26th Ward voters will be asked Tuesday whether to limit new Airbnbs. The Council already has a tool for that

The advisory question asks whether new shared housing units should be limited in the ward. Our records show 144 precinct bans on new rentals since 2019, none of them in the 26th.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Oct 30, 2026

Voters in every precinct of the 26th Ward will see an extra question on Tuesday's ballot: "Shall new shared housing units be limited in the 26th Ward to help address Chicago's severe rental housing shortage?" Shared housing units are the City's term for short-term rentals such as Airbnb listings.

The question is advisory. A yes vote doesn't change any law. Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th), who put it on the ballot, told Block Club Chicago that if voters back a cap she would draft legislation limiting new rentals in the ward's precincts. She said rentals that already have licenses would not be affected.

Why it matters: the ward covers most of Humboldt Park and parts of Logan Square, Hermosa and Belmont Cragin, where residents have raised concerns about rents and displacement. The result will shape whether, and how widely, new short-term rentals are blocked there.

What both sides say

Fuentes told Block Club the ward has about 108 active Airbnb rentals, a higher concentration than the city as a whole. She said she wants units kept available for residents. She also said some residents worry about violence linked to short-term rentals, not just parties. She acknowledged that rental income helps some small landlords pay property taxes, but said renting to residents does too.

Airbnb gave Block Club its own figures: the typical 26th Ward host earned about $17,000 last year, more than a third of nights booked were stays of 30 days or longer, and entire-home listings are about 1% of the ward's housing.

What our records add

How the question got there. The Council adopted Fuentes's resolution SR2025-0021045 on July 15 with 49 votes in favor and none against. She introduced it in November 2025. It cites a February 2025 ward housing town hall where residents asked for stronger protection for affordable rentals.

How each ward voted

49 yea, 1 not voting · Jul 15, 2026 · Adopted

Yea Nay Not voting

SR2025-0021045: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

The tool that already exists. Chicago law lets the Council declare a precinct a "restricted residential zone," where no new shared housing units or vacation rentals are allowed. Block Club notes that a precinct ban requires a petition signed by 25% of the precinct's registered voters. Our records show 144 ordinances since 2019 that created, renewed or extended these zones. All passed, and only two drew a single no vote:

2026 so far: 41st Ward (29 ordinances), 31st Ward (22), 15th Ward (20), 23rd Ward (20) and 29th Ward (2).
Earlier: the 13th Ward (23 from 2019 to 2023), the 23rd (24 more), and one or two each in the 11th, 19th and 41st.

None has been for a 26th Ward precinct. Fuentes told Block Club she would consider the petition route after the referendum.

Related rules. In 2020 the Council passed SO2020-2210, from Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), barring platforms from advertising or booking vacation rentals in restricted zones. In 2024 it passed SO2024-0013637, from Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th), changing data-reporting rules for vacation rental platforms. Block Club reports that a 2025 effort to let alderpersons ban short-term rentals by precinct more easily stalled.

Other ballot questions. Every Chicago voter also faces citywide advisory questions on Tuesday, which we explained Oct. 26.

What's next

Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting is available at the Humboldt Park Library, 1605 N. Troy St., Block Club reports.
After the vote: any limit would take a new ordinance, or precinct-by-precinct petitions and ordinances, sent to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection, where the restricted-zone ordinances go.

The 26th Ward page tracks Fuentes's legislation and votes.

Sources: Office of the City Clerk: SR2025-0021045 substitute resolution (ballot text).