Invasive Plant Rules in Illinois (2026)
26 rules on the books across Illinois, 17 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Bamboo Restrictions
Rules about planting running bamboo near property lines, containment requirements, removal obligations, and fines for bamboo that spreads to neighboring properties.
Prohibited Species
Plants that are banned or regulated in your area, including Japanese knotweed, kudzu, purple loosestrife, and other species that threaten native ecosystems.
Champaign
Heavy RestrictionsChampaign names 17 specific plants that property owners must not let grow, listed at Sec. 35-19(a)(4): ragweed, thistle…
Read full rule →Oak Lawn
Heavy RestrictionsOak Lawn bans planting box elder, tree of heaven, hawthorn, silver maple, poplar, willow, and non-disease-resistant elm…
Read full rule →Chicago
Significant RestrictionsChicago bans importing, selling, or possessing viable material from any commissioner-listed invasive plant species…
Read full rule →Joliet
Significant RestrictionsSec. 26-128(k) bars planting invasive woody species such as buckthorn anywhere in Joliet and requires them to be…
Read full rule →Peoria
Significant RestrictionsPeoria's landscape ordinance names twelve invasive woody plants, from buckthorn to kudzu, that earn no credit toward a…
Read full rule →Aurora
Some RestrictionsAurora's zoning code bans planting Illinois-designated noxious weeds and exotic weeds in any landscape plan reviewed…
Read full rule →Cook County
Some RestrictionsRequired landscape plans in unincorporated Cook County may not use invasive species like buckthorn, purple loosestrife…
Read full rule →DuPage County
Some RestrictionsDuPage County's landscape regulations bar developers from using certain weak-wooded or invasive species to satisfy…
Read full rule →Evanston
Some RestrictionsEvanston's tree code singles out exotic and invasive species for lighter treatment: a Group D or otherwise invasive…
Read full rule →Kendall County
Some RestrictionsKendall County's natural open space standards name seventeen invasive plant species, including reed canary grass…
Read full rule →Lake County
Some RestrictionsLake County's Unified Development Ordinance requires developers to remove buckthorn, purple loosestrife, honeysuckle…
Read full rule →Mchenry County
Some RestrictionsMcHenry County's subdivision tree-replacement rules bar 16 species, including buckthorn, tree of heaven, Norway maple…
Read full rule →Mclean County
Some RestrictionsMcLean County's stream buffer design standards flag buckthorn, kudzu, honeysuckle and other species as exceptionally…
Read full rule →Rock Island County
Some RestrictionsRock Island County's health and sanitation code bans every plant Illinois classifies as a noxious weed on any property…
Read full rule →Schaumburg
Some RestrictionsSchaumburg names garlic mustard and purple loosestrife alongside common weeds like ragweed and thistle as nuisance…
Read full rule →Will County
Some RestrictionsWill County's zoning ordinance bans planting or maintaining invasive and noxious plant species on land covered by…
Read full rule →Front Yard Gardens
Whether your city allows vegetable gardens, wildflower meadows, or native plant landscapes in the front yard, including any height limits or appearance standards.
Tree-of-Heaven Removal
Rules requiring removal of Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven), the invasive species that hosts spotted lanternfly, including state programs and city-level mandates.
Peoria
Significant RestrictionsTree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) tops Peoria's list of invasive species excluded from the city's protected stream…
Read full rule →Cook County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cook County, landscape plans required for building permits, PUDs, and parking lots over 20 spaces may…
Read full rule →DuPage County
Some RestrictionsDuPage County's subdivision street-tree rule, Sec. 31-502.D, expressly bars Ailanthus altissima, Tree of Heaven, from…
Read full rule →Mclean County
Some RestrictionsMcLean County names Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) first on its invasive species table in the stream buffer…
Read full rule →Oak Lawn
Some RestrictionsOak Lawn's village code bars planting tree of heaven (Ailanthus) anywhere in the village, listing it by name alongside…
Read full rule →Schaumburg
Some RestrictionsSchaumburg's landscaping code won't let a developer plant a tree of heaven to satisfy any required landscaping…
Read full rule →Lake County
Light RestrictionsLake County's Unified Development Ordinance excludes tree of heaven from woodland and tree protection: developers don't…
Read full rule →Rock Island County
Light RestrictionsRock Island County's zoning code names Ailanthus, commonly called tree of heaven, on its list of prohibited trees for…
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