Tree Removal and Trimming in Harwood Heights, IL
There is no parkway tree permit in Harwood Heights, and that is not an oversight. Section 12.20.040 says all trees and shrubs on public ways “may only be planted” through the village tree program by the village or its agents, “may only be trimmed by the village” or its authorized agents, and that removal “may only be done by” the village or its designated agents. No application, no fee, no permit — because there is nothing to apply for. If it stands in the parkway it is the village’s work, and the tree service Harwood Heights homeowners can actually buy begins on the private side of the sidewalk.
What Chapter 12.20 Reserves And What It Leaves Alone
Section 12.20.020 hands the division of forestry “all matters pertaining to the planting, trimming, spraying, removal and general maintenance of all trees,” which is where the exclusivity comes from.
Two provisions do reach onto private ground. Section 12.20.050 lets the village trim or remove an encroaching tree after written notice allowing seven days to act, and Section 12.20.070 requires an owner to remove an infected or dead elm within ten days of notice. Both put a clock on you, and both are short.
Beyond that, Chapter 12.20 contains no private-property tree permit, no caliper threshold and no count threshold anywhere in it. Your own backyard is your own business here, which makes Harwood Heights one of the simplest villages in the area to work in — provided you understand where the boundary sits. Section 12.20.100 sets fines by reference to Appendix 2 and allows the village to recover its removal costs; the amounts are not published in the text we could reach.
Bonded and insured to Appendix 1. The Chapter 4.04 building contractor license runs a year from 1 May to 30 April and requires a certificate of insurance, workers’ compensation, and “a surety bond in an amount set forth in the village fee schedule.” Appendix 1 fixes that at a “$10,000 surety bond (except plumbers) + $1 million liability insurance naming Harwood Heights as additional insured.” The chapter does not address tree or landscape work specifically and the annual fee is not published, so we hold the cover and name the village on the policy regardless.
An Enclave Of 0.82 Square Miles With No Floodplain At All
Harwood Heights and neighboring Norridge together “form an enclave surrounded by the city of Chicago” — a village of 0.82 square miles and 9,065 people, described as landlocked by its neighbors, about eleven miles northwest of downtown.
The flood figures are the ones that stand out: 0.00 acres in both the 100-year and 500-year floodplain, and zero FEMA repetitive-loss properties. Not low — zero. That removes the saturated-root-plate failure mode that dominates most of this part of the county and leaves the local tree problems to age, species and space. On lots this size, space is usually the binding constraint: a mature tree between a house and a garage with a fence on both sides is a rigging job, not a felling job, and it wants planning rather than horsepower. Most tree service Harwood Heights calls for is exactly that: careful access, not big equipment.
The village ran prairie to farmland to post-war housing and incorporated in 1947, sitting in Norwood Park Township. Landmarks worth knowing: the Harlem Avenue business district south of the Kennedy, the Harlem CTA Blue Line station, and Ridgemoor Country Club on Gunnison Street, established in 1905 and holding some of the oldest trees for a mile in any direction.
The village runs a 2026 Spring and Fall Parkway Tree Planting Program with the Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative — trees free to residents for 2026, reserved by calling Village Hall in February. On waste: Republic Services collects on 847-981-0091, yard waste runs 1 April to 30 November, whole trees, stumps and limbs over two inches are excluded, and “yard waste produced by a landscaper will not be taken.” Nothing we cut is going out at your curb, so it goes on our truck.
Tree Service Harwood Heights: What We Take On
- Removals on private ground, where no village permit stands in the way
- Trimming of the encroaching growth Section 12.20.050 gives you seven days to fix
- Stump grinding with access planned for narrow side yards
- Emergency and storm work across the enclave, any hour
Storm damage. Assume any wire in the wreckage is live. Call 911, call whoever supplies your power, and let them clear the scene before we start. You will reach a person, not a machine, and the order is set by what is likely to fall next.
Get A Tree Service Harwood Heights Quote
Tell us which side of the pavement the tree is on. That one answer decides whether we can help you or whether you should be ringing Village Hall. Free estimates.
Call 708-424-5885. Browse our Cook County coverage, plus Norridge next door and Chicago on every other side.
19253 South Blackhawk Parkway #80
Mokena, Illinois 60448
708-424-5885
Inquiries@protreeservice.com
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