Snow Removal

The City prohibits depositing snow on public right-of- way, including streets, sidewalks, aprons and other paved areas.

• Don’t: Plow or remove accumulated snow from a private parking lot or drive and deposit onto a City street or public right-of- way (negligible amounts of snow are allowed)
• Don’t: Shovel/plow snow in streets to an extent that they are unsafe to drive or not passable by pedestrians
• Don’t: Obstruct, harass, prevent or interfere with City workers providing snow removal services or with snow removal equipment
• Don’t: Plow or pile snow onto any portion of a marked handicapped parking space on public or private property.
• Do: If possible, place snow on area between sidewalk and curb, or yard/open space on your property (away from the street).

Penalties: Violators can face fines up to $750 for each offense. The penalty provision of this section shall be automatically applicable to and included in any ordinance that amends, corrects or adds to any title, chapter or section of this code 1

Every owner, lessee, tenant or occupant of any commercial property in the City that abuts any public right-of-way must:

• Remove snow and ice from sidewalks abutting your property and make attempts to provide clear a path the full width of the sidewalk. It must be at least 36 inches wide to allow for pedestrian and wheelchair passage.
• Remove snow 2+ more inches as soon as practicable, and no later than 24 hours after the weather event ends.
• If snow or ice on the sidewalk is frozen and cannot be removed without damage to the pavement, then, within 24 hours after the weather event ends, take measures to mitigate hazards by using sand, abrasive material or other products. As soon as the weather permits, thoroughly clear and clean the sidewalk.

Penalties: Fines range from $250 - $750 and violators face risk of paying the City the full cost to remove the snow plus a 25% administrative fee. Failure to pay fees can result in a lien against the property and other punitive damages necessary to collect fees. The City can issue citations for violations to the owner of the property involved, to the industry or firm which acts as an agent for any such owner, and to a lessee, tenant or occupant of any commercial property involved.

Several government agencies construct, maintain and repair roads in Des Plaines, and you can identify which agency is responsible by the color and wording of the street sign posted on that road.

The City’s Department of Public Works and Engineering maintains all public streets, which are marked with green signs featuring white letters and the Des Plaines logo.

The State of Illinois maintains designated state routes, identified by white signs with black letters and the word “Illinois.” For questions or concerns, contact IDOT at 800.452.4368.

Cook County is responsible for Dempster/Thacker Street (west of Wolf Road), East River Road, Mount Prospect Road and Potter Road (north of Ballard Road). These roads are marked by blue signs with yellow “Cook County” lettering.

To report an issue, call their 24-hour line at 312-603-1600 or email HWY.supt@cookcountyil.gov.

The Village of Mount Prospect maintains Central Road west of Wolf Road. For assistance, contact the Village Public Works Department at 847-870-5640.

To contact or report utility problems and outages, the following utilities provide services in Des Plaines:

• Astound Cable 800-427-8686
• AT&T 800-288-2020
• Comcast/Xfinity Cable 800-934-6489
• Commonwealth Edison 800-334-7661
• LRS 844-NEED-LRS (844-633-3577)
• Northern Illinois Gas (NICOR) 888-642-6748