Landscaping Rules in Skokie, IL (2026)
5 verified landscaping rules for Skokie, Illinois, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Village of Skokie Code makes property owners responsible for trimming or removing any tree or shrub that overhangs a street, sidewalk, parkway or alley enough to impede travel. Section 90-41(c) gives owners 10 calendar days after written notice to cut back the growth before the Village Manager can do the work and bill the owner for it.
Skokie Overhanging Tree Trim Duty
Some RestrictionsSkokie Village Code § 90-41(c)
(c)Trees on private property overhanging street or sidewalk. Any trees or shrubs on private property which overhang any parkway, sidewalk, street or other public place, including alleys, in such a way as to impede or interfere with traffic or travel on such public places shall be trimmed or removed by the owners or those in control of the premises where such trees or shrubs grow so that the obs...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Before removing a tree of 8 inches or greater in diameter at a Skokie construction site, an owner or contractor must first get a tree removal permit from the Community Development Department. The rule applies whenever a project adds more than 600 square feet of new building or impermeable surface, and only a genuine safety emergency excuses skipping the permit first.
Skokie Tree Removal Permit for 8-Inch Trees
Some RestrictionsSkokie Village Code § 118-233(a)(2)
(2)Tree removal permit. Trees having a diameter of 8 inches or greater measured at 4.5 feet above the ground line, at construction sites described in subsection (a)(1) of this section, shall not be removed without first obtaining a tree removal permit. The only exception to this requirement shall be in emergency situations posing a threat to a person, property, or the community where such emerg...
Weed Ordinances
Village of Skokie Code Sec. 42-39 caps weed and grass growth at 6 inches on any plot of ground in the Village, Cook County, Illinois. Owners must keep front and rear yards, the parkway strip and property next to alley rights-of-way free of weeds, or the Village can enter after 5 days' notice, cut the growth, and place a lien on the property for the cost.
Skokie Weed and Grass Height Limit
Some RestrictionsSkokie Village Code § 42-39
Weeds means any annual or perennial herbaceous plant of volunteer growth, not cultivated or useful for human food or enjoyment, and which, when in blossom, exhales an unpleasant or noxious odor or gives off pollen irritating to human tissue; and also any high or bank vegetable growth that may conceal debris or filthy deposits or constitute a fire hazard when dry. The term "weeds" shall include ...
Water Restrictions
Village of Skokie code bans lawn sprinkling and irrigation, including automatic and oscillating sprinklers, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day. On top of that window, odd-numbered street addresses may water only on odd-numbered calendar days and even-numbered addresses only on even-numbered days, under Sec. 110-46.
Skokie Lawn Sprinkling Hours and Odd-Even Days
Some RestrictionsSkokie Village Code § 110-46
Sec. 110-46. - Lawn sprinkling restrictions. Lawn sprinkling or irrigation, including but not limited to the use of automatic or oscillating sprinklers, is prohibited from the hours of 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Property owners with odd-numbered street addresses shall restrict the use [of] sprinklers to odd-numbered days of the month. Property owners with even-numbered street addresses shall re...
Composting
Skokie allows backyard composting only in an Approved Composting Bin meeting Skokie Health Department specifications, only in R1 and R2 single-family districts, set back at least 5 feet from side yard lot lines, and never as an open pile, under Skokie Village Code Section 86-17(b).
Skokie Backyard Composting Bin Rules
Some RestrictionsSkokie Village Code § 86-17(b)
Sec. 86-17. - Landscape waste and landscape and food scrap composting. ... (b)Landscape and Food Scrap Composting.(1)Definitions.a."Backyard Composting" shall mean an operation which (i) has no more than 25 cubic feet of landscape waste and composting material on site at any one time and (ii) is for personal use and not for any commercial activity.b."Approved Composting Bin" shall mean any comp...
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