Tree Service in West Chicago, IL

Tree Service In West Chicago, Priced By The Inch

West Chicago charges for a damaged city tree by its size. Under § 15-85(a) of the city code, a violation of the parkway tree article that injures or damages a tree “shall be assessed at the rate of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per diameter inch of the impacted tree,” and for partial damage the director may set the percentage harmed and assess that share. At that rate, destroying a 20-inch parkway tree would be assessed $3,000. Section 15-81(a) makes every tree on a public right-of-way city property, not to be pruned or removed by the adjoining resident or anyone other than city staff or city-hired contractors. Any tree service West Chicago homeowners hire for yard work has to stop at the parkway.

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Chapter 15, Article VII, Adopted In 2024

The parkway tree article was adopted by Ordinance 24-O-0012 on April 15, 2024, and § 15-78 limits it to right-of-way, parkway and other publicly owned trees. Section 15-79 says no one may plant or remove a tree, shrub or other woody plant on a city parkway, or place anything there, until the director of public works, the street superintendent or their representative approves it in writing. The city prunes a portion of its trees each year on a cycle under § 15-81(c), to ANSI A300 and Z133.1, and § 15-81(e) directs pruning to avoid header cuts, topping, lion tailing, and removing more than 20 percent of a crown in a single calendar year.

Street clearance under § 15-81(b) is at least 14 feet where truck traffic is allowed and at least 10 feet on other streets. When a city tree dies of natural age or similar causes, § 15-83 has the city replace it. After “an extreme and unpredictable event such as a catastrophic storm,” § 15-86 lets the director of public works waive parts of the article.

For trees on private property, we found no removal permit in Article VII, in Chapter 10 on nuisances, or in the zoning code’s landscaping article. That is a statement about the sections searched, not a promise that no permit applies anywhere. Chapter 10 does make it a nuisance to let “scrub trees,” defined as six inches or less in caliper at one foot above ground, grow dense enough to give cover to people breaking the law. University of Illinois Extension covers pruning young trees for homeowners.

Turner Junction And The DuPage River

West Chicago began as a railroad junction. It incorporated on May 31, 1873, as the Village of Turner, named for Galena and Chicago Union Railroad president John Bice Turner, and was known informally as Turner Junction before becoming the Village of West Chicago in 1896. In the 1830s the Gary family homesteaded on the DuPage River’s banks. Today the city covers 15.72 square miles in Winfield and Wayne townships, takes in DuPage Airport and Kline Creek Farm, a living-history farm set in the 1890s, and counted 25,614 residents in 2020.

The river is the tree story here. Ground that stays wet tends to grow shallow roots, so a large tree near the DuPage River corridor deserves a look at its base before storm season; when saturated soil gives way, even sound wood comes down with it.

Our West Chicago Work

• Tree and bush removal — private trees only; parkway trees wait for written approval from the city under § 15-79
• Trimming and pruning — 10 or 14 feet over the street as § 15-81(b) sets it, and no more than 20 percent of a crown in a season
• Stump grinding — kept clear of parkway roots, since damage there is billed per inch
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Request Tree Service West Chicago Owners Can Trust

A tree service West Chicago homeowners hire should know which trees belong to the city before cutting starts. Show us the tree, the sidewalk and the parkway, and we will tell you what is yours to cut. Call 708-424-5885 or have a look at the rest of our DuPage County service area. Neighboring work: Winfield, Warrenville.