Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree? (North Shore, IL)

"Do I need a permit to remove my own tree?" is one of the most common questions North Shore homeowners ask - and here the honest answer is often yes, you might. Several North Shore communities have genuine tree-preservation ordinances that regulate removal even on private property. This is different from many parts of the country where a homeowner can take down a backyard tree freely. Below is a plain-language overview of how it generally works around here. It is not legal advice, and the only authority on your specific tree is your own municipality - always confirm with your village before any healthy tree comes down.

The first question: private tree or parkway tree?

The single biggest factor is where the tree stands.

• A parkway tree - the one in the strip between the sidewalk and the street - is almost always the village's tree, not yours, even though it is in front of your house. Removing or heavily pruning a parkway tree is handled by the town's forestry department, and taking one down yourself can bring a fine.
• A private tree in your own yard is yours - but on the North Shore, "yours" does not automatically mean "no permit." Several towns here protect larger private trees.

What the North Shore towns actually require

Rules are set town by town and they change, so treat this as a starting point, not gospel - call your village to confirm the current ordinance:

• Winnetka requires a permit to remove a private tree at or above roughly 8 inches in diameter (measured at breast height). The Village Forester inspects the tree, considers its size, health, and the reason for removal, and replacement trees or a per-inch deposit may be required before the work is done.
• Evanston adopted a private-tree ordinance that requires a permit (around $75) to remove a healthy tree of about 6 inches in diameter or more. Importantly, the ordinance exempts trees that are dead, dying, diseased, hazardous, or invasive, along with small trees under the threshold and routine professional pruning. So a failing or dangerous tree is treated very differently from a healthy one you simply want gone.
• Highland Park requires a permit to remove protected, "key," or heritage trees, reviewed by the city's forestry section against its preservation ordinance.

Other North Shore and northwest-suburban villages fall across the same spectrum - some require nothing for a routine private removal, others protect trees above a certain size or species. Winnetka, Evanston, and Highland Park are simply the clearest examples that "it's my yard" is not the whole story here.

The one consistent exception: hazard and dead trees

Across most of these ordinances, a tree that is dead, dying, or an imminent hazard is handled far more leniently - often exempt from the permit requirement entirely, or fast-tracked. That matters on the North Shore, where the emerald ash borer has left so many standing dead ash. If a dead ash or a storm-cracked limb is threatening your house, the ordinance is usually not what stands in your way - but you should still document the tree's condition, and when in doubt, a quick call to the village forester confirms it.

We don't pull your permits - and here's the honest reason

A quick, important note: a tree crew is not a permit service, and you should be wary of anyone who claims to handle municipal approvals for you. The permit question is between you and your village. What a good crew will do is tell you honestly when a permit question is likely in play - "that's a parkway tree, you'll need to call the village," or "that healthy oak is over the Winnetka threshold, check before we schedule" - so you do not accidentally remove a tree that wasn't yours to remove, or one the town protects. Anyone promising to make town requirements disappear is overselling.

How to get a clear answer for your specific tree

1. Note where it stands - your yard, or the parkway.
2. Estimate the diameter at about chest height; the size thresholds (6-8 inches in the towns above) are what usually trigger a permit.
3. Call your village's forestry or public works department - most have a forester who will tell you in one call whether a permit is needed and, if the tree is dead or hazardous, whether it is exempt.
4. Get the permit in hand before work starts if one is required.

Do that first, and the removal itself is straightforward. If you would like, our crew can look at the tree, tell you honestly whether a permit question is likely, and give you a written estimate for the work once it's cleared to come down.