Waukegan, IL Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)
Key Facts
- 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
Summary
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.
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 or sod. Acceptable maintenance of yards 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: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 113).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 6-411 sets maintenance requirements for property registered under the city's defaulted mortgage and vacant property registry (established at Sec. 6-408). ' Subsection (a) separately requires these properties to stay free of weeds, overgrown brush, dead vegetation, trash, junk, debris, and discarded personal items that make a property look abandoned, and subsection (e) requires watering, irrigation, cutting, and mowing of whatever ground cover or landscape is installed, plus removal of trimmings. Because this artificial-turf allowance sits inside the vacant/defaulted property registry chapter (Art. XV, added by Ord.
No. 19-O-84 on August 19, 2019) rather than the general zoning or landscaping code, it speaks directly to registrable vacant and foreclosed properties; it does not by its terms extend a blanket artificial-turf allowance to every occupied residential yard citywide.
Violations & Fines
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).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use artificial turf instead of grass on a vacant lot in Waukegan?
What can't be used as ground cover on a registered vacant Waukegan property?
Does this artificial turf rule apply to my occupied home in Waukegan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukegan
How Waukegan compares: Most Artificial Turf-Friendly Cities·Compare Waukegan to another location·View the Illinois landscaping rules overview
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