Tree Trimming and Removal in Downers Grove, IL

Tree Removal In Downers Grove Starts With A License

Downers Grove licenses the trade itself. Section 8.71 of the municipal code reads: “No person shall engage in the business of tree removal before obtaining a license therefor from the Village Clerk.” The license is annual, its fee is set by administrative regulation, and Sec. 8.72 accepts either a certificate of public liability insurance from an Illinois-authorized insurer or a signed statement that the applicant has no such coverage. That second option is the part a homeowner should notice: a tree removal Downers Grove license on its own does not prove the crew in your yard is insured, so ask for the certificate.

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Chapter 24 And The Village’s 23,000 Trees

Chapter 24, Trees, Shrubs, governs trees on village land. We could not retrieve its current text, so what follows comes from the agenda copy of ORD 2019-8383, the 2019 ordinance that renumbered it. In that copy, Sec. 24.103 requires a tree removal permit “for the removal of any tree on Village owned or maintained land,” approved by the Director of Public Works or a designee, and Sec. 24.106(B) requires a meeting and a TRAQ (Tree Risk Assessment Qualified) report before a building permit issues where a parkway tree over 24 inches stands near construction. The same copy sets fines of $2,000, $3,000 and $5,000 for first, second and later offenses, each day a separate offense, plus $275 per inch of trunk diameter paid into the village’s tree planting fund for an unlawful removal. Confirm those figures with the village before relying on them.

Private trees are a different matter, at least for now. The 2019 permit language covers village land only. On August 11, 2026 the Village Council received a staff report on whether “to consider a private tree preservation ordinance” aimed at trees removed during construction and development; that is a proposal under discussion, not law, and for a tree removal Downers Grove residents arrange on private land we found no village permit requirement in the sources we reached. The village’s tree maintenance page says “Property owners are responsible for trees on their private property, including removal of debris as the result of storms.” University of Illinois Extension has homeowner material on protecting trees near construction.

A Village Named For Its Bur Oaks

Pierce Downer founded the settlement in 1832, and the village, incorporated in March 1873, takes its name from “a lush grove of old-growth bur oak trees.” It has been a Tree City USA since 1984, and the village has also earned arboretum accreditation. Lyman Woods, Hidden Lake and Maple Grove forest preserves are all here, with the East Branch of the DuPage River reachable from Hidden Lake.

Downers Grove also has one of the highest teardown rates in the Chicago area, and reference sources tie those teardowns to flooding, since larger replacement houses send rainwater into neighboring yards and streets. For a mature oak beside a teardown lot, that can mean construction near its roots on one side and more water at its base on the other.

Tree Work We Do In Downers Grove

• Tree and bush removal — private trees and their debris, which the village leaves to the owner
• Trimming and pruning — including bur oaks, the tree the village was named for
• Stump grinding — cleared ahead of new landscaping after a teardown
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Request A Tree Removal Downers Grove Quote

Tell us whether a teardown or addition is planned, since the parkway tree out front may be part of the conversation. Call 708-424-5885 or check the rest of our DuPage County service area. Neighboring work: Westmont, Woodridge.