Which Schaumburg lots need a tree removal permit
The Village's guide1 says all other properties, vacant lots included, need permit approval before trees can be removed. It names commercial properties, common areas within planned unit developments, and single-family lots where the existing structure will be demolished and replaced as requiring a permit.
What the Village considers when a permit applies
Schaumburg's guide says at least one of four conditions must be present for tree removal approval: a safety hazard to pedestrians, buildings, or vehicular traffic; diseased, weakened, or dead trees; adherence to good forestry practice and overcrowding; or invasive species. The Village's code lists among invasives buckthorn, black locust, Siberian elm, Chinese elm, slippery elm, and box elder.2
The guide1 notes that any required replacement is noted on the approved permit, with replacement material installed within 12 months of the approved removal. The Village also requires that any contractor hired to do the work obtain a Contractor's Business License from Schaumburg before the permit is issued; licenses are valid through December 31 of each year.
Handling a tree emergency in Schaumburg
When a tree presents imminent danger from fire, a motor vehicle accident, lightning, windstorm, ice storm, or flooding, Schaumburg's code2 says a verbal emergency permit will be issued by the community development director or designee without formal application. This applies to trees the section protects, not the exempt house lots.
If the director or designee is unavailable, the code says it is lawful to proceed with the removal, and the person doing so must document the emergency by photography or videotape and report to the Community Development Department within two business days.
If a storm leaves a tree or limb against a power line, treat the wire as live, stay away and keep others away. A line that is down, sparking, or on fire, or an injury on the scene, means calling 9113 immediately. To report a broken limb lying on a ComEd line4 or likely to fall on one, call ComEd at 1-800-334-7661.
ComEd5 cautions homeowners not to trim trees or climb near power lines without precautions, recommends hiring a qualified contractor as the safer approach, and warns that a line, or a branch lying on one, can cause serious injury or death with even brief contact.
Parkway trees in Schaumburg
Service requests for parkway trees1 go to Engineering & Public Works, either by dialing 311 or through the online Customer Service Request system. Parkway tree work, including removal, belongs to the Village.
The Village replaces parkway ash trees in the order they were removed,6 and offers a Fall 2026 cost-share option to a resident who wants a tree planted sooner; request participation through 311 or the Customer Service Request form.
Dead trees and ash on private land
Village inspectors will make every effort to notify private property owners of an ash tree on their property. Once an ash tree is declining, the Village's guidance is to remove it. Emerald ash borer larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, the Village's trees page6 explains, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients; infested ash trees will usually die after a few years of noticeable decline.
Trees infected with a fatal tree disease, as confirmed by a laboratory, or infested by a destructive pest are a public nuisance under Schaumburg's nuisance code,7 which names the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth as destructive pests. Owners may not maintain or permit a nuisance tree on their property; they must remove it. After written notice from the Village, an owner has 10 calendar days7 to comply, or additional time the Village grants in writing. If the owner does not act, the Village may remove the tree and assess the cost against the owner.
Trimming, overpruning, and stump work
The Village's guide notes that tree trimming must follow village regulations and forestry standards. Trees that have been overpruned may be subject to removal, fines and replacements.
Before any stump grinding, excavating, grading, or below-surface work, Schaumburg's guide says the applicant is responsible for notifying JULIE. When hiring a tree removal contractor, the Village6 recommends getting several quotes and says the contractor should have a Schaumburg contractor's license.
Brush pickup in Schaumburg
Single-family residents can set branches at the curb for scheduled pickup with no call needed. The cut end of each branch must point toward the curb,8 and branches must be 8 inches or less in diameter at the cut end; length is unrestricted for the regular brush program. Material needs to be out by 7 a.m. on Monday of the collection zone's scheduled week.
Yard waste runs from April 1 through the second full week of December, collected the same day as garbage and recycling, for single-family homes. Bundles go out at no more than 4 feet long, 2 feet in diameter, and 50 pounds; branches must be 3 inches in diameter or less.9 Branches over 5 inches in diameter, stumps, and other debris exceeding 2 cubic yards at a stop require a special pickup, which the Village code10 says the owner or tenant must arrange.
Wind reports in Schaumburg
Trees, limbs or branches appear in 15 of 24 NOAA Storm Events11 wind entries for Schaumburg from 1996 through 2026. Eleven of those 15 rows are from 2016 or later.
A June 10, 2026, entry for a location 1.63 miles northeast of Schaumburg describes a tree blown down onto an apartment building. On July 4, 2022, a report placed 0.71 miles south-southeast of the Village describes a tree that fell onto a house on the 200 block of East Beech Drive.
Schaumburg's housing
The Census American Community Survey data12 shows about 12,589 of the Village's 33,346 units, about 38 percent, from the 1970s, the single largest decade in the housing stock; the median year built is 1979. About 63 percent of the Village's households own their home, per Census estimates.13