Recognizing 25 years since the Amtrak Train Derailment in Bourbonnais. Visit the new memorial site here.

Public Works

General

How do I contact the Public Works Department?

For your convenience, you may contact the Public Works Department during regular business hours Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at 815-937-0817, in-person at 255 Mooney Dr. or via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What Public Works services are provided to me as a resident of the Village of Bourbonnais?

The Public Works department is responsible for the maintenance of Village streets (including, but not limited to, street cleaning, repairing potholes, resurfacing of streets and repairing curbs), parks, municipal buildings and grounds. You may contact Public Works regarding any questions/issues relating to brush pick-up, snow removal, Village parks/pavilions, Christmas tree collection, the 50/50 sidewalk program and the like.

What are the hours for Village parks?

Park hours are from dawn to dusk. No one is permitted in the parks after dusk.

Who picks up my yard waste, leaves, grass, etc.?

Grass, leaves and small branches are picked up by the Village-contracted refuse company. Please contact Allied Waste at 815-472-3332 for any special arrangements or pick-ups. The Public Works Department and Code Enforcement office would like to remind Bourbonnais residents of the ordinance regarding Depositing Leaves into the Roadway (Ordinance, Sec. 29-12), which reads as follows:

  • Sec. 29-12. Deposits on streets.
  • (a) It shall be unlawful to deposit on any street any material which may be harmful to the pavement thereof, or any waste material, leaves, grass or rubbish, or any glass, or articles which may cause injury to any person, animal or property. (Code 1973, Sec. 23-12)
  • To review the full code of ordinances click the button below:
    Municipal Code

How do I properly dispose of my yard waste, leaves, grass, etc.?

Yard waste service is provided from March 31st through November 30th on your regular garbage pick-up day.

There are three ways to dispose of your yard waste:

PLEASE NOTE: Tree branches in excess of two inches in diameter will not be removed. Tree branches must be bundled in a maximum 2 feet in diameter and 4 feet in length and should weigh no more than 40 lbs. If you need brush pick-up, you can find more information on the Public Works page:

Public Works Department

How can I properly dispose of my Christmas tree?

The Public Works Department assists homeowners in the collection of post-holiday Christmas trees. Since residents take down their trees at different times following the holiday, you may bring the tree to your nearest park where it will be removed by a Public Works team member.  

PLEASE NOTE: Before taking the tree to the park, residents are asked to remove all lights, wires, ornaments, tinsel and other decorations as a safety precaution. No artificial trees will be collected.

Who is responsible for the sidewalk in front of my residence? What is the 50/50 Sidewalk Program?

The sidewalk is the responsibility of each homeowner. The Village of Bourbonnais 50/50 Sidewalk Program offers owners of residential, single-family properties with an opportunity to replace defective sidewalks for up to half of the total cost of replacement. Sorry, this program is not available for commercial properties.

Applications can be downloaded by clicking the button below:
50/50 Sidewalk Program Application

Following receipt of a completed application from the property owner between May 1st through July 1st either in-person at the Public Works Department 255 Mooney Dr. or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.:

  • Public Works will inspect the sidewalk to determine if it qualifies for the 50/50 program.
  • If the sidewalk is determined to be eligible for replacement, a proposal for the repair will be issued to the property owner. The property owner may then decide whether to proceed. Sidewalk replacement will not be scheduled until payment via cash, check or credit card is received.
  • If the sidewalk is determined to not be defective, it will not qualify for the program.
  • The project will be coordinated and performed by the Village of Bourbonnais or Village-appointed representatives.
  • PLEASE NOTE: This program is available on a first come, first served basis until the annual funding is exhausted.

Who and what is eligible for the 50/50 Sidewalk Program?

Participation is open to all property owners in the corporate limits of the Village of Bourbonnais. Eligible sidewalks are those in the public right-of-way. Private sidewalks, driveways or curb repair are not eligible. Any work performed by an independent contractor will not be eligible for reimbursement. Sorry, this program is not available for commercial properties.

What is the cost of replacement for my sidewalk?

Sidewalks vary in width and length as well as material costs and site preparation varies with each location. The best estimate will be provided during an on-site visit once the material and labor costs are calculated.

Where can I find a current list of Village ordinances?

All Village of Bourbonnais ordinances can be found by clicking the button below:
Municipal Code

For your added convenience, the municipal codes are located underneath the Residents, Businesses, Government and Development tabs on the Village of Bourbonnais website.

 

Brush Pick-Up

What is the difference between yard waste and brush pickup?

Yard waste collection is provided weekly by Republic Services and is collected on the day of your regularly-scheduled garbage pickup. Learn more here.

Brush pickup is a monthly service provided by the Village of Bourbonnais Public Works team. Learn more here.

Please see the attachment below for materials accepted for each service.

Yard Waste vs. Brush?

Where can I find the current brush pick-up schedule?

Click the button below to view/download the current map and schedule
BRUSH PICK-UP MAP & CALENDAR

Schedules may also be picked up at the Public Works Department located at 255 Mooney Dr., Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., or the Administration Building located at 600 Main St. NW, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

How does the brush pick-up schedule work?

The Village is divided into (4) four different areas. Each area is color coded and has correlating subdivisions listed. Brush can be placed at the curb with branches facing the same direction by 7am on your scheduled pickup date. We ask that brush is not placed out sooner than the weekend before your scheduled pickup date and that it is not protruding into the street.

If you are unsure which subdivision or area your residence belongs to, we will be happy to assist you! Please contact the Public Works Department at 815-937-0817, in-person at 255 Mooney Dr. or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

When does brush pick-up begin?

Residential property brush pick-up begins with Area One in mid-April and takes place on Wednesdays through October. New schedules are published annually mid-March in The Daily Journal local newspaper. The schedule is also available on the Village of Bourbonnais website for instant downloading or copies may be picked up at either the Public Works Department 255 Mooney Dr. or at the Administration Building 600 Main St. NW during regular business hours. Sorry, no commerical property brush pickup available.

What can be included in the provided brush pickup service?

The Public Works Department picks up shrubs, bushes and tree limbs. Tree limbs must be less than 6” wide with no limit in length. Bushes and shrubs are to have the root cut off. Once the root is cut off and dirt is removed from the root, then it may be placed at the curb for pick up.

Please note any brush pile small enough to fit inside your yard waste receptacle will be picked up by the contacted refuse company on your scheduled day for garbage pickup. Public Works will not pick up anything in containers.

Do you accept full trees or trees cut by anyone other than the homeowner?

Unfortunately full trees will not be accepted and/or anything cut by anyone other than the homeowner will not be picked up by the Village. Furthermore, any pile larger than a pickup truck will not be accepted.

In addition to brush, do you pick-up railroad ties or wood?

The Public Works Department does not pick-up anything other than bushes, shrubs and/or tree branches. If you have wood or other similar materials, please contact your local refuse company or a removal company to arrange for proper removal and disposal of items in question.

 

Snow Removal

When will my street be plowed?

Main routes and streets are designated as the first for snow removal to provide maximum travel safety for the largest amount of motorists in the quickest manner possible (examples include Route 45/52, Route 102 and Armour Road/Latham Drive). This is followed by collector streets, residential streets and cul-de-sacs.

Due to the variances and extremities of each winter storm, it is unfortunately not possible to provide an exact time for clearing individual streets or addresses.  Weather conditions such as blowing or drifting snow and additional weather-related events make exact predictions difficult.

When is parking prohibited on Village streets?

Reference Village Ordinance Section 19-82 – Parking After Snowfall
Municipal Code

It shall be unlawful for any person to park a motor vehicle on any public street or to permit a motor vehicle which has been parked to remain on any public street in the Village at any time within 24 hours after a snow fall of three inches or more has occurred or where snow drifts in excess of 12 inches in depth have accumulated unless the snow has been plowed off or otherwise removed from the street.

Why are cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets last in the snow removal order?

The prioritization for snow clearing is set to provide safe travel for as many people as possible in the quickest manner. By beginning with the major routes and proceeding to residential streets, the biggest impact is possible for maximum safety.

The plow left some snow at the end of my driveway; can someone return to plow it out?

Unfortunately there are thousands of driveways along the snow removal route which may incur snow overflow into drive openings. Lifting the plow to clear individual drive openings would require a large commitment of resources in labor and equipment which are dedicated to clearing primary snow route roadways and neighborhood streets.

My family has a health condition; can you plow my street in case there is an emergency and a medical vehicle needs to get through?

The Public Works Department works closely together with the Police Department and Fire Protection District to ensure that public safety agencies can provide emergency services during winter weather events. Fire, Police and Public Works have an agreement in place to ensure a plow is available to clear passage for any emergency services needed.

Why does Public Works sometimes salt instead of plow or plow instead of salt?

Multiple factors influence decisions made to reduce winter weather hazards. Current air temperatures, predicted air temperatures, time of day and precipitation type are all important considerations when determining an appropriate response. In some circumstances, plowing alone is most effective at addressing potential hazards. In other instances, such as cold pavement with dry and blowing snow for example, application of salt could be problematic by allowing moisture to accumulate and possibly freeze on the otherwise dry pavement. Each case is specific to the weather conditions at hand and addressed accordingly.

Why doesn’t the Village of Bourbonnais use sand or cinders instead of salt?

Unfortunately the use of abrasives creates issues with storm water sedimentation and degradation, and would obstruct storm water sewers. Abrasives can also cause problems if carried indoors on shoes and boots. Abrasives do not melt snow and ice and are not as effective at providing safe winter roadways in comparison to the use of salt.

Who do I contact if the Village snow removal may have damaged my mailbox?

Report any damage as soon as possible to the Public Works Department at 815-937-0817 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please provide the following information:

  • Name, Address, Phone Number, Date of Occurrence and a Description of the Damage (and photo if available)

During regular business hours, a representative of the Public Works Department will be sent to review reported damage. If it is found that a plow was the cause of the damage, your mailbox will be added to a repair list. If the mailbox is found to be unusable, the Public Works Department will place a temporary mailbox until the weather allows for a repair.