What Tinley Park Regulates: A Complete Ordinance Overview

Tinley Park, Illinois may not be the biggest city in the state, but it has its own set of local rules that residents need to follow. With 103 tracked ordinances across 34 categories, there is more here than you might expect.

Landscaping Rules

Water Restrictions: From May 15 through September 15 each year, Tinley Park limits lawn and garden sprinkling to an odd/even address schedule between 7 to 11 a.m. and 7 to 11 p.m.

Also covered: Tree Trimming (moderate), Weed Ordinances (moderate), Artificial Turf (permissive). See the full landscaping rules guide for Tinley Park for details.

Public Conduct

Public Alcohol Use: Tinley Park bans selling, consuming, or delivering alcoholic liquor on any property controlled by a government body, including village streets, sidewalks, and rights-of-way. Village Code § 112.45 makes the activity unlawful unless state law, federal law, this code, or the Local Liquor Control Commissioner specifically authorizes it..

Also covered: Jaywalking (moderate), Public Urination (moderate), Skateboarding Rules (restrictive). See the full public conduct guide for Tinley Park for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Red-Light Cameras: Tinley Park runs automated red-light cameras at three Harlem Avenue intersections under Village Code Chapter 81, adopted in 2010. A confirmed violation carries a $100 civil penalty that rises to $125 if unpaid by the time a determination notice issues, with no added fee for requesting a hearing..

Parking Rules

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles: Tinley Park bans parking or storing any vehicle heavier than a three-quarter-ton pickup, panel truck, station wagon or passenger car on any village street, right-of-way or easement, unless a posted sign says otherwise. Village Code § 73.12 carves out only trucks actively making a delivery or pickup, and a conviction carries a fine of $10 to $500 under § 73.99(B)..

Also covered: EV Charging (moderate), Abandoned Vehicles (moderate), Street Parking Limits (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Tinley Park for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Tinley Park requires a village license before anyone peddles goods door to door or solicits funds or sales in the village. Peddlers pay a fee set under the fee schedule and cannot work residentially zoned streets, while commercial and fund solicitors must wear a village-issued badge at all times..

Business Licensing & Operations

Adult Entertainment: Tinley Park requires a $1,000 annual permit from the Industrial Commercial Commission before any sexually oriented business can operate, with applicants certifying property lines within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and residential zones..

Also covered: Tobacco Retail License (restrictive), Massage Establishments (restrictive), Pawnbrokers (moderate). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Tinley Park for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Repeat Violator Strikes: Tinley Park escalates fines for repeat short-term/vacation rental violations under Village Code § 129J.99: $200 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $750 for a third or subsequent violation, with each day of noncontinuing violation a separate offense..

Also covered: Occupancy Limits (moderate), Insurance Requirements (moderate), Primary-Residence-Only Rule (restrictive). See the full short-term rentals guide for Tinley Park for details.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Tinley Park declares any dangerous or abandoned building a nuisance and bans maintaining or occupying it in that condition. Village Code § 101.03 backs up that ban, and § 101.05 lets the Building Commissioner order repair, evacuation, or demolition, with the owner billed for the village's cost..

Also covered: Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Tinley Park for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Tinley Park bans barbed wire and electrically charged fencing within three feet of any public right-of-way, street, alley, sidewalk, or park if the harmful wire sits within seven feet of ground level. Village Code § 99.011 also forbids fences or similar obstructions on parkways, though the Director of Public Works may allow a temporary fence to protect newly seeded grass..

Building Safety

Building Permits: Tinley Park requires a building permit before any excavation, grading, construction, addition, remodeling, alteration, repair or demolition begins. Applications go through the Building Official using village forms, and permit fees follow the fee schedule in Chapter XIII of the Building Code.

Also covered: Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed (moderate), Electrical Permits (moderate), Carbon Monoxide Detectors (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Tinley Park for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Light Trespass & Shielding: Tinley Park's Village Code requires every auto court and motel to keep public areas lit at night, but the fixtures must be shaded or otherwise regulated so no light shines onto neighboring property. The rule sits in the Auto Court and Motel licensing chapter, enforced through the same inspection and penalty scheme that covers the rest of that business's operating license..

Noise Ordinances

Vehicle Noise: Tinley Park bans motor vehicles that create loud grinding, rattling or grating noise audible from nearby properties, and requires every vehicle to keep a working muffler and exhaust system. Muffler cut-outs, bypass pipes and altered baffle plates are illegal under Village Code § 70.11.

Also covered: Decibel Limits (moderate), Construction Hours (moderate), Barking Dogs (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Tinley Park for details.

Trash & Recycling

Recycling Rules: Once a Tinley Park household sets recyclables at the curb for collection, § 96.13 keeps them the property of the householder until the village-designated refuse disposal contractor picks them up. Anyone else who collects those materials without authorization commits a separate offense for each location taken from..

Also covered: Bin Placement Rules (moderate), Collection Schedule (moderate), Pickup Rules & Schedules (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Tinley Park for details.

Tree Protection

Parkway Planting: Planting a tree or shrub in a Tinley Park street, parkway or other public place requires a permit from the Village Clerk under § 100.01, and only species on the Public Works Department's approved list qualify. New plantings must stay at least three feet from the sidewalk, ten feet from the pavement edge, and 25 feet from any intersection..

Fire Regulations

Fireworks: Tinley Park bans selling, displaying, storing, using, possessing, manufacturing or exploding fireworks anywhere in the village under § 95.51, with the only exception a Village Board permit for a supervised public display that meets the detailed safety conditions in § 95.52..

Also covered: Smoke Detectors (moderate), Outdoor Burning (restrictive), Propane Storage (strict). See the full fire regulations guide for Tinley Park for details.

Animal Ordinances

Wildlife Feeding: Tinley Park bans ground feeding of wild animals and birds, including deer, geese, raccoons, opossums, skunks and stray cats, on any public or private property in the village under § 91.16, with fines of $100 to $750 per day. Hanging bird feeders remain legal as long as feed stays in a proper feeder and the area beneath it is kept clean..

Also covered: Microchipping (moderate), Chickens & Livestock (restrictive), Pet Limits (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Tinley Park for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending: Tinley Park bans selling ice cream, frozen desserts, soft drinks, or similar retail items from a vehicle on any street, highway, alley, or public way under Village Code § 98.25. The ban covers any device used to transport people or property, motorized or not, and applies only to retail sales, not wholesale delivery..

Also covered: Food Truck Permits (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Tinley Park for details.

Drone Rules

Commercial Drones: Tinley Park's only drone-specific rule bans operating or flying drones anywhere in Harmony Square, the Village's 1.6-acre plaza at 6700 North Street, unless the Village approves the flight in advance. The prohibition sits inside § 133.04's broader list of banned Harmony Square activities and carries its own daily fine..

Also covered: Park Drone Restrictions (moderate). See the full drone rules guide for Tinley Park for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Anyone wanting to use a Tinley Park street, sidewalk, or public place to display goods or merchandise for sale needs a permit from the President and Board of Trustees under Village Code § 99.006. The same section bars writing or marking any sign or advertisement directly on the pavement..

Also covered: Sidewalk Repair (moderate), Obstruction Rules (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Tinley Park for details.

Outdoor Cooking

Smoker Rules: Village Code § 133.04(B)(13) bans operating a grill or doing open-flame cooking on the artificial turf at Harmony Square or over the fire pits located within the plaza..

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: Village Code § 133.04(B)(7) bans constructing or utilizing overnight encampments of any kind within Harmony Square, the village's 1.6-acre downtown plaza, backed by a fine of up to $750 per offense..

Sign Regulations

Window Signs: Businesses licensed to sell alcohol in Tinley Park cannot cover more than 25% of their window area with signage, and no temporary signs may go on the doors at all. Village Code § 112.48(E) sets the limit as one of several safety and operations provisions tied to every liquor license..

Public Health Rules

Food Handler Certification: Tinley Park requires every food service establishment covered by the Illinois food-service-sanitation rules to have a certified sanitation manager and to hold a village food dealer license. Village Code § 115.01(D) folds the state's certification standard directly into local law, and § 115.02 makes operating without the license unlawful..

Also covered: Rodent Control (moderate). See the full public health rules guide for Tinley Park for details.

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Village Code § 133.50 makes it unlawful for anyone under 17 to be in public places between 12:01 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Environmental Rules

Flood Zones: Village Code § 152.20 allows development or filling in a mapped flood fringe only if it is protected against the base flood by proper elevation and meets compensatory storage requirements, and bars any use that reduces drainage capacity. No one may start floodplain development without a development permit from the Director of Community Development..

Also covered: Erosion Control (moderate), Stormwater Management (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Tinley Park for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Pool Permits: Tinley Park requires a building permit before installing a residential swimming pool, charging a flat $100 fee for an above-ground pool and $200 for an in-ground pool. The Village adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code as the construction standard the Building Department inspects against..

Also covered: Fencing & Safety Requirements (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Tinley Park for details.

Rental Property Rules

Rental Registration: Tinley Park requires every residential rental unit, rooming house or rooming unit to carry a current residential rental license issued by the Village Clerk before an owner can rent it out. The license is a personal privilege, not property, and cannot be transferred to a new owner..

Also covered: Repairs & Habitability (moderate). See the full rental property rules guide for Tinley Park for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Structure Height Limits: Tinley Park's Building Code caps detached, one-story frame garages at 720 square feet and 18 feet of height at the roof peak, measured from the finished floor to the top of a pitched roof. Attached garages instead follow the same construction rules as the house itself.

Also covered: Setback Rules (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Tinley Park for details.

Rental Inspections

Tenant Complaint Process: Under the Village Code's condominium conversion chapter, Tinley Park's Building Commissioner cannot force entry into a multi-family rental unit to inspect it before a conversion if the tenant refuses consent. Instead the village must obtain an administrative search warrant from the Circuit Court of Cook or Will County, and the court weighs tenant complaints as one of twelve listed factors in deciding whether to issue it..

Also covered: Inspection Programs (moderate). See the full rental inspections guide for Tinley Park for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: Tinley Park's Historic Preservation Commission designates local landmarks and historic districts using a twelve-factor cultural and architectural significance test. Once a property is designated, no construction, alteration or demolition is allowed without a certificate of appropriateness from the Commission..

Special Events & Permits

Parade Permits: Any parade expected to draw more than 100 participants or spectators on Tinley Park public property counts as a special event requiring a village permit. Chapter 105 requires applications 90 days ahead for a new event, sets sixteen review standards, and lets the Village Clerk deny, condition, or revoke the permit..

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: Anyone excavating near Tinley Park water mains, hydrants or valves must immediately report any resulting damage or leakage to the Director of Public Works and repair it at once to that office's satisfaction under Village Code Section 50.007..

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Tinley Park levies a 7% tax on gross hotel and motel room rental receipts, collected monthly by the Village Treasurer, with an exemption for guests who occupy a room for 28 consecutive days or more as permanent residents..

Accessory Structures

Shed & Carport Rules: Tinley Park requires a building permit before erecting a shed, fence, deck or porch, charging a flat $50 fee under the Village's Permit and Inspection Fees chapter. The same fee applies whether the shed has a concrete floor or not, and covers the same fee schedule used for other small residential structures..

What to Do With This Information

If you are moving to Tinley Park, buying a home, or starting a project, use this as a starting point. Each category links to detailed pages with the full text, penalties, and FAQs. Verify anything time-sensitive with Tinley Park's city hall or code enforcement office.