Peoria does not have a heritage-tree ordinance protecting specimen, historic, or large-diameter trees on private property. Some publicly owned trees in city parks and on the Peoria Riverfront are managed by the Peoria Park District with their own internal protection policies. The Illinois Forestry Development Act provides state-level managed-forest enrollment but does not designate urban heritage trees.
Heritage-tree ordinances — which protect specific trees by size, species, or historical significance and require permits or mitigation for removal — are uncommon in central Illinois municipalities and Peoria has not enacted one. The Peoria Code of Ordinances at https://library.municode.com/il/peoria contains no chapter creating a heritage-tree registry, diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) threshold for protection, or mitigation-and-replacement requirement for large-tree removal on private residential property. The Peoria Park District (https://www.peoriaparks.org/), a separate governmental body from the city, manages trees within its parks and along the riverfront under its own internal policies — including the Glen Oak Park grove and Riverfront landscapes — but these protections apply only to park-district-owned property, not adjacent private lots. At the state level, the Illinois Forestry Development Act (525 ILCS 15/) at https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1768 allows landowners with at least ten acres of forested land to enroll in a managed-forest program for property-tax incentives, but it does not designate or protect individual urban heritage trees. Residents wanting to preserve a notable tree can apply to the Illinois Big Tree Register administered by the University of Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences — this is honorific and does not create legal protection.
There are no penalties for removing a 'heritage' tree on private property in Peoria because no such designation exists. Removal of any tree on private property is at the owner's discretion. Park District trees are subject to internal Park District authority — unauthorized cutting can result in trespass charges plus restitution.
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