Skokie, IL Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Chapter 90, Article I of the Village of Skokie Code (Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places) puts the Village Manager or a designee in charge of every tree planted in the public right-of-way, and Section 90-41(a) first establishes that parkways exist exclusively as an ornamental strip for grass, trees, flowers or other Village-approved surface material. Section 90-42 then supplies the planting standards themselves. Species are not left to a homeowner's preference: subsection (b) requires that any tree planted in a parkway conform to the parkway tree planting list the Village Manager or designee has approved.

Subsection (d) fixes spacing between new plantings at 30 feet, unless the Village Manager or designee determines a narrower spacing is appropriate for the species and the available planting space. Subsection (e) sets physical requirements for the stock itself: a minimum trunk diameter of 2 inches measured 6 inches above ground level, freedom from deformity or undesirable growth characteristics, and freedom from infectious disease or insect infestation at planting. The same subsection bars planting on any parkway strip narrower than 3 feet unless the Village Manager or designee finds the chosen species will not endanger the sidewalk, curb or other property, and separately prohibits planting that would interfere with existing or planned utilities or create a hazardous sightline at an intersection.

No one may plant on a parkway at all, under Section 90-42(a)(2), without first obtaining a permit from the Village Manager or designee, and Section 90-41(j) layers on a further duty: builders of a new residence, an addition over 400 square feet, or most commercial, industrial or institutional buildings must agree, as part of the building permit, to plant parkway trees or pay the Village to plant them under the Village's tree planting pattern.