Palatine, IL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 22-84 of the Palatine Village Code sets the height limit at one foot for weeds, grass and other plants, other than trees, bushes, flowers or ornamental grasses, growing anywhere on a lot and on the parkway abutting it. The growing season is defined as beginning no later than May 1 and ending no earlier than November 1, the window during which the height rule applies. Both the owner, defined as the legal or beneficial owner of an improved or unimproved parcel, and the responsible party, meaning any occupant or person charged with the property's care, can be held to the standard.

When code enforcement documents an overheight lot, the village manager or a designee must serve written notice identifying the property, describing the violation and the date it was observed, and give the owner and responsible party three days to cut the vegetation. Only one such three-day notice is required per growing season; after that, the owner must keep the lot mowed continuously for the rest of the season. Notice goes out personally or by first-class mail, and if the nuisance is not cleared within four days of mailing, the village may instead post the notice on the property.

If the deadline passes without abatement, the village manager or designee can send a crew to cut the lot under the nuisance-abatement procedure in Sec. 22-262, billing the owner for the cost. An unpaid mowing bill outstanding 60 days becomes a lien the village clerk can record with the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, and the village can foreclose that lien in equity to recover the charge from a sale of the property.