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Illinois · reviewed September 2026

Seasonal RV site agreements in Illinois

What Illinois law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.

Guest or tenant?Illinois' mobile-home-park act defines 'mobile home' to exclude campers and RVs and applies only to parks with 5+ mobile/manufactured homes, so its 24-month-lease and 30-day-notice rules do not reach RV sites.
Metered electricIllinois permits landlords to pass through submetered or allocated utility costs but requires written disclosure of the formula and caps total tenant charges at what the public utility billed for the building; no markup.
Sales / lodging taxThe Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax applies to renting 'rooms in a hotel' for fewer than 30 consecutive days; the Department of Revenue's guidance does not list campgrounds, and bare campsite/RV-pad rentals are generally not treated as hotel rooms.
Signing onlineUniform Electronic Transactions Act (adopted 2021, replacing the Electronic Commerce Security Act) (815 ILCS 333)

Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.

Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Illinois?

Illinois' mobile-home-park act defines 'mobile home' to exclude campers and RVs and applies only to parks with 5+ mobile/manufactured homes, so its 24-month-lease and 30-day-notice rules do not reach RV sites. No Illinois statute sets a day threshold for when an RV-site occupant becomes a tenant. A long-term occupant who pays monthly and lives on site may be treated as a residential tenant, in which case removal requires the court eviction process under the Eviction Act rather than self-help.

What that means for notices and removal

Not specifically addressed for RV sites. If treated as a month-to-month tenant: 30 days' written notice to terminate (735 ILCS 5/9-207), 5-day notice for nonpayment (5/9-209), then an eviction action. Campgrounds are licensed under the Campground Licensing and Recreational Area Act (210 ILCS 95), which is a health/safety law and does not address occupancy rights.

Cite: 765 ILCS 745/3 (definition excludes 'campers and recreational vehicles'); 765 ILCS 745/4; 735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq.

Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Illinois

Illinois permits landlords to pass through submetered or allocated utility costs but requires written disclosure of the formula and caps total tenant charges at what the public utility billed for the building; no markup. This is written for buildings/dwelling units, and no ICC rule specific to campground or RV-site submetering was found, so treat it as the conservative standard.

Cite: Tenant Utility Payment Disclosure Act, 765 ILCS 740; see also Rental Property Utility Service Act, 765 ILCS 735

Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Illinois

The Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax applies to renting 'rooms in a hotel' for fewer than 30 consecutive days; the Department of Revenue's guidance does not list campgrounds, and bare campsite/RV-pad rentals are generally not treated as hotel rooms. Illinois has no general sales tax on services or real-estate rent, so seasonal site rent is typically not subject to state sales or lodging tax; confirm any local amusement/lodging taxes.

Cite: 35 ILCS 145; 86 Ill. Adm. Code 480; IDOR Publication 106

Signing agreements online in Illinois

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (adopted 2021, replacing the Electronic Commerce Security Act). Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.

Cite: 815 ILCS 333

Clauses to include in a Illinois seasonal agreement

These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.

Recreational use, not a residence"The Site is licensed for recreational use only. The Guest maintains a permanent residence elsewhere at the address above, and the Site is not the Guest’s primary residence. Nothing in this agreement creates a residential tenancy." In this state the line between a recreational guest and a residential tenant is what decides which removal process applies, so say it plainly and keep the guest’s home address on file.
Notice periodMatch the notice periods in your termination section to the ones the state uses (30-day notice appears in the rules summarized above) rather than inventing shorter ones; a shorter contractual notice is not enforceable where the statute sets a floor.
Metered electricity"Electricity is individually metered and billed at the Park’s actual cost per kWh from its utility, with no markup, read on or about the [day] of each month; readings are available to the Guest on request." Keep the utility bills and meter readings for at least three years.
Electronic signature consent"The Guest consents to sign this agreement electronically and to receive invoices, receipts and notices by email at the address above." Keep the signer name, email, date/time, IP address and a fingerprint of the signed text.

Your state association is a good second opinion on all of this: Illinois Campground Association (ICA).

Get the free seasonal site agreement template

Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Illinois clauses above into it.

Or skip the paperwork entirely

Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.

Other states

Sources

This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Illinois. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.