Tree Trimming and Removal in Arlington Heights

Tree Removal In Arlington Heights Starts At The Curb

In Arlington Heights the tree with the most paperwork attached is usually the one between the sidewalk and the street. Section 20-602(a) of the municipal code says “It shall be unlawful to damage or remove any tree or shrub located in any public street or parkway” without a permit from the Department of Public Works, and § 20-602(b) sets the fee at $20.00 “plus the value of the tree being removed,” appraised with the International Society of Arboriculture guide. For any tree removal Arlington Heights homeowners have in mind, the first job is working out which side of the property line the trunk stands on.

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What Chapter 20 Covers, And What It Leaves Out

Article VI of Chapter 20, Sections 20-601 through 20-625, is written for the public way: § 20-601 says its references to trees and shrubs “shall refer to trees, shrubs, or grass in a street” unless context indicates otherwise. Planting in a street or other public place needs a permit under § 20-603, § 20-605 bars attaching “any wire or rope to any tree within a public right-of-way” without the Director’s permission, and § 20-607 requires that roots or branches damaged during an excavation be repaired by a certified arborist under the Director’s supervision. We did not find a permit for removing a tree from private property in Chapter 20, and we cannot confirm that none exists elsewhere in the code; Public Works can tell you.

Some private trees still draw the village’s attention. Section 20-615 declares elms with Dutch elm disease and ash infested with emerald ash borer public nuisances, and under § 20-619 an owner who does not remove one “within 30 days after service of the notice” may see the Director remove it and assess the cost. Section 20-604 makes the abutting owner trim anything overhanging a sidewalk or roadway enough to obstruct travel. The penalties carry weight: § 20-701 sets a fine of “not more than $750.00,” with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense, and § 20-602(c) adds liability for the replacement value of a damaged village tree. If you are deciding whether an ash is worth treating, University of Illinois Extension publishes the research.

Weller Creek, Lake Arlington And A Long Record Of Wind

Arlington Heights grew from a settlement founded in the mid-1800s by Asa Dunton, incorporated in 1887 with about 1,000 people, and counted 77,676 in the 2020 census. Cook County’s 2024 hazard mitigation annex for the village lists it as a Tree City USA community classified in 1980, and the same annex records the storms that have tested that canopy: a 60 mph gust on May 28, 1998 that left 15 homes hit by felled trees, and July 20, 2006, when Public Works received “over 300 reports of damaged trees.”

Water is the other half of the picture. The annex names Weller Creek flood control work, the Lake Arlington retention basin and the Wilke Road detention basin, and records street flooding on Wilke Road between Kirchoff and Central and at Rand Road and Kennicott Avenue. It also notes that “Multiple areas are prone to urban flooding in the community.” A mature tree on ground that ponds after heavy rain carries a full crown on roots sitting in soft soil, and that combination tends to give way in the next gust.

How We Work In Arlington Heights

• Tree and bush removal — yard trees taken down in sections; parkway trees only once the § 20-602 permit is in place
• Trimming and pruning — sidewalk and street overhang the § 20-604 rule assigns to the abutting owner
• Stump grinding — grindings raked out of the lawn afterward
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Request A Tree Removal Arlington Heights Quote

Tell us where the trunk sits and whether a village notice has arrived; those two facts decide how a tree removal Arlington Heights job is permitted and scheduled. Call 708-424-5885, or browse the rest of our Cook County service area. Neighboring work: Mount Prospect, Palatine.