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

02 (Tree Preservation), trees in parkways and public rights-of-way belong to the City of Waukegan, and residents may not prune or remove them on their own. A tree removal permit from the City Forester is mandatory before removing any tree of six inches or greater DBH, any tree or vegetation in a conservation easement, any tree in a tree preservation or no-disturbance area, any tree on a property under an active development application (before final approval and building permit issuance), any tree or shrub in a ravine or bluff regulated by the Steep Slope Ordinance (Ord.

02-O-75), or any oak tree regardless of size. Applicants must submit a tree preservation and removal plan showing which trees will come down and how surrounding vegetation will be protected; the City Forester must approve that plan in writing before the permit issues (city crews and contractors are exempt from this approval step). Before granting removal of a mature tree, the City Forester must find the tree dead, dying, diseased, or a safety threat; interfering with public services or traffic; blocking development that cannot reasonably be redesigned around it; or not on the Morton Arboretum Northern Illinois Tree Species List.

Removed or illegally destroyed mature trees must be replaced at double the removed tree's diameter in aggregate caliper inches (a 10-inch DBH tree needs, for example, five 4-inch caliper replacements) within six months, on the same lot unless the City Forester and Zoning Administrator approve an off-site location or a fee-in-lieu payment. The City Forester may waive replacement and fines in whole or part for trees under ten inches DBH. Tree protection fencing, at least four feet high on steel posts eight to ten feet on center, must be erected before any grading, utility, building, or demolition permit is issued and stay up until construction ends and the Forester approves its removal.