses it to suggest addresses and to look up your polling place.
Official pages: Sangamon County’s early voting information · The State Board’s polling place lookup
Questions voters ask
Is this vote binding?
No. It’s an advisory question: it asks what voters want. If YES wins, the City Council writes the rules afterward — the cost, the staff, the inspections and the fees.
Has anyone said what it will cost?
No. No one has told voters what it would cost, how many City employees it would need, how often inspections would happen, or what fees landlords and renters would pay.
How many rentals does Springfield have?
Somewhere between 21,000 and 27,000 rental units, the City’s lawyer told the City Council in November 2025.
Doesn’t Springfield already have a registry?
Yes! And it specifically targets problem properties. In 2025, the City Council passed a public online list for properties with three or more housing code violations in 12 months. The question on your ballot is about a new, citywide program.
I rent, and my home has a problem. Who can help?
Call the City’s Housing Division at 217-789-2167, or report it online.
Who pays for a new program?
Taxpayers and renters: renters through higher rents, and taxpayers through a bigger City government.
Sources
- Sangamon County Clerk — Propositions filed for the Nov. 3, 2026 election — the exact ballot wording
- Illinois Times — “City Council denies public vote on landlord registry,” Nov. 19, 2025 — 21,000 to 27,000 rental units, and that the City Council works out the details after an advisory vote
- Illinois Times — “City Council adopts cited property registry,” Aug. 20, 2025 — the registry for problem properties: three or more violations in 12 months, the $5,000 minimum fine, the unanimous vote
- City of Springfield — Contact Us — the line for housing code violations, 217-789-2167
- City of Springfield — I Want to Report… — reporting a housing concern online
- City of Springfield — Office of Public Works — the Housing Division enforces housing codes and deals with unsafe buildings
- Illinois State Board of Elections — voting dates, early voting sites and polling places