Kendall County, IL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Kendall County, IL, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Plan required
- preliminary tree preservation plan with concept plan, § 36-152(d)(4)
- Significant tree threshold
- 6 or 12 inch diameter, or any size, §§ 30-191-193
- Review body
- Concept Plan Committee, four-step process § 36-153
- Independent review
- consultant hired at applicant's expense if trees not protected
- Penalty
- $10 to $500 per day, § 30-5
Summary
Kendall County requires developers of unincorporated subdivisions to submit a preliminary tree preservation plan with every concept plan, identifying which significant native trees will be preserved and which will be removed. County Code defines a significant tree as a listed species that is in good health and at least six or twelve inches in diameter, depending on the species.
Significant trees means those existing trees on a development site that are worthy of preservation. Tree species, that are in good health, identified in Sections 30-191 and 30-192 and having a diameter at one (1) foot above grade of six (6) inches or more and twelve (12) inches or more or which are identified in Section 30-193 shall be considered worthy of preservation. ... (d)The concept plan shall include, at a minimum, the following: ... (4)A preliminary tree preservation plan, that identifies all significant trees proposed to be preserved or removed. ... If, in the opinion of the Concept Review Committee, the proposed design and layout of the project does not adequately preserve protect or incorporate the significant natural features of the site as identified in the four (4) step process in Section 36-153 with regard to wetlands, fens, seeps, high quality streams or significant trees, as defined in the County's subdivision regulations set forth in Chapter 30
Full Breakdown
' What counts as significant is not left to the developer: Section 30-2 defines 'significant trees' as species listed in Sections 30-191 and 30-192 that are in good health and measure six inches or twelve inches in diameter, measured one foot above grade, or any tree at all of a species listed in Section 30-193. Those three lists name more than 35 native species, from black maple and shagbark hickory to white oak, bur oak, and black walnut, with certain ash and elm species flagged as no longer appropriate for new plantings due to disease.
The Concept Plan Committee, made up of the Directors of Planning, Building and Zoning, Environmental Health, and the Forest Preserve District along with the County Engineer and board representatives, reviews the plan under Section 36-153's four-step design process. If the Committee decides the layout does not adequately preserve the significant trees, wetlands, fens, seeps, or high-quality streams on the site, Section 36-152(f) lets it hire an outside consultant, at the applicant's expense, to give an independent assessment of how the plan handles those natural features before the subdivision can move forward.
The tree list also feeds Section 30-197's natural open space standards, which require detention and retention basins to be planted with shade trees selected from the County's approved tree list.
Violations & Fines
Subdivision and tree-preservation violations fall under Chapter 30's general penalty at Section 30-5: any person, firm, corporation or trust that fails to comply with the chapter is fined between $10 and $500, with each day the violation continues after notification counting as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kendall County require a permit to remove a tree from my own yard?
What makes a tree 'significant' under Kendall County's code?
Can the County reject a subdivision plan that removes too many significant trees?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kendall County
Compare Kendall County to another location·View the Illinois landscaping rules overview
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