Tree Trimming and Removal in Crete

Tree Trimming In Crete Starts With An Annual Registration

Crete asks every tree crew to sign in with the village once a year. Section 11.5-5.1 of the village’s tree ordinance requires anyone who, for profit, diagnoses, treats, prunes, trims or braces trees to register annually, with proof of liability insurance and, where the law requires it, workers’ compensation — and “No fee for registration shall be required.” That gives anyone shopping for tree trimming Crete homeowners can rely on an easy test: ask whether the company is registered with the village this year.

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When A Private Tree In Crete Needs A Permit

Chapter 11.5, “Landscaping and Trees,” is cited as the Village of Crete Tree Ordinance; it dates to Ord. 95-17 and was amended by Ord. 2015-19. Its permit rule, § 11.5-5, has two parts. Anyone other than the village arborist, its agent or its hired contractor needs a permit to plant, prune, remove or disturb trees on city-owned property, which § 11.5-2 defines to include land the village owns outright and land dedicated to public traffic. On private property, a permit is needed only for a tree that “reasonably may be expected to fall on city owned property” — a tall tree standing close to the street is the obvious example.

That private-tree permit is one “for which no fee shall be charged,” and “Within seven days of receipt of the application, the arborist shall issue a permit.” When someone other than the owner fells the tree, the applicant must deposit “a liability insurance policy in the amount of $100,000.00 per person/$300,000.00 per accident.” If the arborist has to take corrective steps, § 11.5-4 charges the reasonable cost to the permit applicant. For background on judging whether a tree is likely to fail, the ISA’s Trees Are Good site is a reasonable starting point.

Penalties sit in § 11.5-8: a fine “not to exceed $200.00 for each separate offense,” each day a separate offense, and when a city tree is damaged, “the cost of repair or replacement of such tree, shrub or other plant shall be borne by the party in violation.”

From Wood’s Corner To Goodenow Grove

Crete was founded in 1836 by Vermonters Dyantha Wood, Willard Wood and Gary Neal, and was first called “Wood’s Corner.” It now covers 9.47 square miles of Will County, about 30 miles from the Loop and 6 miles from the Indiana border, with 8,465 residents in 2020. Plum Creek flows through the Goodenow Grove forest preserve, and Balmoral Park Racetrack is among the landmarks listed for the village.

The ordinance is strict about trees that are past saving. Section 11.5-6 declares a public nuisance “Any dead or dying tree, bush, shrub, or other plant” on city or private property, any plant that “harbors insects or diseases,” and trees that block traffic or sight lines. It reaches stumps as well: “Any tree which has been cut down that has not been reduced to ground level.” A private owner gets a notice allowing “no less than 30 days” to remove the nuisance, and abatement costs “shall also be a lien on the property until paid.”

Crete Services

• Tree and bush removal — dead and dying trees taken out before a § 11.5-6 notice arrives
• Trimming and pruning — sight lines cleared along drives and corners, deadwood out of the crown
• Stump grinding — to the ground-level standard the nuisance section sets
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Request Tree Trimming Crete Pricing

Let us know whether the tree could reach the street if it fell, since that decides whether the § 11.5-5 permit applies, and we will price your tree trimming Crete job around it. Phone 708-424-5885 or look through our Will County service area for the towns nearby. Neighboring work: Steger, Beecher.