Tree Care in Evanston, Illinois

Evanston does not sell parkway tree permits — it restricts them. Section 7-8-3 is short. A permit “shall be issued free, and only to a Certified Arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture.” The section then adds: “Proof of said certification is required.” So the cost is nothing, and the qualification is everything. Many tree companies in the north suburbs cannot lawfully carry out the tree removal Evanston parkways occasionally need.

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Evanston Will Only Permit A Certified Arborist

The full text goes further. It is unlawful “for any person to plant, remove, trim, spray or otherwise impact any tree on any parkway or other public place within the City, unless such person shall first apply for and obtain a permit…for each job.” Per job, not per year. Moreover, the work must “conform to internationally recognized standards of tree management, including ANSI 300 or similar.”

The application has to name the individual, officers or partners. It must carry “a brief statement of the experience of each such person.” It also adds that “No permit shall be issued unless and until the applicant submits a certificate of insurance naming the City as an additional insured.” The ISA’s homeowner guidance spells out what that certification actually covers. So it is worth ten minutes before you hire anyone here.

Where Tree Removal Evanston Needs A Permit

In fact, the protection thresholds are the lowest in this part of the county. Protection starts at two inches DBH for every public tree. For private Group A through D trees it starts at six. Section 7-8-8-6 then extends permitting by proximity rather than ownership. “Any person or company performing any construction, or other activities, within 25 feet of any public or private tree is required to apply for a permit.” Consider a patio, a driveway or a garage slab. If it sits within twenty-five feet of a trunk, the rule applies. That catches more tree removal Evanston homeowners plan than the DBH thresholds do.

Nuisance Trees, Notice Periods And Penalties

Elsewhere in Chapter 8, §7-8-1-1 declares boughs and limbs projecting over public right-of-way a nuisance. Section 7-8-1-2 sets the clock on dead or dangerous trees. The owner has “thirty (30) days of notice from the Public Works Agency Director.” Furthermore, Section 7-8-6-2 makes it unlawful to keep “any elm or ash tree or dead elmwood or ashwood which…is a public nuisance.” Penalties under §7-8-6-6 run “not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) and no more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00) per day per violation.” Section 7-8-8-7 sets replacement by formula. However, the text we could read does not publish the coefficient table. So ask Forestry for it rather than estimating.

One conflict is worth flagging. The code puts the parkway permit at no cost. However, the City’s own knowledge base refers to a $50 permit fee. It also quotes tree-preservation permits at “usually $80-$100.” Confirm which applies before you budget.

Thirty Thousand Trees On An Eight-Year Cycle

Evanston manages more than 30,000 trees. The city states its schedule plainly. “Our current schedule is to trim every tree once every eight (8) years.” Meanwhile the 2023 inventory update was the first since 2014. Crews processed “between 250 to 300 trees” a day.

An eight-year cycle is a long interval. It is also the number that matters most to a homeowner here. A private tree over your roof will need attention between city visits. Above all, the losses behind that stretched schedule are substantial. Evanston reports “Since 2006…more than 3,000 ash trees” gone from parks and parkways. It also reports that “Typically, over 400 trees are removed in Evanston each year.” Nearly all of that is city work. By contrast, the tree removal Evanston residents commission themselves runs to no cycle at all.

A Streetcar Suburb With Narrow Parkways

The city is older and denser than its neighbors. It incorporated as a town on December 29, 1863, and as a city in 1892. Northwestern dates from 1851. Growth was rapid as one of the first streetcar suburbs after the railroad arrived in 1855. The Evanston Lakeshore Historic District dates to a September 29, 1980 listing. It preserves Italianate, Queen Anne and Tudor Revival housing. Indeed, many credit 1921 zoning with saving it. Narrow parkways, old services and buildings on three sides constrain the trees on those blocks.

Flooding is barely a factor here. That is unusual for a lakefront city of 7.80 square miles and 78,110 people. Overall, the record shows 84.07 acres of floodplain, zero repetitive-loss properties and zero severe.

Tree Removal Evanston: What We Do

• Removals of the elm and ash §7-8-6-2 treats as a public nuisance
• Pruning to ANSI A300, filling the gaps in the city’s eight-year cycle
• Stump grinding in tight historic-district parkways
• Emergency and storm work, including the 30-day dangerous-tree notices

Book A Tree Removal Evanston Estimate

Tell us whether the tree is in the parkway or on your own ground. Also tell us whether any planned work falls within twenty-five feet of a trunk. So those answers decide the permit path. Free estimates.

Call 708-424-5885. Browse our Cook County coverage, plus Skokie and Wilmette.