Tinley Park, IL Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Ch. 107, defaulted mortgage property
- Turf status
- Expressly acceptable ground cover
- Banned surfaces
- Weeds, gravel, broken concrete, asphalt
- Enforcement body
- Code hearing officer or Village Board
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. 2019-O-018, amended 2019-O-053
Summary
Tinley Park's vacant and foreclosure-property maintenance code expressly lists artificial turf or sod as acceptable ground cover for registrable properties. Village Code § 107.06(D) permits turf alongside grass, mulch, and decorative rock, while banning weeds, gravel, broken concrete, or asphalt as substitutes. The rule targets defaulted mortgage properties under Chapter 107, not every residential yard in the village.
Registrable yard maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, grass, ground covers, bushes, shrubs, hedges or similar plantings, decorative rock or bark or artificial turf/sod. Acceptable maintenance of yards and/or landscape shall not include weeds, gravel, broken concrete, asphalt or similar material.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-40: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance 2026-O-007, passed 2-17-2026, Resolution 2018-R-077, passed 10-2-18, and State legislation current through 2010 Pamphlet No. 7).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 107, Registration of Defaulted Mortgage Property, governs any real property in the village that is vacant or occupied but encumbered by a mortgage in default, subject to an active foreclosure action, or already transferred to a lender through a foreclosure sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure. 06. Subsection (D) sets the yard-maintenance standard: acceptable ground cover includes grass, ground covers, bushes, shrubs, hedges or similar plantings, decorative rock or bark, or artificial turf/sod. The same subsection bars weeds, gravel, broken concrete, asphalt, or similar material as substitutes for living or turf landscaping.
Subsection (E) adds that whatever ground cover is used, including turf, must be watered, irrigated, cut, mowed, and cleared of trimmings. Subsection (C) requires yards to otherwise meet the applicable code in force at the time registration was required, and subsection (H) folds in the village's general property-maintenance code on top of these turf-specific rules. The chapter does not regulate ordinary owner-occupied residential landscaping outside the foreclosure/default context; its reach is limited to properties captured by the registrable property definition.
Violations & Fines
Failure of a mortgagee, owner, or transferee to maintain a registrable property's yard under § 107.06 is a violation subject to a citation or notice of violation, per § 107.06(G). Section 107.10 lets the code enforcement officer temporarily secure a noncompliant property at the owner's or mortgagee's expense and bring the matter before the code enforcement hearing officer, the Village Board of Trustees, or a special magistrate. Under § 107.99, any chapter violation not otherwise addressed is declared unlawful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tinley Park allow artificial turf in a regular front yard?
What yard materials are banned under this rule?
Who enforces the turf and yard-maintenance rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tinley Park
How Tinley Park compares: Most Artificial Turf-Friendly Cities·Compare Tinley Park to another location·View the Illinois landscaping rules overview
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