Waukegan, IL Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Sec. 22-6 requires the owner of any tree to trim its branches so they do not obstruct light from a streetlight, and to trim branches overhanging a street to a clear height of ten feet above the street surface, unobstructed by branches. The owner must also remove all dead, decayed or broken limbs or branches that overhang a street, and specifically remove a dead branch so it will not fall into the street. An owner who fails to comply within 15 days after notice from the city forester specifying the work to be done is subject to punishment under Sec.

1-13 of the Code. Sec. 22-7 sets a separate, lower clearance for sidewalks: any tree whose boughs project over a sidewalk must be kept trimmed so the boughs are no less than eight feet above the sidewalk. If the tree remains untrimmed five days after notice from the director of public works or the police department, the department of public works may trim it itself and bill the cost to the property owner. Enforcement runs through the city forester, an ex officio role held by the director of public works under Sec.

22-37, who is charged with superintending tree care citywide and reporting code violations to the corporation counsel. Related provisions in the same chapter address diseased trees: Sec. 22-8 declares any tree infected with Dutch elm disease a nuisance requiring removal within ten days of notice, and Sec. 00 per day of noncompliance.