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 covers all trees and shrubs on public ways. They “may only be planted” through the village tree program by the village or its agents. They “may only be trimmed by the village” or its authorized agents. Furthermore, removal “may only be done by” the village or its designated agents. So there is no application, no fee and no permit, because there is nothing to apply for. If it stands in the parkway it is the village’s work. Therefore 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.” That 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. That notice allows seven days to act. Meanwhile 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. So your own backyard is your own business here. That 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. It also allows the village to recover its removal costs. However, the text we could reach does not publish the amounts.
Bonded and insured to Appendix 1. The Chapter 4.04 building contractor license runs a year from May 1 to April 30. It 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.” However, 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.” That is a village of 0.82 square miles and 9,065 people. It sits landlocked about eleven miles northwest of downtown.
The flood figures are the ones that stand out. There are 0.00 acres in both the 100-year and 500-year floodplain, and zero FEMA repetitive-loss properties. Not low, but zero. That removes the saturated-root-plate failure mode that dominates most of this part of the county. Instead the local tree problems come down 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 rather than a felling job. So 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. It then incorporated in 1947, sitting in Norwood Park Township. Landmarks worth knowing include the Harlem Avenue business district south of the Kennedy and the Harlem CTA Blue Line station. Ridgemoor Country Club on Gunnison Street dates from 1905. Indeed, it holds some of the oldest trees for a mile in any direction.
The village also runs a 2026 Spring and Fall Parkway Tree Planting Program. That runs with the Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative. Trees are free to residents for 2026, reserved by calling Village Hall in February. On waste, Republic Services collects at 847-981-0091. Yard waste runs April 1 to November 30. However, the program excludes whole trees, stumps and limbs over two inches. Furthermore, “yard waste produced by a landscaper will not be taken.” So nothing we cut is going out at your curb, and 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 first, then whoever supplies your power. Let them clear the scene before we start. You will reach a person, not a machine, and what is likely to fall next sets the order.
Get A Tree Service Harwood Heights Quote
Tell us which side of the sidewalk the tree is on. That one answer decides whether we can help you, or whether you should be calling 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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