Des Plaines does not have a wildfire-driven brush clearance ordinance like western states. Property owners must keep vegetation maintained under the City's weeds and nuisance code (Title 4), with grass and weeds limited to 8 inches and dead trees and brush abated as a public nuisance. Riverfront properties have additional buffer rules.
As a fully developed Chicago suburb in Cook County, Des Plaines does not face wildland-urban interface fire risk and has no brush-clearance defensible-space ordinance. Property maintenance is governed by Title 4 of the City Code, which limits grass and weeds to 8 inches in height and requires removal of dead trees, dead limbs over public ways, and overgrown brush that creates a nuisance or harborage for vermin. Properties along the Des Plaines River and Forest Preserve boundaries have additional vegetation rules to maintain riparian buffers and stormwater function. Tree removal in the public parkway requires a permit from Public Works at (847) 391-5390. Code Enforcement at (847) 391-5380 handles weed and overgrowth complaints and can perform abatement at the owner's expense for non-compliance.
Weeds-and-grass violations carry fines of $50 to $500 per occurrence, plus the cost of City abatement (typically $200 to $750 per cutting) added to the property tax bill. Failure to remove dead or hazardous trees can trigger emergency-removal cost recovery.
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines regulates amplified music under Title 6, Chapter 6 of the City Code. Amplified sound plainly audible at 75 feet during daytime, or audible at the...
Des Plaines, IL
Outdoor music in Des Plaines falls under Title 6, Chapter 6's amplified-sound provisions. Backyard gatherings with amplified music must comply with the 10 PM...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines City Code Title 12 (Zoning) and Title 8 (Building) require residential driveways to be paved with approved hard-surface materials and meet width ...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines prohibits feeding deer, coyotes, raccoons, and other wild animals that creates a nuisance or attracts dangerous wildlife. Bird feeding is general...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines City Code prohibits keeping horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and other livestock in all residential and most commercial districts. Only tradi...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines prohibits weeds and rank vegetation over 8 inches and requires control of noxious weeds listed under the Illinois Noxious Weed Law (505 ILCS 100)...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Cook County.
See how other cities in Cook County handle brush clearance.
See how Des Plaines's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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