Tree Trimming and Removal in Manhattan

Tree Service In Manhattan, IL, Starts With A Watering Bag

Manhattan’s tree code tells a homeowner how often to water. Section 8-2-2 says “Parkways are the property of the village however, if a new tree is planted,” public works sets a watering bag at the trunk “for about one (1) month” and fills it. After that, “Once the water bag is removed, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to continue to water the tree” — every ten days, May through September. So the first tree service Manhattan IL homeowners owe a new parkway tree is a hose, and no pruning in those early years makes up for a tree that went dry.

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Title 8, Chapter 2: Manhattan’s Trees And Shrubbery

The chapter runs from planting (§ 8-2-1) through maintenance, a condition-of-life and replacement program, injury to trees, dangerous trees, removal and interference with lights to the penalty in § 8-2-8, and it was amended by Ordinance 1465-24 on July 2, 2024. Section 8-2-3 has public works decide “if we need to place your tree on our removal/replacement list or if it will be added to our watch list,” says the village has “no set time schedule for removal and/or replacements,” and provides that “the village will reimburse homeowners up to one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00)” for two trees, or “three hundred dollars ($300.00) for homeowners on a corner lot (up to 4 trees in the parkway).” The reimbursement covers “the purchase of the tree not the removal or installation.”

Section 8-2-6 reads: “It shall be unlawful to remove or cut down any such tree without having permission from the village prior to.” The excerpt we have does not show whether “such tree” means parkway trees only or a broader group, so we cannot tell you whether it reaches a tree in your back yard. Ask the village before removing any tree. Under § 8-2-5, the superintendent of public works is authorized to trim any tree or shrub in a parkway, while an owner must trim a tree overhanging a public sidewalk or street “so that the obstruction shall cease” and deal with “Any tree or limb of a tree which shall become likely to fall on or across any public walk or way” — language carried from the 1928 code, with no clearance height in feet. Section 8-2-8 sets the fine by reference to § 1-4-1, and we could not confirm that amount. The Morton Arboretum publishes guidance on caring for newly planted trees.

A Wabash Railroad Stop That Doubled In Ten Years

Manhattan was established in 1880 as a stop along the Wabash Railroad and incorporated in 1886; Manhattan Township had been set up in 1853. Railroad construction brought newcomers, many of them Irish immigrants, and the village still holds an Irish Fest. Today it is the southern terminus of Metra’s SouthWest Service. The record includes a tornado on May 27, 1917 and the June 11, 1925 explosion of a 55,000-barrel crude oil storage tank.

The population, 9,385 in 2020, grew 111.7 percent between 2000 and 2010 and another 33.1 percent by 2020. Growth like that puts a lot of young parkway and yard trees in the ground at once, which is where § 8-2-2’s watering rule and § 8-2-3’s watch list come in.

What We Take On In Manhattan

• Tree and bush removal — after the village has given permission where § 8-2-6 applies
• Trimming and pruning — limbs over sidewalks and streets that § 8-2-5 puts on the abutting owner
• Stump grinding — clearing space for the replacement the village reimburses
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Get A Tree Service Manhattan IL Quote

Tell us whether the tree is in the parkway and when it was planted, and we will sort out permission before quoting any tree service Manhattan IL job. Reach the office at 708-424-5885 any day of the week, or visit our Will County service area for nearby towns. Neighboring work: Elwood, New Lenox.