Illinois homeowner rules by city
26 city rules for Illinois homeowners in 20 cities and towns, across 8 topics. Each one is tied to an official city or utility source.
Selling a home in Illinois? See what Illinois cities require before a sale.
Jump to: Sidewalk repair · Sump pump discharge · Sewer bill credits · RV & trailer parking · Snowplow mailbox damage · Sidewalk snow removal · Frozen water lines · Sprinkler backflow testing
Sidewalk repair
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Belleville | Cost-share program | Belleville's residential sidewalk replacement program has the city pay 70% and the homeowner 30%. |
| Chicago | Cost-share program | Chicago's Shared Cost Sidewalk Program lets owner-occupants pay a set rate per square foot, well below private contractor prices |
| Itasca | Cost-share program | Itasca splits the cost of eligible sidewalk sections 50/50, with a small yearly budget handed out first-come, first-served. |
| Princeton | Cost-share program | Princeton, Illinois replaces sidewalks on a 50/50 basis |
| Woodstock | Program proposed | Woodstock proposed a sidewalk cost-share program in March 2026 that would pay most of the cost of hazardous sidewalks |
Sidewalk repair in other states
Sump pump discharge
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Prospect | Allowed with conditions | Mount Prospect requires sump pump discharge to end no more than 5 feet from the foundation and at least 5 feet from the lot line |
| South Elgin | Allowed with a permit | South Elgin requires groundwater sump pumps to connect to a storm sewer, ditch or storm drainage system, never the sanitary sewer. |
| Sugar Grove | Street discharge limited by season | Sugar Grove bans sump pump discharge onto the village right-of-way from November 1 to May 1, when water can freeze on streets and walks |
| Urbana | Allowed with conditions | Urbana bans sump pump discharge to the sanitary sewer and onto streets or sidewalks where it creates a hazard |
| Wadsworth | Allowed with conditions | Wadsworth makes it unlawful to direct sump pump water onto a neighbor's land unless the village engineer approves it. |
Sump pump discharge in other states
Sewer bill credits
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | Deduct meter allowed | Lebanon, Illinois lets customers buy an approved deduct meter from the city for an outside faucet, and deducts that water from sewer charges once a ye |
Sewer bill credits in other states
RV & trailer parking
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Rockford | Parking limits apply | Rockford allows one recreational vehicle stored outside, on a paved surface in the side or rear yard, at least 6 feet from the side property line |
RV & trailer parking in other states
Snowplow mailbox damage
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Antioch | Only if the plow hits it | Antioch reimburses up to $75 for each mailbox made unusable when a village plow strikes it, if Public Works cannot reasonably repair or replace it |
| Huntley | Reimbursement available | Huntley replaces plow-damaged mailboxes with a standard box and post, or pays up to $45 if you do the replacement yourself. |
| Itasca | Plow hit or plowed snow | Itasca reimburses up to $100 for mailboxes damaged by village snow plows, from direct or indirect damage |
| Lake Villa | Reimbursement available | Lake Villa pays a maximum of $50 toward replacing a mailbox damaged by snow removal operations. |
| South Holland | Only if the plow hits it | South Holland reimburses the cost of its standard village mailbox or post when village plowing damages yours |
| Sugar Grove | Only if the plow hits it | Sugar Grove reimburses mailbox damage caused by village equipment, but not damage from the windrow of snow coming off the plow. |
| Wadsworth | Reimbursement available | Wadsworth repairs, replaces or reimburses plow-damaged mailboxes up to $100, but only if the mailbox was properly maintained. |
Snowplow mailbox damage in other states
Sidewalk snow removal
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Antioch | About 24 hours | Antioch requires the lesser of 72 inches or the full sidewalk width to be cleared within 24 hours |
| Chicago | Set time of day | Chicago requires owners to shovel as soon as possible |
| Naperville | 48 hours | Naperville requires sidewalks to be cleared within 48 hours after a storm that drops more than 2 inches of snow or leaves ice. |
Sidewalk snow removal in other states
Frozen water lines
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer City | City thaws or credits | Farmer City makes the homeowner responsible for frozen lines from the B-box to the home |
| Hampshire | City thaws or credits | Hampshire charges a flat $150 to thaw a freeze on the owner's section of pipe, waives it if the freeze is on the village side, and splits the cost 50/ |
Frozen water lines in other states
Sprinkler backflow testing
| City | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Geneva | Test every year | Geneva requires residential irrigation backflow devices to be tested when installed and every year after |
| South Holland | Test every year | South Holland requires residential lawn irrigation backflow devices to be tested on or before May 31 every year. |
Sprinkler backflow testing in other states
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