GENERAL QUESTIONS

  • ChiStreetWork is the City of Chicago’s infrastructure map portal. You can see all of the work done on your block here.

  • A pothole is formed when street surfaces freeze, thaw and crack, allowing water to seep under the pavement. As that water freezes and thaws, it causes an expansion in the surface crack, creating what we see as potholes. Potholes usually occur in traffic lanes and are normally irregular in shape and size. They also tend to be relatively shallow holes unless ignored, and the base of the street is still observable. The city fills potholes on a rolling basis, with large-scale blitzes taking place in the spring. You can report a pothole to the Department of Transportation using 311.

    If your street or alley is in a state of severe deterioration, and you feel as if resurfacing is warranted, please fill out a menu fund request and our office will review the request.

  • In order to effectively provide, manage and upgrade city infrastructure and services, the city will at times impose parking restrictions for areas undergoing maintenance. While we know these restrictions can be frustrating, our office can work to provide relief if you feel as if a project is not being undertaken during the allocated dates and times, or if you feel as if the restricted area is larger than what is necessary.

    Additionally, if you are going out of town, and would like to know if you may be exposed to upcoming restrictions, please contact our office and we will do our best to assist. Please note, emergency repairs do at times happen, and restrictions can be put up immediately to allow for necessary repairs. Therefore, we would encourage residents leaving town for long periods of time to attempt to secure private parking to avoid any risks.

  • All light repair requests are handled through the city's 311 system. Generally, entire block outages have the highest priority, with street lights and then alley lights following. Timelines for repairs can vary, as they are dependant on the number of open requests and types of requests made. However, a general rule of thumb is up to 4 days for an entire block repair, up to 30 days for a single street light and up to 90 days for a single alley light. If you feel as if your request is not being adequately attended to, please feel free to contact our office for assistance.

  • Each year, Chicago's aldermen are allocated roughly $1.3 million of discretionary funds to use for infrastructure repairs and enhancements throughout the ward. While these funds are generally used for road restoration, they can also be used for alley resurfacing, sidewalk repairs, pedestrian improvements, street light installation, and other requests.

    Our office reviews and surveys each individual request, and after consultation with the Chicago Department of Transportation, we submit an annual list of projects to be considered. If you would like to submit a request, please use our online form or contact our office.

STREETS & SANITATION

  • Occasionally, city crews will miss a refuse or recycling pickup. While such a scenario is rare, and is normally the result of external factors, please contact our office if you experience a missed pickup. We will work with Streets and Sanitation to have an immediate pickup arranged.

    Please note – During select city holidays, refuse and recycling may not be collected on your normal day of pickup. During a week of a major holiday, please leave your carts out for the entirety of the week until they are collected.

  • To request new, replacement or additional carts for your residence, please use the city's 311 system. The City supplies more than 1.5 million, heavy duty plastic 96-gallon garbage carts to single-family residences and apartment buildings of four units or less. For new service, you must first contact the city's Utility Billing Department to verify your household is paying the City's garbage fee. You will not receive carts if you are not actively paying this fee.

    The same applies for blue carts. Please note that when a blue cart is requested, the city will exchange it for an existing black cart on site to assure there is room. Therefore, for each blue cart requested, you will lose one black cart.

  • Chicago utilizes mechanical street sweepers to remove debris and litter from streets.

    From April 1st through mid-November, bright orange temporary parking restrictions are posted at least 24 hours before sweeping service is scheduled to begin on any street to ensure curb-to-curb cleaning. Some arterial streets have permanently posted signs that specify a once-per-week period when parking is prohibited for street sweeping.

    Residents can view street sweepers in real time using the Sweeper Tracker online tool.

  • Thanks to additional funding, the DSS Bureau of Forestry has increased its tree trimming crews and has the capacity to move to a citywide area tree trimming program beginning Spring 2023. This means crews are able to trim all trees in one geographic area at the same time, creating a more efficient and equitable process for Chicago residents, and allowing for the proper maintenance of the City’s overall urban tree canopy.

    The Bureau of Forestry’s goal is to operate weekly in every ward during the tree trimming season (generally April - December), barring any emergency weather incidents. Similar to street sweeping notification, trees will be posted with signage in advance of tree trimming.

    If you have an emergency tree request, such as a parkway tree blocking the street, sidewalk, or alley, and/or a parkway tree on a car, house, or garage, please contact 311.

  • The City engages in an active and comprehensive rodent control strategy. This strategy includes investigating every logged complaint, replacing damaged black carts, and placing rodenticide into rat burrows. The Department of Streets & Sanitation needs the cooperation of residents to keep alleys rat free. You can help by making sure your trash is properly contained, as exposed garbage is the primary reason rodents proliferate. To request your alley to be baited, call 311 or visit their online portal.

BUILDING ISSUES

  • The City has an online portal where residents can verify the status of a particular building permit at any address within Chicago. To access this portal, click here. If you have reason to believe an improvement or new construction is being done without a permit, or that the scope of work exceeds that authorized by the permit, please file a building complaint through 311. In addition, it is helpful to also contact our office so we are made aware of violations and can monitor the situation.

  • Many projects in Chicago need permits, including some minor interior renovations. To understand if you may need a permit, the city has provided a handy document that can be viewed here. In addition, you may always contact the Department of Buildings at (312) 744-3449 for further information

  • Generally speaking, construction related activities that produce extensive noise are prohibited between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Crews are allowed to work outside of these hours as long as the undertaken work does not involve the use of any mechanical equipment or tools powered by fuel or electric power. If the work is emergency in nature, or is a public improvement authorized by a government body or agency, these limits may not apply.

    If you experience construction related noise that is in violation of the City’s noise ordinance, please contact our office and we will speak with the contractor directly. Additionally, if the violation is negatively affecting your well-being, we urge you to contact 911, as a violation of the noise ordinance constitutes a crime.

VACANT LOTS

  • The City's Department of Streets and Sanitation is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of our city’s vacant lots. Each lot within the city is on a mowing cycle, and will be attended to on a rolling basis. If you feel a lot near your home has not been attended to in an adequate amount of time, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

  • If you are interested in purchasing a city-owned vacant lot, please contact our office. All purchases are thoroughly vetted and it is our desire that these lots be sold to residents within the community and whom are interested in actively creating residential opportunities.

SNOW MANAGEMENT

  • It is the responsibility of each homeowner, landlord, or resident (depending on the arrangement stipulated in a lease) to clear the sidewalk of snow no later than by 10 a.m. the day after snowfall. Violators of the City's ordinance can face fines of up to $500 per day of violation.

    If you are aware of a residence or business that actively violates this ordinance on a frequent basis, please contact our office. Our Ward Superintendent will work with the residence or business to rectify the situation at hand.

  • The City is responsible for maintaining winter roadway safety for a route system of more than 9,400 lane miles. During a snow program, Streets & Sanitation’s first priority is to clear main routes and Lake Shore Drive. Once arterial streets are patrolled and deemed safe is generally when Snow Command turns their attention to side streets.

    The City has a handy live plow tracker for tracking the location of the City’s plows. The tracker can be accessed here.

    If you believe your street has not been adequately cleared of snow, please contact our office and we will have the area surveyed.

    Please note, the city does not plow public alleys.

PERMITS: Parties, Moving, Yard Sales

  • All block parties need a permit. This permit is free of charge and can be accessed here or in our office. Please return completed forms to our office at least one week in advance of the event.

  • Our office can supply temporary No Parking signs to any current or future resident that needs to secure parking for moving purposes. These signs are valid for one day and can be obtained by visiting our office. In order to obtain one, please provide us with:

    Your ID (you can send us a picture if you'd like us to email you the signs, or show it to us in the office if you'd like us to hand you the signs)

    The 4th Ward address you're moving to

    The maximum 5-hour window during which you'll be moving

    Your phone number

    You can submit these to ward04@cityofchicago.org

  • To obtain a permit for a yard sale, fill out this form and email it to our office at ward04@cityofchicago.orgwith the subject line "Yard Sale Permit Form." Read more about the policy here.

    You can submit these to ward04@cityofchicago.org