Tinley Park, IL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Village Code § 98.20 defines TALL GRASS as any grass exceeding eight inches in height, except grass the village intentionally lets grow taller on public land such as prairies, wetlands, and detention ponds, and defines WEEDS to include poison ivy, ragweed, Canada thistle, perennial sow thistle, European bindweed, leafy spurge, Russian knapweed, hoary cress, and any other weeds of any kind. Section 98.21 declares both weeds and tall grass existing on any property in the village, including the public parkway abutting private property, a nuisance.

When an inspector finds a violation, § 98.36 puts the Director of Public Works in charge of notifying the owner, agent, or occupant in writing, and the same section requires every property owner to destroy weeds before they go to seed and to keep the parkway strip between the curb and the property line clear of weeds and tall grass. If the owner does not act, the Director of Public Works has express authority to enter the land and cut or destroy the growth directly, and § 98.37 lets the village bill the owner for the actual cost of removal plus its administrative costs, filing a lien against the property in Cook or Will County if the bill goes unpaid.

Penalties escalate within a single growing season, defined as April 1 through November 15: § 98.99(A) sets a minimum fine of $250 for a first violation, $500 for a second violation, and $750 for a third or later violation in that same season, on top of, not instead of, the cost of any village-ordered cutting.