Tree Removal Permits in Aurora, IL

Verified against Aurora city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Aurora does not require a permit to remove a tree on your own private property, and there is no diameter threshold that triggers one. Chapter 47 regulates planting in the public right-of-way, city-owned trees and nuisance trees, and the only permit it creates is a permit to plant a tree in a public thoroughfare. The parkway tree is a different matter, since the city owns and maintains every Aurora parkway tree and you may not work on one yourself. Aurora runs this in reverse in two ways worth knowing: it bans planting any ash tree on private property, and it can order you to remove a dead or diseased tree at your own expense.

What's protected in Aurora

Public trees. Section 47-1: "Public trees shall include any tree regardless of size or condition growing on city property including all parkway trees, trees on medians, and at other city-owned locations."
Boundary trees straddling your line and city property. Section 47-1: "A boundary tree is the common property of both landowners. Neither property owner may remove, damage, or cause harm to the tree without the other property owner's consent."
Ash trees, which may not be PLANTED. Section 47-8 prohibits the planting of all species of ash trees, Fraxinus spp., on city-owned or on private property.
European barberry (Berberis vulgaris), which section 47-76 makes it unlawful to plant or permit to grow on any premises, with a 10-day removal notice under section 47-77
Right-of-way plantings that block sight lines. The city cites Code 47-8: "Plantings that cause viewing obstructions to vehicles are not allowed on city right-of-way. Examples include pine trees, bushes and tall grasses."

How to apply in Aurora

1
For a tree on your own property, there is nothing to apply for.
2
For a problem with a parkway tree, call 311 or 630-256-4636, or file a service request online. Do not remove it yourself.
3
Aurora also gives eligible homeowners up to two free trees planted in their front yards. Requests are due by March 1 for spring planting and September 1 for fall, and are not guaranteed.
4
Plan your debris disposal. Section 20-8: "Trees, large limbs from trees, logs or large amounts of brush must be hauled away and be deposited in accordance with the regulations of the city council. Burning of this material is permissible on the original premises in only those cases where a special written permit is granted by the fire department."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: There is no fee for private tree removal because there is no permit. The tree service business license is separate: section 47-45 states "No person shall be issued a license under this division until he pays to the city a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00)," and section 47-47 adds "A license issued under this division shall be for a period of one (1) year. All licenses terminate on March 1 annually."
Penalties: Section 47-11: "Any person who violates any provision of this chapter or who fails to comply with any notice issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall constitute a misdemeanor I, and, upon being found guilty of violation, shall be subject to fines, restitution, and cost recovery for each separate offense, each day during which any violation of the provisions of this chapter shall occur or continue shall be a separate offense." Damaging a city tree is section 47-10: the cost of repair or replacement "shall be born by the party in violation," with replacement value set by the current Guide for Plant Appraisal published by the International Society of Arboriculture.
Ordinance: City of Aurora Code of Ordinances, Chapter 47 - Trees, Shrubs and Weeds, sections 47-1 through 47-78. Enacted by Ord. No. O92-96, section 1, adopted November 17, 1992, "An Ordinance Regulating the Planting, Maintenance and Removal of Trees, Shrubs, and Other Plants." Most recently amended by Ord. O23-084, adopted November 28, 2023, which carries a history tag on nearly every section of the chapter. The Arboricultural Specifications Manual was revised the same day. Landscaping for development is Zoning Chapter 49, section 49-105.4.

Worth knowing

The provision that actually reaches homeowners is section 47-8, which declares a public nuisance "Any dead or dying tree or shrub whether located on city-owned property or on private property," any otherwise healthy tree harbouring insects or disease that may harm other plants, trees obstructing pedestrian traffic or sight lines, and any tree "which, by reason of location or condition, constitutes an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the general public."
The duty is affirmative: "It shall be the duty of any persons growing a tree on his property to trim the trees or treat and remove any diseased trees to prevent the trees from constituting a nuisance to the neighbor or public." Notice goes by first-class mail to the taxpayer of record and gives "no less than thirty (30) days." Ignore it and the division of property standards does the work, and "The full expense thereof shall be assessed as a lien against the property." The arborist may abate immediately where there is an immediate threat.
City staff may come onto your land to look. "The division of property standards of the city and the city arborist have the authority to enter onto private property whereon there is located a tree, shrub, or plant part that is suspected to be a public nuisance."
Aurora has no ordinance section mentioning emerald ash borer by name. EAB is handled through the ash planting ban and the dead-or-diseased nuisance route. Licensed tree services must take diseased-tree debris "to a city-approved marshaling yard or certified disposal site or be disposed in alignment with State approved standards (i.e. quarantine zones)."
Branches over a public sidewalk must clear ten feet. Section 42-52 makes it unlawful to "cause, suffer or permit the branches or parts of any tree, or any shrub or part thereof, hanging or being over any such sidewalk to be nearer thereto than ten (10) feet above the same."
You can appeal the arborist. Section 47-7 lets a landowner request a hearing before an administrative hearing officer over any arborist decision "including disputes regarding the issuance of permits... or the abatement of nuisances," filed with the city clerk.
The zoning landscape standards are development-triggered only. Section 49-105.4 applies to approved landscape plans, planned developments, conditional use petitions, rezoning petitions, variation petitions, final plats and site plan review. An established single-family lot with no active petition is outside it. Section 43-78 separately requires "due regard" for tree growth when subdividing land.
Aurora does regulate tree work on public property. The Arboricultural Manual states "Work on or with public trees, shrubs or other plants is expressly prohibited unless done by the City of Aurora or by a licensed entity contracted by the City of Aurora to perform such work."

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— No City of Aurora page says in plain words that no permit is required to remove a private tree. The answer rests on the full text of Chapter 47, on the city's complete Permit List, which contains no tree permit of any kind, and on the Tree Care page's "Private Property Trees" section, whose entire content is "The City of Aurora encourages residents to plant trees on their property and to properly maintain trees as they grow." All three are silent on any removal permit.
— Two city sources disagree on how far the tree service business license reaches. Codified section 47-41, as amended November 28, 2023, says "It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of tree service on public property without first having obtained a city license therefor." The Arboricultural Specifications Manual, revised the same day and citing that same section, says it is unlawful to do such work "within the City of Aurora" without a license, which would cover a contractor you hire for your own back yard. Aurora's contractor licensing application matrix lists no Tree Service license type at all. Both are reported. Verify with Development Services at 630-256-3130.
— The identity, direct phone and email of Aurora's city arborist. Section 47-5 creates the position but no individual is named on the city website, and the code allows it to be filled by contract: "In lieu of a city arborist, the city may utilize a designated city employee representative or contractor."
— Whether parkway tree removal by the city is free to the adjacent homeowner. The city owns and maintains parkway trees but no source states how cost is allocated.
— Whether any ordinance adopted after Ord. O23-084 of November 28, 2023 amends Chapter 47. Aurora's code platform publishes no codified-through banner, so currency rests on the per-section history tags.
— Aurora spans Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties, and no county-level tree or vegetation requirement on private Aurora lots was examined. Floodplain work runs through the Kane County Stormwater Management Ordinance, on which no tree-specific buffer clause was found.
— Note on sources: Aurora migrated its code off Municode to aurora-il.municipalcodeonline.com. The old Municode copy for Aurora is dormant, returning no current publication, yet one city page still links to it. All code text here comes from the live platform.

Sources

Who to contact in Aurora

myAurora 311 Customer Service, City of Aurora (parkway trees and all tree questions). Tree work is performed by the Street Maintenance Division, Public Works, 630-256-3680.

311, or 630-256-4636 311@aurora.il.us Official page

44 E Downer Place, Aurora, IL 60505

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What's protected in Aurora

Public trees. Section 47-1: "Public trees shall include any tree regardless of size or condition growing on city property including all parkway trees, trees on medians, and at other city-owned locations."

Boundary trees straddling your line and city property. Section 47-1: "A boundary tree is the common property of both landowners. Neither property owner may remove, damage, or cause harm to the tree without the other property owner's consent."

Ash trees, which may not be PLANTED. Section 47-8 prohibits the planting of all species of ash trees, Fraxinus spp., on city-owned or on private property.

European barberry (Berberis vulgaris), which section 47-76 makes it unlawful to plant or permit to grow on any premises, with a 10-day removal notice under section 47-77

Right-of-way plantings that block sight lines. The city cites Code 47-8: "Plantings that cause viewing obstructions to vehicles are not allowed on city right-of-way. Examples include pine trees, bushes and tall grasses."

How to apply in Aurora

1
For a tree on your own property, there is nothing to apply for.
2
For a problem with a parkway tree, call 311 or 630-256-4636, or file a service request online. Do not remove it yourself.
3
Aurora also gives eligible homeowners up to two free trees planted in their front yards. Requests are due by March 1 for spring planting and September 1 for fall, and are not guaranteed.
4
Plan your debris disposal. Section 20-8: "Trees, large limbs from trees, logs or large amounts of brush must be hauled away and be deposited in accordance with the regulations of the city council. Burning of this material is permissible on the original premises in only those cases where a special written permit is granted by the fire department."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

There is no fee for private tree removal because there is no permit. The tree service business license is separate: section 47-45 states "No person shall be issued a license under this division until he pays to the city a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00)," and section 47-47 adds "A license issued under this division shall be for a period of one (1) year. All licenses terminate on March 1 annually."

Penalties

Section 47-11: "Any person who violates any provision of this chapter or who fails to comply with any notice issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall constitute a misdemeanor I, and, upon being found guilty of violation, shall be subject to fines, restitution, and cost recovery for each separate offense, each day during which any violation of the provisions of this chapter shall occur or continue shall be a separate offense." Damaging a city tree is section 47-10: the cost of repair or replacement "shall be born by the party in violation," with replacement value set by the current Guide for Plant Appraisal published by the International Society of Arboriculture.

Ordinance

City of Aurora Code of Ordinances, Chapter 47 - Trees, Shrubs and Weeds, sections 47-1 through 47-78. Enacted by Ord. No. O92-96, section 1, adopted November 17, 1992, "An Ordinance Regulating the Planting, Maintenance and Removal of Trees, Shrubs, and Other Plants." Most recently amended by Ord. O23-084, adopted November 28, 2023, which carries a history tag on nearly every section of the chapter. The Arboricultural Specifications Manual was revised the same day. Landscaping for development is Zoning Chapter 49, section 49-105.4.

Worth knowing

The provision that actually reaches homeowners is section 47-8, which declares a public nuisance "Any dead or dying tree or shrub whether located on city-owned property or on private property," any otherwise healthy tree harbouring insects or disease that may harm other plants, trees obstructing pedestrian traffic or sight lines, and any tree "which, by reason of location or condition, constitutes an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the general public."
The duty is affirmative: "It shall be the duty of any persons growing a tree on his property to trim the trees or treat and remove any diseased trees to prevent the trees from constituting a nuisance to the neighbor or public." Notice goes by first-class mail to the taxpayer of record and gives "no less than thirty (30) days." Ignore it and the division of property standards does the work, and "The full expense thereof shall be assessed as a lien against the property." The arborist may abate immediately where there is an immediate threat.
City staff may come onto your land to look. "The division of property standards of the city and the city arborist have the authority to enter onto private property whereon there is located a tree, shrub, or plant part that is suspected to be a public nuisance."
Aurora has no ordinance section mentioning emerald ash borer by name. EAB is handled through the ash planting ban and the dead-or-diseased nuisance route. Licensed tree services must take diseased-tree debris "to a city-approved marshaling yard or certified disposal site or be disposed in alignment with State approved standards (i.e. quarantine zones)."
Branches over a public sidewalk must clear ten feet. Section 42-52 makes it unlawful to "cause, suffer or permit the branches or parts of any tree, or any shrub or part thereof, hanging or being over any such sidewalk to be nearer thereto than ten (10) feet above the same."
You can appeal the arborist. Section 47-7 lets a landowner request a hearing before an administrative hearing officer over any arborist decision "including disputes regarding the issuance of permits... or the abatement of nuisances," filed with the city clerk.
The zoning landscape standards are development-triggered only. Section 49-105.4 applies to approved landscape plans, planned developments, conditional use petitions, rezoning petitions, variation petitions, final plats and site plan review. An established single-family lot with no active petition is outside it. Section 43-78 separately requires "due regard" for tree growth when subdividing land.
Aurora does regulate tree work on public property. The Arboricultural Manual states "Work on or with public trees, shrubs or other plants is expressly prohibited unless done by the City of Aurora or by a licensed entity contracted by the City of Aurora to perform such work."

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— No City of Aurora page says in plain words that no permit is required to remove a private tree. The answer rests on the full text of Chapter 47, on the city's complete Permit List, which contains no tree permit of any kind, and on the Tree Care page's "Private Property Trees" section, whose entire content is "The City of Aurora encourages residents to plant trees on their property and to properly maintain trees as they grow." All three are silent on any removal permit.
— Two city sources disagree on how far the tree service business license reaches. Codified section 47-41, as amended November 28, 2023, says "It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of tree service on public property without first having obtained a city license therefor." The Arboricultural Specifications Manual, revised the same day and citing that same section, says it is unlawful to do such work "within the City of Aurora" without a license, which would cover a contractor you hire for your own back yard. Aurora's contractor licensing application matrix lists no Tree Service license type at all. Both are reported. Verify with Development Services at 630-256-3130.
— The identity, direct phone and email of Aurora's city arborist. Section 47-5 creates the position but no individual is named on the city website, and the code allows it to be filled by contract: "In lieu of a city arborist, the city may utilize a designated city employee representative or contractor."
— Whether parkway tree removal by the city is free to the adjacent homeowner. The city owns and maintains parkway trees but no source states how cost is allocated.
— Whether any ordinance adopted after Ord. O23-084 of November 28, 2023 amends Chapter 47. Aurora's code platform publishes no codified-through banner, so currency rests on the per-section history tags.
— Aurora spans Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties, and no county-level tree or vegetation requirement on private Aurora lots was examined. Floodplain work runs through the Kane County Stormwater Management Ordinance, on which no tree-specific buffer clause was found.
— Note on sources: Aurora migrated its code off Municode to aurora-il.municipalcodeonline.com. The old Municode copy for Aurora is dormant, returning no current publication, yet one city page still links to it. All code text here comes from the live platform.