Schaumburg, IL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

135 protects trees on private property villagewide, but its reach depends on what kind of lot is involved. Subsection (B)(1) makes it 'unlawful for any person without written approval from the community development director or his/her authorized designee' to remove, injure or substantially destroy any tree with a trunk of 4 inches or more, a multi-branch tree totaling 8 inches or more in diameter measured 54 inches above grade, or an evergreen 5 vertical feet or taller. The permit application must identify the property, the owner's consent, the contractor doing the work, the reason for removal, and the tree's species, size, location and condition.

52 are not. The community development director can approve removal for a safety hazard to people, buildings or underground utilities, disease or storm damage, good forestry practice, an approved revised landscape plan, invasive species such as buckthorn or Siberian elm, or after exhausting reasonable preservation efforts; street trees instead go to the village board. Development projects triggering site plan review must first file a tree survey and tree preservation plan, install fencing at the drip line, and keep it in place through construction. Unauthorized removal carries a $500 per-tree penalty for smaller trees and $1,000 per tree for deciduous trees over 24 inches in caliper or evergreens over 20 feet, on top of mandatory replacement, generally three inches of new tree caliper for every inch removed, or a $150-per-caliper-inch payment to the village where replacement won't fit on site.