Tree Removal Permits in Joliet, IL

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

Do you need a permit?

It depends on the tree

Joliet rewrote its tree ordinance in 2022 and built a serious one, with a city arborist, a tree bank and fines of $500 per inch. Then it scoped the whole thing away from ordinary homes. The ordinance covers city land, residentially zoned parcels larger than one and a half acres, all non-residential parcels, and parcels needing a landscape plan. A standard Joliet house lot is not on that list, so most homeowners need no permit. Two things bind every property regardless: the parkway tree is the city's and you may not touch it, and you have an affirmative duty to remove your own dead or hazardous trees.

Size threshold

Two thresholds stack. Parcel, section 26-128(a): the section covers "all city lands, residentially zoned private parcels of land which are more than one and one-half (1½) acres in size, all nonresidential private parcels of land, and all parcels of land for which a landscape plan is required by section 47 of the zoning ordinance." Tree, section 26-128(g)(1): "For all other lands where this section applies, no live tree(s) with a DBH of four (4) inches or six (6) inches group of trees may be damaged or removed without first obtaining a valid tree removal permit."

What's protected in Joliet

Any live tree at 4 inches DBH, or a 6-inch group of trees, on covered land
Street and parkway trees - "any tree located on or within the public right-of-way or right-of-way easement." Removal or pruning without a permit is unlawful
Legacy trees - trees on the city legacy tree list recorded under the urban forest management plan. Removing one is a "significant tree removal" and gets heightened review
Trees within the critical root zone of a regulated tree, which extends one foot for every inch of DBH
NOT protected: invasive woody plants. Section 26-128(g)(5) states "Removal of invasive woody plants such as buckthorn does not require a permit and is encouraged."

How to apply in Joliet

1
Confirm your parcel is actually covered. On a residential lot of 1.5 acres or less, there is no permit provision to apply under.
2
For a simple removal, file a tree removal request online or in person and the city arborist or a designee will inspect and decide.
3
For a permit, apply to the Department of Public Works, Forestry Division with a written statement of the reasons for removal and a map of the parcel showing the location of each tree, plus a tree preservation plan if one is required.
4
The arborist decides within ten working days of a complete application. Grounds for approval are an unacceptable safety risk, a tree substantially diseased or weakened by age, storm, fire or other injury, good forestry practice, or an approved landscape plan.
5
Plant the replacement trees within 60 days, or pay $300 per tree into the tree bank if there is no room.
6
Emergency route: "In the event of an emergency, and access to the city is not possible, a nuisance tree may be removed without a permit, however, the individual removing the tree shall take photographs and memorialize the nuisance situation prior to removal and shall submit request for a tree permit from the City of Joliet on the next business day."
7
Appeals go to the tree board within ten working days, by written notice filed with the Joliet City Clerk.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: The permit fee is not published. Section 26-128(n)(1) says only that "The city may impose a fee for any permit issued under this article." Two related numbers are published: the tree service business license is $30.00 annually, and if there is no room on your lot for the required replacement trees, section 26-128(h)(5) charges "three hundred dollars ($300.00) per tree that must be planted elsewhere."
Penalties: Section 26-128(u): "Any person who removes or substantially destroys a tree without a city tree removal permit shall be fined a minimum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per inch of DBH. A violation of any other Section of this chapter shall result in a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00). The payment of any fine shall not relieve the violator from tree replacement requirements." Each tree is a separate offense. Replacement runs 3 trees for a 4-9 inch DBH removal up to 13 trees at 34 inches or greater, each a minimum of 2 inches DBH. Unpaid charges become a lien on the property after 60 days.
Ordinance: Joliet Code of Ordinances, Chapter 26 (Streets, Sidewalks, Public Grounds), Article VI - Tree, Shrub and Plant Regulations, Section 26-128 (Tree preservation). Ord. No. 18360, section 2, adopted June 7, 2022, amended section 26-128 in its entirety; the prior text dated to Ord. No. 9818 of December 30, 1991. Contractor licensing is Chapter 18, Article XIV, Sections 18-270 to 18-280. Code current through Ordinance No. 18825, enacted February 3, 2026 (Supp. No. 200).

Worth knowing

The company you hire must be licensed by Joliet even though you probably need no permit. Section 18-271: "Any person who engages in the tree service business shall obtain a city license on an annual basis prior to engaging in the business within the corporate limits of the city." The definition covers diagnosis, supervision and any "feeding, fertilizing, pruning, topping, trimming, cutting, or bracing," and expressly includes stumps. It requires insurance naming the city and a street obstruction bond. The fee is $30 a year, filed with Community Development - Inspection Division at 815-724-4070.
You can be ordered to cut. Section 26-128(j)b.2: "It shall be unlawful for any owner of any lot or land in the City of Joliet to permit or maintain on any such lot or land, any tree which is dead, or declining to the state where it may create a potential risk for structures or people. It shall be the duty of any such owner to promptly cause the removal of any such tree." This has no acreage limit. Written notice gives you 30 days, after which the city removes it, invoices you for staff time and materials, and liens the property if you do not pay within 30 days.
Emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease are named nuisances. Joliet is not treating ash trees on its own parkways: "The city is not treating any of the Emerald Ash Borer Trees. Residents can treat their own at their expense." Treatment must be applied by a certified arborist licensed with the City of Joliet.
Parkway trees are city property and the backlog is long. The city states: "Once the city parkway tree has been marked with a number, the actual removal of the tree may not occur for the next five to seven years." Stumps are ground about a month after removal. Planting a parkway tree does require a permit.
The city offers nothing for private trees: "The City does not remove dead trees on private property and is not aware of assistance programs."
Joliet has been a Tree City USA for 33 consecutive years and staffs at least one ISA certified arborist.
Floodplain lots carry a separate obligation. Section 8-502 defines "Development" to include "Any other activity of man that might change the direction, height, or velocity of flood or surface water, including extensive vegetation removal," and section 8-506(1) bars any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area without a development permit from the city manager.

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.

— The dollar amount of the tree removal permit fee. The code authorizes one but names none and no figure is published. Call 815-724-3650.
— The scoping language in section 26-128(a) sits inside a subsection captioned "Statement of purpose" rather than a standalone applicability section. Subsection (g)(1) points back to it with "for all other lands where this section applies," so it functions as the scope, but anyone near the 1.5-acre line should call before cutting given the $500 per inch penalty.
— Whether "extensive vegetation removal" in the floodplain ordinance is ever applied to a single back-yard tree on a Special Flood Hazard Area lot.
— The text of section 47 of the Joliet zoning ordinance, which decides which parcels need a landscape plan and therefore fall under the tree ordinance. It is published separately from the code and could not be retrieved.
— Any email address for the Forestry Division. None is published.
— The street obstruction bond amount for tree service businesses. The code says only "in an amount set by the city."
— The acceptable species list, the invasive list and the legacy tree list, all of which live in the Urban Forest Management Plan rather than in the code.

Sources

Who to contact in Joliet

Forestry Division, City of Joliet Department of Public Works

815-724-3650 Official page

1203 Cedarwood Drive, Joliet, IL 60435

Cost Calculators

Find Tree Services

Browse tree trimming and removal companies in Joliet.

View tree services

Related Permits

Get weekly cost & permit updates

Join homeowners who get free insights on project costs, permit changes, and money-saving tips. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

Free forever. No credit card. Unsubscribe in one click.

Size threshold

What's protected in Joliet

Any live tree at 4 inches DBH, or a 6-inch group of trees, on covered land

Street and parkway trees - "any tree located on or within the public right-of-way or right-of-way easement." Removal or pruning without a permit is unlawful

Legacy trees - trees on the city legacy tree list recorded under the urban forest management plan. Removing one is a "significant tree removal" and gets heightened review

Trees within the critical root zone of a regulated tree, which extends one foot for every inch of DBH

NOT protected: invasive woody plants. Section 26-128(g)(5) states "Removal of invasive woody plants such as buckthorn does not require a permit and is encouraged."

How to apply in Joliet

1
Confirm your parcel is actually covered. On a residential lot of 1.5 acres or less, there is no permit provision to apply under.
2
For a simple removal, file a tree removal request online or in person and the city arborist or a designee will inspect and decide.
3
For a permit, apply to the Department of Public Works, Forestry Division with a written statement of the reasons for removal and a map of the parcel showing the location of each tree, plus a tree preservation plan if one is required.
4
The arborist decides within ten working days of a complete application. Grounds for approval are an unacceptable safety risk, a tree substantially diseased or weakened by age, storm, fire or other injury, good forestry practice, or an approved landscape plan.
5
Plant the replacement trees within 60 days, or pay $300 per tree into the tree bank if there is no room.
6
Emergency route: "In the event of an emergency, and access to the city is not possible, a nuisance tree may be removed without a permit, however, the individual removing the tree shall take photographs and memorialize the nuisance situation prior to removal and shall submit request for a tree permit from the City of Joliet on the next business day."
7
Appeals go to the tree board within ten working days, by written notice filed with the Joliet City Clerk.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

The permit fee is not published. Section 26-128(n)(1) says only that "The city may impose a fee for any permit issued under this article." Two related numbers are published: the tree service business license is $30.00 annually, and if there is no room on your lot for the required replacement trees, section 26-128(h)(5) charges "three hundred dollars ($300.00) per tree that must be planted elsewhere."

Penalties

Section 26-128(u): "Any person who removes or substantially destroys a tree without a city tree removal permit shall be fined a minimum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per inch of DBH. A violation of any other Section of this chapter shall result in a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00). The payment of any fine shall not relieve the violator from tree replacement requirements." Each tree is a separate offense. Replacement runs 3 trees for a 4-9 inch DBH removal up to 13 trees at 34 inches or greater, each a minimum of 2 inches DBH. Unpaid charges become a lien on the property after 60 days.

Ordinance

Joliet Code of Ordinances, Chapter 26 (Streets, Sidewalks, Public Grounds), Article VI - Tree, Shrub and Plant Regulations, Section 26-128 (Tree preservation). Ord. No. 18360, section 2, adopted June 7, 2022, amended section 26-128 in its entirety; the prior text dated to Ord. No. 9818 of December 30, 1991. Contractor licensing is Chapter 18, Article XIV, Sections 18-270 to 18-280. Code current through Ordinance No. 18825, enacted February 3, 2026 (Supp. No. 200).

Worth knowing

The company you hire must be licensed by Joliet even though you probably need no permit. Section 18-271: "Any person who engages in the tree service business shall obtain a city license on an annual basis prior to engaging in the business within the corporate limits of the city." The definition covers diagnosis, supervision and any "feeding, fertilizing, pruning, topping, trimming, cutting, or bracing," and expressly includes stumps. It requires insurance naming the city and a street obstruction bond. The fee is $30 a year, filed with Community Development - Inspection Division at 815-724-4070.
You can be ordered to cut. Section 26-128(j)b.2: "It shall be unlawful for any owner of any lot or land in the City of Joliet to permit or maintain on any such lot or land, any tree which is dead, or declining to the state where it may create a potential risk for structures or people. It shall be the duty of any such owner to promptly cause the removal of any such tree." This has no acreage limit. Written notice gives you 30 days, after which the city removes it, invoices you for staff time and materials, and liens the property if you do not pay within 30 days.
Emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease are named nuisances. Joliet is not treating ash trees on its own parkways: "The city is not treating any of the Emerald Ash Borer Trees. Residents can treat their own at their expense." Treatment must be applied by a certified arborist licensed with the City of Joliet.
Parkway trees are city property and the backlog is long. The city states: "Once the city parkway tree has been marked with a number, the actual removal of the tree may not occur for the next five to seven years." Stumps are ground about a month after removal. Planting a parkway tree does require a permit.
The city offers nothing for private trees: "The City does not remove dead trees on private property and is not aware of assistance programs."
Joliet has been a Tree City USA for 33 consecutive years and staffs at least one ISA certified arborist.
Floodplain lots carry a separate obligation. Section 8-502 defines "Development" to include "Any other activity of man that might change the direction, height, or velocity of flood or surface water, including extensive vegetation removal," and section 8-506(1) bars any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area without a development permit from the city manager.

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.

— The dollar amount of the tree removal permit fee. The code authorizes one but names none and no figure is published. Call 815-724-3650.
— The scoping language in section 26-128(a) sits inside a subsection captioned "Statement of purpose" rather than a standalone applicability section. Subsection (g)(1) points back to it with "for all other lands where this section applies," so it functions as the scope, but anyone near the 1.5-acre line should call before cutting given the $500 per inch penalty.
— Whether "extensive vegetation removal" in the floodplain ordinance is ever applied to a single back-yard tree on a Special Flood Hazard Area lot.
— The text of section 47 of the Joliet zoning ordinance, which decides which parcels need a landscape plan and therefore fall under the tree ordinance. It is published separately from the code and could not be retrieved.
— Any email address for the Forestry Division. None is published.
— The street obstruction bond amount for tree service businesses. The code says only "in an amount set by the city."
— The acceptable species list, the invasive list and the legacy tree list, all of which live in the Urban Forest Management Plan rather than in the code.