Tree Trimming and Removal in Prospect Heights

Tree Trimming In Prospect Heights, By The City’s Standard

Prospect Heights makes it unlawful “to ‘top’ any public tree” — that is § 8-6-5(C) of the City Code — and a separate section reaches onto private lots. Section 8-6-7, adopted by Ordinance O-23-28 in November 2023, lets the city order the owner to remove or treat “any tree, or limb thereof, on private property” that is dead or dying, obstructs traffic signs or passage, threatens public safety, or carries a “lethal, communicable disease or insect,” and to step in at the owner’s cost if nothing happens “within fifteen (15) days of notice.” For tree trimming Prospect Heights residents schedule, that means proper cuts on parkway trees and a short clock on a failing tree in the yard.

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Chapter 6, Municipal Trees, Section By Section

Title 8, Chapter 6 sets the standard for public trees. Section 8-6-4(A) says all planting and maintenance “shall conform to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A-300” and follow tree care best management practices. No tree may go within the visibility triangle of an intersection or “within ten (10) feet of a fire hydrant,” and within 15 lateral feet of an overhead utility wire only species on the city’s ornamental list may be planted. Section 8-6-6(A) lets adjacent owners “plant and maintain trees in the adjacent parkway area,” yet § 8-6-5(A) forbids damaging or removing a public tree “without written permission from the Director,” and § 8-6-5(B) bans attaching “any cable, wire, sign, or any other object” to one. The Director may exempt trees severely damaged by storms from the topping ban.

We found no permit for removing a healthy private tree in the Chapter 6 sections we read and cannot confirm one does not exist elsewhere in the code. Under § 8-6-8 a violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor with “a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense,” and § 8-6-5(E) treats each violation the Director notifies as separate, adding mitigation values for trees removed or damaged. Section 8-6-6(B) also lets the city prune or remove a tree that blocks pedestrians or drivers’ view and bill the owner when a notice is ignored. The ISA’s homeowner site explains why topping fails and what a reduction cut does instead.

McDonald Creek, The Des Plaines River And A City Since 1976

Prospect Heights incorporated on January 31, 1976 — after, Cook County’s hazard annex says, little interest until “mounting issues and threatened annexation.” It had 16,058 residents in 2020, and the annex lists it as a Tree City USA with a date of May 1, 2013. The city’s Forestry page says the Public Works Forestry Division “provides for maintenance and care of parkway trees and city cul-de-sacs,” and refers to “the confirmation of the Emerald Ash Borer in Prospect Heights.”

The annex is blunt about water: “We have many problems due to flooding as we are close proximity to the Des Plaines River.” It names a levee wall at Milwaukee and River Roads, flooding on Willow Road between Elmhurst and Wheeling Roads, and overflows along McDonald Creek near homes on streets including Patricia, Wheeling, Alton and Elm. It also records a June 21, 2011 “Severe storm with damage to trees.” Repeated soaking leaves roots in soft ground, and those creekside trees are the ones we inspect first after heavy rain.

What We Do In Prospect Heights

• Tree and bush removal — dead and dying yard trees cleared inside the 15-day window when a § 8-6-7 notice arrives
• Trimming and pruning — to ANSI A300, the same standard § 8-6-4 sets for public trees, and never topped
• Stump grinding — stumps of removed ash ground out so the spot can be replanted
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Set Up Tree Trimming Prospect Heights Work

Send the notice if the city has written, or a photo if it has not; either one tells us how fast the tree trimming Prospect Heights job has to move. Phone 708-424-5885, or read about the rest of our Cook County service area. Neighboring work: Wheeling, Arlington Heights.