What we take on
Private trees in Hoffman Estates: the ones in your yard, along your drive, over your fence line and in the back of your lot. Each service is described page by page under the links at the end of this page.
Chemical tree treatment is a separate trade. The code bars anyone other than Public Works or a Village contractor from removing a street tree without a permit from the Director of Public Works.1
What to describe on the first call
A short description on the call covers what we need to know:
- What the tree is doing: a new lean, a crack, a dead crown, a limb down, bark falling, mushrooms at the base.
- Roughly how big: height to the top, trunk width at waist level.
- What stands under it: house, garage, fence, driveway, cars, the service wire.
- Anything near a power line.
- The gate width on the way in.
A tree on a wire is a safety call first: stay back and keep people, pets and cars clear; if anyone is hurt, or a line is down, sparking or burning, call 911; then report the limb to ComEd at 1-800-334-7661.2
When a line is involved
ComEd lists routes for trees near pole-to-pole lines on a property: ComEd's own line clearance trimmers clear around the lines so a private contractor can do the rest, a free line maintenance investigation can see whether the lines can be de-energized, or a line clearance qualified contractor can handle the work under ANSI Z133.1 at the owner's cost.3 ComEd trims trees and vegetation along its lines on regular four-year cycles, with its contractors pruning to the ANSI A300 standard using directional pruning that steers growth away from the wires.4
On any digging, state law says the person doing the digging must notify JULIE, not the homeowner or company the work is for.5 JULIE's tolerance zone is 18 inches on either side of a marked line plus the line's width;6 inside it, JULIE says to dig beside the marks by hand, pot-holing or vacuum excavation.
Tree work in Hoffman Estates
The Village maintains parkway trees only; it says trees on private property are the homeowner's responsibility and points residents to a private contractor for removal or trimming.7 The parkway and private sides, with the ComEd routes beside them, each have their own write-up on the tree rules page listed at the end.
The village sits in both Cook and Kane Counties.8 About 61 percent of the village's housing units were built from 1950 through 1979,9 and fewer than 450 were built before 1950.
More than 6,000 ash trees have been removed by Public Works and contractors after emerald ash borer, with the ash still standing the ones residents and homeowners associations have treated.7 The Village is removing and replacing silver maple and Siberian elm parkway trees: about 425 parkway trees were marked for removal in 2026, with at least two weeks' notice before a nearby parkway tree comes down.10
How to check any tree service in Hoffman Estates
Questions worth asking any crew:
- Who calls JULIE before any digging?
- Is the crew near the wires line clearance qualified?
- What pruning standard do the climbers follow?
- Do you top trees?
- Can I check the credentials with whoever issued them?
- Is the wood plan written on the quote?
For what moves a quote in Hoffman Estates, the drivers include height, access, what sits under the tree, the stump, the wood and the storm risk. The guides at the end carry those in detail.