Tree Trimming and Removal in Lansing

Tree Service In Lansing, Where The Code Measures In Feet

Lansing has no single tree chapter, but it does have a tape-measure rule that reaches every lot. Section 32-20 says “Owners shall trim vegetation, trees, and shrubs so as to maintain a minimum overhead clearance of eight feet over sidewalks,” and the clearance required over streets and alleys is 14 feet. The same section makes every owner maintain “his or her property and the adjacent parkway and alley.” Most of the tree service Lansing homeowners call about starts with a limb hanging lower than one of those two numbers.

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Where Lansing’s Tree Rules Are Written Down

The tree rules in the Lansing Code of Ordinances are spread across several chapters. Section 32-20, in Chapter 32 (Streets and Sidewalks), sets the clearances above. Chapter 48, Article III, Division 4 (§§ 48-130 to 48-137) deals with Dutch elm disease. Section 38-2 covers trees and shrubs obstructing traffic, § 32-292 governs utility tree trimming in the right-of-way, and the zoning chapter’s landscaping standards (§§ 56-360 to 56-364) include an appendix of approved parkway trees.

The Dutch elm rules are the sharpest. Under § 48-130, elms found infected by laboratory analysis “are hereby declared to be a public nuisance,” and so are dead or substantially dead elms that could breed bark beetles. Section 48-136 gives the owner “within ten days after service of such notice” to remove and burn the tree or wood; otherwise the superintendent of public works “may proceed to remove and burn” it, and “the amount of such cost shall be paid by the owner to the village.” Section 48-137 says those costs are “in addition to the penalties imposed.” The Morton Arboretum is a dependable reference on elms if you are unsure what you are looking at.

We did not find a permit requirement for removing a tree on private property, or for trimming or removing a parkway tree, in the sections we searched. The Village of Lansing is the authority on its own requirements. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Creeks, Flood Walls And Wind Off The State Line

Lansing incorporated in 1893 and had 29,081 residents in 2020. August Hildebrandt’s family settled first, in 1843; Henry, George and John Lansing followed in 1846. Cook County’s 2024 hazard mitigation annex says the Calumet River region is at risk of flooding, that the Oakwood Estates subdivision is vulnerable to flooding from local creeks, and that the July 17, 2003 storms affected low-lying areas and some streets. It counts 15 repetitive-loss properties, lists a failing culvert on North Creek as an $8,000,000 action item, and notes that Public Works has been removing trees and managing landscaping around the flood walls.

Wind is the other half of the record. On June 7, 2008, a brief tornado touched down near 179th Street east of Burnham Road and ended near the Indiana line and 177th Street; the annex notes “Several tree limbs were downed.” Two derechos on June 30, 2014 brought straight-line winds of 80 to 110 mph, and a microburst hit in August 2004. Trees in ground that floods and then takes hard wind are the ones that tip at the root plate.

Our Lansing Work

• Tree and bush removal — including infected elms on the § 48-136 ten-day clock
• Trimming and pruning — raised to 8 feet over walks and 14 feet over streets and alleys
• Stump grinding — and a parkway replacement chosen from the village’s approved list
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Arrange Tree Service Lansing Estimates

Measure the lowest limb over your walk or drive, or send a photo, and we will tell you what § 32-20 asks of it before pricing the tree service Lansing owners need. Reach the office at 708-424-5885, or visit our Cook County service area for the rest of the south suburbs. Neighboring work: Lynwood, Calumet City.