Evanston, IL Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned on courts
- Skateboards, bicycles, motor vehicles, skates, scooters
- Where it applies
- Tennis courts and basketball courts only
- Governing section
- Evanston City Code § 7-10-3(C)
- Basketball court hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily
- Enforcement
- City Manager or designee, § 7-10-6
- Fine range
- $20 to $750 per offense, § 1-4-1
- Appeal deadline
- 35 days to Cook County Circuit Court
Summary
Evanston City Code Section 7-10-3(C) bars skateboards from every tennis court and basketball court the City operates, alongside bicycles, motorized vehicles, rollerblades, skates and scooters. The same section caps basketball play to 8:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. City Manager designees, including Parks and Recreation staff, enforce the rule under Section 7-10-6, and violators face the Code's general penalty.
(C)Prohibitions On Tennis And Basketball Courts. No skateboards, bicycles, motorized vehicles, rollerblades/skates or scooters are permitted on tennis courts or basketball courts....(G)Hours Of Play. Use of basketballs on basketball courts is permitted only between the hours of eight o'clock (8:00) A.M. to nine o'clock (9:00) P.M.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21).
Full Breakdown
The rule sits in Chapter 10, "City Parks and Natural Areas," Section 7-10-3, "General Regulations," which the Playground and Recreation Board oversees. Subsection (C), "Prohibitions On Tennis And Basketball Courts," states flatly that no skateboards, bicycles, motorized vehicles, rollerblades/skates or scooters are permitted on tennis courts or basketball courts, full stop, with no exception written into the text for early-morning or after-hours use. daily. Outside those two court types, this particular subsection does not reach; a skateboarder on a park path or plaza is not violating Section 7-10-3(C), though other Chapter 10 rules on obstruction and park hours can still apply.
Section 7-10-6 gives enforcement authority to "the City Manager and his/her designees," which in practice means Parks/Forestry and Recreation staff and the Evanston Police Department. 00, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. Most first violations are processed as a code violation citation under Section 1-4-2, adjudicated by the City's Division of Administrative Adjudication under Title 11 rather than in criminal court. A cited person may contest the citation at a hearing or pay the fine listed on the citation to resolve it without appearing; a default judgment can be appealed to the Circuit Court of Cook County within thirty-five days under Section 1-4-3(B)2.
Violations & Fines
Skating, biking or scooting on a tennis or basketball court draws a citation under the Section 1-4-1 general penalty schedule: $20 to $750 per offense, with continuing violations charged day by day. The Division of Administrative Adjudication hears contested citations under Title 11; a respondent who skips the hearing and doesn't pay can be defaulted for the maximum fine plus administrative costs, appealable to the Cook County Circuit Court within 35 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skateboard on a tennis or basketball court in an Evanston park?
Does the ban cover skateboarding anywhere in an Evanston park?
What is the fine for skateboarding on a court?
Who enforces the tennis and basketball court rules?
Can I appeal a skateboarding citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evanston
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Skateboarding Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cook County handle skateboarding rules.