Landscaping Rules in Waukegan, IL: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Waukegan or are thinking about moving there, landscaping rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Waukegan has 7 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of landscaping rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Waukegan requires a City Forester permit before removing any tree six inches or greater in diameter at breast height, any oak tree, or any tree in a conservation easement, preservation area, or ravine/bluff. Illegal removal triggers fines and mandatory replacement.

Key details: Permit threshold: 6 inches or greater DBH. Always regulated: Any oak tree, any size. Issuing authority: City Forester. Replacement rate: 2:1 caliper inches. Replacement deadline: 6 months after approval.

Trees removed illegally, meaning without the required City Forester permit, are subject to the fines set in the City's Fee and Fine Schedule in addition to the standard 2:1 caliper-inch replacement requirement. If a tree is not replaced within six months of removal approval, the applicant must instead pay into the City's General Fund an amount equal to the tree's full value. Destroying or damaging a tree marked for preservation during construction carries the same replacement obligation or fee-in-lieu payment.

This is one of the stricter rules in Waukegan's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Artificial Turf

Waukegan expressly allows artificial turf as acceptable ground cover on registered vacant and defaulted-mortgage properties under Sec. 6-411(d), while banning gravel, broken concrete or asphalt as substitutes for landscaping on those same lots.

Key details: Where it applies: Registered vacant/defaulted mortgage properties. Acceptable turf types: Grass, sod, decorative rock/bark, artificial turf. Prohibited substitutes: Weeds, gravel, broken concrete, asphalt. Enacted: Ord. No. 19-O-84, Aug. 19, 2019.

Failure to maintain a registered vacant or defaulted property's yard as required by Sec. 6-411, including substituting gravel, broken concrete, or asphalt for the listed acceptable ground covers, is a violation subject to citation or notice of violation and enforcement action by the City of Waukegan under Sec. 6-411(g).

Waukegan is more permissive than most cities when it comes to artificial turf. That said, there are still limits.

Tree Trimming

Waukegan property owners must trim tree branches to a clear ten feet above any street and eight feet above any sidewalk, and remove dead limbs that overhang public ways. Non-compliance after notice from the city forester brings prosecution.

Key details: Street clearance: 10 feet above street surface. Sidewalk clearance: 8 feet above sidewalk. Street notice period: 15 days from city forester notice. Sidewalk notice period: 5 days before city trims and bills owner. Enforcing official: City forester (director of public works).

Failing to trim branches to the ten-foot street clearance or eight-foot sidewalk clearance within the notice period (15 days for streets under Sec. 22-6, 5 days for sidewalks under Sec. 22-7) subjects the owner to prosecution under Sec. 1-13, and for sidewalks the city may trim the tree itself and bill the owner for the cost.

Composting

Waukegan allows compost bins as a by-right accessory use in most districts, but only in the rear yard, in a fully enclosed receptacle with a tight lid, under UDO Section 9.03.C.11.

Key details: Location: Rear yard only. Enclosure: Fully enclosed, tight-fitted lid. Banned contents: Sewage, meat, bones, grease. Permit needed: None (by-right accessory use).

An open, uncovered compost pile, one placed outside the rear yard, or one containing meat, bones, grease, or sewage, or that becomes a nuisance from odor or pests, violates Section 9.03.C.11 and is subject to code enforcement action requiring correction or removal.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Waukegan gives residents more flexibility on composting.

Rainwater Harvesting

Waukegan's accessory use table allows a Rain Barrel or Rainwater Cistern by right ("A") in all seventeen zoning districts, with no building permit and no additional use standard listed, defining a rain barrel as an above-grade container generally under 500 gallons and a cistern as above- or below-grade storage.

Key details: Zoning designation: "A" (allowed by right) in all 17 districts. Permit required: None. Use standard cross-reference: None listed in Table 9.03-1. Rain barrel definition: Above-grade, generally under 500 gallons. Cistern definition: Storage container, above or below grade.

Because rain barrels and cisterns carry no cross-referenced use standard, there is no permit-based violation tied to installing one; the general nuisance and drainage provisions that apply citywide, such as the prohibition on directing water onto a neighboring lot, remain the only basis for a code complaint against a poorly placed unit.

The rules around rainwater harvesting in Waukegan lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Weed Ordinances

Waukegan caps weeds and grass on every lot at eight inches under Property Maintenance Code § 302.4, adopted at City Code § 6-178. Noxious weeds are banned outright, and after a notice of violation the city can send its own crew or contractor to cut the lot and bill the owner for the cost.

Key details: Height limit: 8 inches for weeds and grass. Governing section: PM Code § 302.4 (§ 6-178). Exempt growth: Cultivated flowers and gardens. Noxious weeds: Prohibited at any height. Enforcement: Notice, then city cuts and bills owner.

Ignoring a weed notice of violation is a misdemeanor under amended subsection 109.4, punishable by a fine of $25.00 to $750.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense. Beyond the fine, the city can send a crew or hired contractor to cut the lot after the notice period runs and bill the full cost of removal to the owner or agent in charge.

Water Restrictions

Waukegan runs a mandatory odd/even watering schedule every summer: from May 15 through September 15, even-numbered addresses water on even calendar days and odd-numbered addresses water on odd days, with a midday ban from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The water department enforces it citywide.

Key details: Season covered: May 15 through September 15. Even addresses: Water on even calendar days only. Odd addresses: Water on odd calendar days only. No-watering window: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., every day. New sod/seed exception: Daily watering allowed for 90 days.

Chapter 24 treats an off-schedule watering violation like any other violation of the water chapter: under Sec. 24-135, the water department can demand compliance by written notice, and if the resident has not complied by the 13th day after that notice, a second notice sets a shutoff date 12 days later. Continued noncompliance is deemed willful, and the city turns off water service until the violator complies; a labor and inspection charge is billed to cover the shutoff and reconnection, and late fees may be assessed under Sec. 24-215.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Waukegan gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 3 of the 7 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Waukegan's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.