Lake County, IL Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Haulers must be county-licensed to collect landscape waste
- License fee
- $50 per hauler license
- Fine for unlicensed collection
- Up to $500 per day
- 2nd violation penalty
- 14-day license suspension
- 3rd violation penalty
- 1-year license revocation
- Hauler reports due
- SWALCO tonnage reports Jan. 31 and July 31
- On-site storage cap
- 4 ft high, 100 sq ft per pile
Summary
Unincorporated Lake County runs no municipal yard-waste trucks: landscape waste, brush, leaves and grass clippings are picked up only by private haulers holding a county license. Section 50.03(A) bars any hauler from collecting landscape waste, recyclables or municipal waste without a license, and licensed haulers must report tonnage to SWALCO twice a year.
License required. No hauler shall engage in the collection of municipal waste, recyclable materials or landscape waste from any individual resident, single-family home, multifamily home, commercial business, or institutional facility within the county without first having applied for and obtained a license to do so from the county.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 26-0618, passed 6-9-2026 | State legislation current through ILCS Pamphlet 2025 #5).
Full Breakdown
01 as "all accumulations of grass or shrubbery cuttings, leaves, tree limbs and other materials accumulated as the result of the care of lawns, shrubbery, vines and trees," and the county's HAULER definition folds in "brush" alongside garbage and recyclable material. 03(B). 03(C) and (E)(1). The county has 30 days from a complete application to approve or deny it. 03(F). 07. 05(B); larger piles lose their exemption from the county's junk-and-debris nuisance rule.
Violations & Fines
Collecting landscape waste, recyclables or municipal waste in the county without a hauler license carries a fine of up to $500 for each day the violation continues, under § 50.99(B)(1)(a). A licensed hauler's second violation of § 50.02 or § 50.03 triggers an automatic 14-day suspension of its collection license, and a third violation within 12 months of the first results in revocation of the license for a full year, per § 50.99(B)(1)(b). The county may also seek an injunction to stop an unlicensed hauler from operating, under § 50.99(B)(1)(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lake County pick up yard waste at the curb?
What counts as landscape waste under county code?
Can anyone haul yard waste for money without a license?
What happens if a hauler collects yard waste without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake County
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