A block party permit grants you permission to close your residential street to traffic and occupy the street for a block party with your neighbors. Block parties must be open to all residents of the given block, so residents should make efforts to engage their neighbors in these events.

Use this form to request a Block Party permit.

You may request a bouncy house from the city’s Jumping Jack program. These are approved on a first-come first-served basis so put your request in as soon as possible.

To request a fire truck at your Block Party, complete the CFD Presence Request form and email it to the address listed on the form at least two (2) weeks before your Block Party date. Please note that a fire truck presence is not guaranteed, even if the request is submitted within the specified timeframe.

The City of Chicago requires permits for garage, yard, and apartment sales to guard against perpetual yard sales. Residents planning a sale can obtain their required permits through our office.

There is no fee for these permits. Please complete this form to request a permit.

If a neighbor lives adjacent to a residential parking zone, they can request a letter of exception from the Alderwoman’s office which allows them to park in a nearby permitted zone. These letters are given in a limited number of cases. 

For more information, please submit a Service Request to our office.

Complimentary, non-enforceable, No Parking signs are available to residents of the 48th ward for residential moves. To obtain signs for your move, please submit this form and then come by our office at 1129 W Bryn Mawr to pick them up.

No Parking signs are available for an eight hour window, between the hours of 8am–4pm or 9am–5pm. Residents may not reserve space for more than one day. Signs must be picked up and posted at least 3 days in advance of the move.

Please note that these signs are non-enforceable; these are offered as a courtesy.

Important notes about sign placement:

• Signs must be posted in legal parking spaces.

• Street cleaning signs take precedence over moving signs. Vehicles parked when street cleaning signs are posted are subject to ticket.

• Do not post signs in existing Loading Zones, marked Tow Zones, driveways, crosswalks, or at a fire hydrant.

• Residential Moving Signs are not valid on commercial streets with paid/Pay Box parking.

NOTE: If you or your moving company do not comply with the above requirements, our office is not liable for any citations or enforcement that occur.

The Chicago Department of Transportation also offers enforceable No Parking signs for residential moves. For a fee of $25, CDOT will provide enforceable signs to eligible moving companies (enabling ticketing or towing) for the day of the move. For more information on this program, please see the Department of Transportation’s permit portal.

NOTE: Moving pods / containers are not allowed on the public way –  no exceptions. By City ordinance, those pods cannot be on the public way (sidewalks, streets, curbs, parkways, and alleys) and if they are, the renter of the pod will face steep fines. Moving pods can only be placed on private property or in a privately owned parking space or driveway.

Residents can submit parking violations for review for vehicles that are parked in tow zones, school zones, and bike lanes by submitting a 311 request here.

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) requires that any request for a speed hump/bump includes a minimum of 65 signatures from neighboring residents to indicate their support. Here is a template for your convenience.

Once you have gathered the required signatures, submit your completed application to the 48th ward office for consideration, either via email to development@the48thward.org, or in person.

Please note that submitting the application does not guarantee that the project will be implemented.

Chicago uses mechanical street sweepers to remove debris and litter from streets every year beginning April 1st through the fall season.

See this page for the current street cleaning map and schedule.

Parking is prohibited on streets that are being swept, and the fine for violating the parking restriction is up to $60 on first notice. Orange temporary signs will indicate which day of the week each side is being swept and the specific hours of the parking restriction.

Please note that some streets also have permanently posted signs that specify either a once-per-week or two-days-per- month period when parking is prohibited for street sweeping.

For information about sewer cleaning, see the City Resources section below.

The City of Chicago uses a grid system for tree trimming with 1-2 trim crews from the Bureau of Forestry (BoF) trimming trees in a 16-block area, or "grid," on a given day of the week.

BoF trims every tree in the grid, and if these trees are properly cared for, they should not need to be trimmed again for at least five years.

See this page for a map of tree trimming in the 48th ward and updates as the grid is trimmed.

If you have an emergency tree removal request, file a 311 report.