Frequently Asked Questions

ATT – 800-288-2020 

ANIMAL CONTROL – 847-949-9925 

XFINITY – 866-594-1234 

UVERSE – 877-617-5980

PACE BUS – 224-735-8678 

COM ED – 800-334-7661 

COM ED OUTAGE REPORT – 800-376-7693

NS GAS – 866-556-6004

NICOR – 888-642-6748 

METRA – 312-322-6777 

LAKE COUNTY 847-377-2000

For water service or problems that may occur with your service, please contact Lake County Public Works at 847-377-7500.

Comcast Xfinity is available throughout the Village. 866-594-1234

AT&T U-verse is available is select areas throughout the Village. Contact 800-288-2020 to find out if the services are available in your area.

Unwired is available is select areas throughout the Village. Contact 800-288-2020 to find out if the services are available in your area.

Viasat is available throughout the Village. 844‌-‌605‌-‌2426

The Village has a contract with Waste Management (WM) for residential garbage and recycling collection, as well as for seasonal yard waste and food scrapping collection. (Businesses and residents who are part of a HOA or management company contract may have an agreement with an alternate provide.) Please call WM directly at 800-964-8988 to set up service. Yard waste and food scrap collection service runs from April to late November and can be purchased from Waste Management on a seasonal subscription or by purchasing pay-as-you-go stickers at the Village Hall, Sullivan Center, Walgreens, Mariano's and directly through Waste Management. Please note that all trash, garbage and yard waste containers must be stored out of public view except on the date of pick up. You must contact WM for special pickups if the items are large or do not get picked up on the regular route. Do not place items in the parkway until the day of pick up.

The daily fee for parking at the Metra Station is $1.75 per vehicle. Parking is first come first serve. The Village Hall offers a 2-Month parking pass for those who use the train on a daily basis that prefer to have the convenience of a pass rather than a $1.75 in change. The pass costs $55.00 and covers 2 months at a time. Note, however, that the fee will be pro-rated as each week passes within the two-month period. Applications may be mailed into the Village Hall along with a $55.00 check two weeks prior to the beginning of a new two-month period. Your application will be processed and a parking pass will be mailed back to you

Passport Parking mobile app

The free app will allow residents and commuters to pay for parking from a mobile device. The daily price remains $1.75 per day, but there's a 37¢ per transaction user charge. Commuters can pay each day or buy a wallet in the app to draw on as needed. Commuters will also be able to monitor the time remaining on their parking session, view payment history, receive email receipts of transactions and manage their account at ppprk.com. Monthly Metra passes or use of existing terminals is not affected. In addition to Vernon Hills, the app can also be used to pay for parking in more than 50 other suburbs.

The Village does not provide wildlife removal services or animal rescue. You may contact the following if service is needed:

• ABC Wildlife                       847-220-6008
• County Wildlife Control    847-949-5655
• Critter Control                    847-991-9909
• Illinois Wildlife Control      815-337-2719
• JD's Wildlife Services       847-769-9905
• Wildlife Services, Inc.       847-394-9800
• Animal Control Specialists   847-827-7800
• MPS Wildlife Sevices          847-867-1113
• Mayhem Restoration           224-489-7575
• Erosion Control Consulting Inc    815-970-4089
• Prime Time Wildlife Removal   708-323-5969

 Stray Cats: The Village of Vernon Hills recommends contacting Spay and Stay for free-roaming and/or abandoned domestic cats in our area. Spay and Stay uses a humane technique called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to control and reduce the population of unaltered cats. Call 847-289-4557 for more information.

The Village Hall offers Notary Services to the public free of charge, though availability of staff notaries and type of documents they may notarize is limited.  Vernon Hills Notary Service information  

Answer: Leaves, twigs, and branches that fall from trees become the responsibility of the property where they fall.  If a branch falls in your yard you would dispose of it. 

 When a house is damaged by a tree, the owner of the damaged house usually files an insurance claim.  Their insurance company may attempt to recover money from your insurance company.   The question of whether you are liable  depends on factors such as negligence, foreseeability, and whether the event was an act of nature. It's advisable to consult with a legal expert familiar with Illinois property law for specific guidance in such situations.

Answer: Generally, the law in Illinois allows you to trim a neighbor’s tree up to the shared property line.  Please be aware of the following: 

• Prune with care.  While you may have the right to prune the tree, you must do it in a reasonable manner  Pruning and/or root cutting should not cause unnecessary harm to the tree or compromise its structural integrity.

• Avoid trespassing. You can only trim a tree from your own property.  If you enter your neighbor’s property without permission to trim the tree it is considered trespassing. 

• Communication is key.  Speak with your neighbor to prevent a dispute.  They may not be aware that a branch is causing an issue on your property, and may prefer to trim the tree themselves.

• Legal disputes. If a friendly discussion doesn’t resolve the issue, legal action may be needed to address a dispute over tree trimming and/or property line disagreements.

• Consider using a professional.  Trimming a tree can be difficult and dangerous.  Using a professional tree service will ensure that the pruning is done properly and safely. 

Vehicle Stickers and Animal Tags are not required in the Village of Vernon Hills

Commuters may pay for parking on a daily basis at the electronic machines at the Metra Station, or through the Mobile Passport Parking Application, which can be downloaded for Andriod, or iOS devices.

Commuters may also purchase a bi-monthly parking pass for $55 to park in the Village's commuter parking facility.  More information on parking passes can be found here.

Lake County administers water service for Vernon Hills’ residents. Payments can be remitted through the mail, automatic direct debit or online. More information on water service can be found on the Lake County website.

The Village of Vernon Hills does not impose a local transfer tax on the purchase or sale of property. However, residents should be aware that there is a Lake County Transfer Tax. More information on the Lake County Tax can be found here.

The Village uses Waste Management (WM) for refuse and yard waste collection, who can be reached at (800) 964-8988. Rates are dependent on the size of refuse container requested and the frequency of collection. Specific guidelines can be found here.

To request copies of records, fill out a Freedom of Information Request form and submit it to:

Village Clerk's Office

290 Evergreen Drive

Vernon Hills, IL 60061

Cash or check only (no credit card pay options available), payable to the Village of Vernon Hills.

If you have an HOA, the requester can make contact to inquire if an approval is needed for the permit request.  Submit approval proof with permit at turn in time. CLICK HERE VH HOA LISTING

No – We just require copies of roofing, plumbing (055 and 058) and electrical licenses where the work is applicable to the permit you are requesting.

1 year from release date

~Mon-Fri: 7a-7p   ~Saturdays: 8a-5p  ~Sundays:  NO Construction Hours

If the project cost is over $100,000 a Certificate of Insurance is required.  It must show covering the property (General Liability and Workmen’s Comp), assigned to the Village of VH as the Certificate Holder and showing the Village of VH as an additional insured.

The completion bond is a guarantee that final inspections will be completed for the project. Once the project is completed and closed, this cash bond will be refunded to the payer, 3 to 5 weeks after final inspections are completed. All inspections have to be called in with permit number and scheduled by a designee of the permitted project to avoid forfeit/loss of the completion bond refund. The Village does not automatically set up inspections. (Refer to actual permit placard for permit number and phone number to call for inspections.) 

Over Counter (OTC) Permits – immediate release (can wait in lobby, if mailed/dropped off - up to 1 business day.

Roof, water heater, siding/soffit, sealcoat (no repair work), ac/furnace, irrigation, some valve changes, emergency sewer repair, rooftop hvac.

Residential projects with plan reviews can take 7-10 business days.  There are no expedited permit offerings, applications stay in order of received dates, to remain fair to all applicants.

Commercial plan reviews – up to 20 business days.  There are no expedited permit offerings, applications stay in order of received dates, to remain fair to all applicants.

1 - Mail in check with permit application and requirements, attention to Building Dept.

Release of permit – Mail in check to VVH, Attn: Building Dept, Memo area put project address – VVH will email scans of permit placard, receipts and plans to given email address. 

2 - Bring check with permit application and requirements, into vestibule basket/bin on table.

Release of permit – Drop check to VVH basket in envelope, Attn: Building Dept, Memo area put project address – VVH will email scans of permit placard, receipts and plans (pending size) to given email address. 

3 - Front desk service – Face covering, social distance and counter assistance behind window.

 The Village of Vernon Hills Building Department is available, Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm for permit releases.

4 -After 5pm or weekends:  To the right of the VH Village Hall entrance door (gray tower) is a drop box.

Email scans will include the following

Permit placard, receipts, reports, and stamped plans up to 11x17. Larger plans can be held at Village counter.

Applications are not be accepted via fax due to clarity issues.  Email applications are accepted as a complete packet and for the following permit types: no fee permits and no plan review fee permits containing 8.5x11 plan sizes with a total of 5 pages or less in the packet.  Choose mailing in or vestibule drop with check included for limited contact options.

Call (847) 367-3700 with PERMIT NUMBER ready – cut off time for next day inspections are 3:30pm.  We do not do same day inspections or on Saturdays or Sundays.

Please note that we are not always able to get incoming phone lines due to attending counter customers and/or multiple calls to the main number. Lunch breaks take place from 1130-2p, where staffing is decreased and counter customers tend to be higher at this time.  Your patience is appreciated.  If you are calling about inspections, you can call the main number before 3:30pm, and leave a message with your permit number and inspection needed. Outside inspections do not need anyone on site, make sure permit/plans are accessible and posted to inspector in a gallon ziploc bag.

VH Ordinances - CLICK HERE   Development Codes - CLICK HERE   

2018 International Building Code with local amendments                 2018 International Residential Code

2018 International Energy Conservation Code                                    2014 Illinois State Plumbing Code

2018 International Mechanical Code                                                    2017 National Electrical Code with local amendments

2018 International Fire Prevention Code with local amendments      2018 Illinois State Accessibility Code

2018 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments

All building permit fees can be found here - CLICK HERE.                           

Please find below fee calculation assistance for residential permits.  These fees are not applicable to new construction homes.

Please find below fee calculation assistance for commercial permit estimates.  However, only plan review fees are paid at time of submitting application packet.  Other fees noted, will come at approval notification time.

PLAN REV FEES - $75 or .002 x cost of job  $______________________           (Fee to pay when submitting application packet)

COMMERCIAL PERMIT FEES BELOW ARE NOTIFIED AT PERMIT APPROVAL TIME

WAIT TO GET CONFIRMATION OF FINAL AMOUNTS BEFORE PAYING IN ADVANCE

PERMITS                                                        COMPLETION BONDS 

1% cost of job/ $75 minimum                      < $5000 - $50         $5001-15,000 - $150          > $15001 – 1% ($5000 limit)

*Fire department fees range: $200.00 - $319.00, and up pending additional reviews or fire system/services.

*Engineer fees (sitework, commercial parking lots, landscape, certain building issues) can apply, if applicable.

Call (847) 367-3700 and you will be connected.  Inspectors do inspections during the day, so they can return calls when they are in the office.