Permits & Ordinances
Not for a tree wholly on your own lot; the Jacksonville, Illinois Tree Ordinance is plain about it (checked September 29, 2026). But “no permit” isn’t “no rules.” Here are Jacksonville’s, plus the towns around Morgan County.
Start Here
Inside Jacksonville, IL, a tree standing entirely on private property, any size or species, living or dead, comes down without a city permit. The Jacksonville Tree Ordinance (Chapter 27, Article IV; Ordinance 98-O-1) puts its permit rules in § 27-87, and they cover city trees and trees that could fall on city property. A back-yard bur oak isn’t one.
The catch is how far that reaches. The strip between sidewalk and curb, the sidewalk and the street are all city property, so a front-yard maple hanging over the walk is covered. The text is at library.municode.com/il/jacksonville; treat this page as a map, not a ruling, and ask the forestry advisor’s office at City Hall about odd cases.
§ 27-87 — Where Written Permission Applies
Section 27-87 says only the forestry advisor, the advisor’s agent or a city contractor may do three things without the advisor’s written permission:
Penalties under § 27-90 can include the tree’s replacement value, and a mature street oak appraises high. A tree we can drop entirely inside the lot needs no OK; one leaning over the street or close enough to reach the curb does. We check the lean and rigging plan, then make the request at City Hall before anyone climbs.
§ 27-1 — Ask for the Sticker
This one’s about the company. Under § 27-1, nobody may cut trees for hire and haul them off without a City of Jacksonville license, renewed yearly for each hauling vehicle. Each vehicle gets a sticker, and the company files insurance and workers’ comp proof with the city clerk.
Morgan County Tree Co. is licensed, sticker and all. Ask every bidder for theirs. A storm-chaser from two counties over without one is working illegally in city limits, and without the insurance you want on file when a trunk swings over your roof.
§ 27-88 and § 17-12 — Public Nuisances
Jacksonville won’t make you remove a healthy tree, but it can make you remove a dead one. Under § 27-88 and § 17-12, four kinds of trees on private property are public nuisances:
The city may inspect (§ 17-1), refer the tree to the forestry advisor and order it abated. Here that mostly means borer-killed ash, which is dying, hosts the insect, and soon turns brittle enough to be an imminent danger. Taking it down on your schedule beats a notice.
§§ 27-59 and 27-60
Under §§ 27-59 and 27-60, weeds, grass and “unmaintained and undesired growth” over 6 inches must be cut, and saplings count, so next summer’s maple and mulberry seedlings do too. After 5 days’ notice the city cuts and bills, and § 27-62 allows a lien. Plan to sod, seed or mow a cleared lot the same season; bare prairie ground is knee-high by the Fourth of July.
Chapter 12 — What Happens to the Wood
Chapter 12 counts any tree or limb 1 inch or thicker as “trees” (§ 12-1), and sets three rules:
A contractor owns its debris, so our estimates include haul-off and chipping. It all leaves with us that day, tied down, unless you’re keeping firewood.
§ 11-163 — Open Burning Inside the City
In Jacksonville it’s chip or haul. Section 11-163 bans burning grass, leaves and yard waste in the city; branches may only go in a “recreational fire” under 3 feet across and 3 feet high, 50 feet from any structure, dawn to dusk. That’s a fire pit, not a brush pile. Leaf burning is banned except on city-named days (§ 12-142).
Outside city limits, Illinois generally allows burning landscape waste where it grew, under distance and fire-district conditions we won’t quote. Ask your fire protection district first, and skip windy prairie days.
Morgan County and neighbors
| Town | Tree-removal permit on a home lot? | What we found | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Jacksonville (village, Morgan County) | Own village code; no home-lot tree permit found. | The village borders the city but has its own ordinances. Jacksonville’s § 27-87 and trimmer license stop at the city line. | Call the village office before taking out a big tree, especially by the street. |
| Virginia (Cass seat), Winchester (Scott seat) (county seats) | Own city codes; no home-lot tree permit found. | Each county seat publishes its own code. Not read section by section; nuisance, dead-tree and street-clearance rules like these are typical. | Check with the city office. |
| Waverly, White Hall, Roodhouse (cities) | Own city codes; no home-lot tree permit found. | Small-city codes around here mostly cover dead and hazard trees, overgrown lots and street clearance, not permits for private trees. | Ask at the city office before cutting near the street. |
| Woodson, Lynnville, Chapin, Murrayville, Concord, Franklin, Meredosia (Morgan County villages), Arenzville, Ashland (Cass), Manchester, Bluffs (Scott), New Berlin (Sangamon) (villages) | No tree permit found. | Village codes, where published, cover weeds, nuisance trees and debris. Not read section by section. | Confirm with the village office. Burning follows your fire protection district. |
| Literberry, Alexander (unincorporated Morgan County) | No tree permit found. | No village code; Morgan County rules apply, and we found no county tree ordinance. | Check with the county office; deed restrictions or covenants, if any, also apply. Burning follows your fire protection district. |
Our Part
No, as long as it stands wholly on your lot and nothing could fall on the street, sidewalk or other city property. Size and species don't matter to § 27-87. If the crown overhangs the walk or the tree leans streetward, the forestry advisor's written OK comes first, and we'll request it.
The utility handles trees along its lines, and the forestry advisor and city contractors handle parkway trees (§ 27-87). Trees on your side of the service drop are yours, but we won't work within reach of a live line without the utility. Limb on a wire? Stay back, call the utility, then us.
Not if it fell from your lot and landed inside your lot. If it's partly in the street or on the sidewalk, or what's left standing could fall there, the forestry advisor's office at City Hall should hear about it, and we'll call with you. Take photos for insurance, stay clear of wires, and ring us.
Jacksonville, Illinois Municipal Code on Municode (library.municode.com/il/jacksonville): Chapter 27 Vegetation, § 27-1 (license for tree trimmers), §§ 27-58 through 27-62 (weeds and unmaintained growth; 6-inch rule, notice, city cuts and bills, lien) and Article IV, the “Jacksonville Tree Ordinance,” Ord. 98-O-1, §§ 27-83 through 27-91 (§ 27-87 permits and written permission; § 27-88 public nuisances; § 27-90 penalties); Chapter 17 Nuisances, §§ 17-1, 17-11 and 17-12 (inspection and abatement; dead, diseased and dangerous trees).
Chapter 12 Garbage and Refuse, §§ 12-1, 12-4 through 12-6, 12-85 and 12-142 (definition of trees; hauling fastened; severed trees left lying; drop-off stations residents-only; leaf burning); Chapter 11 Article VI, § 11-163 (open burning; recreational fire limits). All read 2026-09-29. Outside the city limits, Illinois open-burning rules govern landscape-waste burning subject to fire-district conditions; no figures quoted. Fold-in towns and unincorporated places: own codes, not read section by section; no home-lot tree permit found; see the table.
Re-verify yearly: next check due September 2027, or sooner if the city amends its vegetation, nuisance, refuse or open-burning ordinances.
No permit for your own-lot tree in Jacksonville, IL. We'll still check the street-side line and debris rules at a free estimate.
Type your town or ZIP and we'll tell you if the truck comes your way.