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The following is a list of questions frequently asked by citizens. You may search for specific words or phases, or shorten the list by selecting a specific category.
Building and Zoning
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A building permit is a license which grants legal permission to start construction of a building project. Permits allow the enforcement of the codes which have been adopted as law. The permit also provides the means for the Village to inspect construction to ensure that standards are met and appropriate materials are used. No matter what the specific project may be, the enforcement of codes is carried out to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. Before any construction or remodeling work may begin, a permit must be obtained. If you have any questions or are in doubt that the work you will be doing requires a permit, please call the Department of Building and Zoning at (847) 459-2530.
Building Permit Application
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The Village of Buffalo Grove does not require a permit to hold a garage sale. Garage sales shall be permitted for a maximum of three consecutive days between the hours of 9:00 am and sunset each day. Not more than three garage sales shall be conducted on the same premises or by the same person(s) within any calendar year. It shall be unlawful for any person to use the public sidewalk or the public right of way for the purpose of a garage sale or to display personal property for such sale. All signs pertaining to garage sales shall not be placed on public property or public right of ways. Any signs located on public property or on the public right of way, will be confiscated and will not be returned.
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Yes. Permits are required to replace these appliances. After the installation of the new appliance, we want you to call the Building and Zoning Department at (847) 459-2530 for inspection, to ensure that the appliance was installed correctly.
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Connect CTY
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The Village has contracted with a company, Connect-CTY, to provide prompt information to Buffalo Grove residents and businesses relating to major incidents and other exigent events affecting the public health, safety, and welfare. The Connect-CTY service allows authorized Village employees to create and rapidly disseminate time-sensitive, emergency messages to every telephone number stored in the notification database. With the Connect-CTY service, authorized users can send thousands of messages to Buffalo Grove residents and businesses in minutes.
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Authorized Village employees will record a voice message and/or send an email that is then delivered quickly to Buffalo Grove resident and business telephone numbers and email addresses in the notification database.
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Authorized emergency messages regarding the safety or welfare of our community would be disseminated using the Connect-CTY service. Examples would include a boil order; extraordinary flood warnings; natural disasters; confirmed terrorist threats or activity; road closures with anticipated limited access to properties as a result of scheduled construction; missing persons/Amber Alerts affecting Village residents; imminent danger from fire; hazardous material incidents affecting Village business or residents; bomb threats, after assessment of risk; hostage situations and any other situation that could impact the safety, property, or welfare of our citizens.
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This system is a significant enhancement to existing means of communication and is supplemental to, not a replacement for, the systems we have used in the past. Village Hall at 847-459-2500, and the Police Department non-emergency telephone number at 847-459-2560, will still be available in an emergency situation. The Village’s cable Channel 6, radio and our Village web site (www.vbg.org) will continue to display important announcements. If you need emergency assistance at your home or business, always dial 9-1-1 first.
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Connect-CTY creates the notification database which includes every published phone number in Buffalo Grove (resident/business). It is our intention and hope that every residence and business in our community will provide additional information in the database. Each user will have the opportunity to provide three telephone numbers, two email addresses, and one SMS number which provides for text messaging. You can enter additional information from any computer with web access – go to the Village’s web site at www.vbg.org and click on “Connect CTY, Emergency Notifications” on the top right side of the page. Follow the prompts thereafter. If you do not have access to a computer, a computer is set-up in the lobby of Village Hall for your convenience, or you can call the Village at 847-459-2500 to provide us your contact information.
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Yes, we can accept cell phones in the database and encourage you to request that your number be included.
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Connect-CTY® is a service of The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI). NTI takes security and privacy concerns very seriously and does not sell, trade, lease or loan any data about our clients to any third party. From a technical perspective, they utilize multiple physical and virtual layers of firewalls to maintain data security. NTI only utilizes secure transmissions with its customers. No confidential information is ever transmitted between NTI and its customers using e-mail or FTP, but rather always utilizes either a VPN tunnel or SSL. Data is hosted in state-of-the-art facilities which require photo identification, thumb-print recognition, keyed access, and are manned 24/7 with full-security personnel. All data is encrypted prior to being placed on tape for offsite storage. NTI also retains an external, independent security firm to perform annual security audits.
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The caller-ID number for calls generated by the Connect-CTY service will be: 847-419-0012, and “Village Alert”. If you want to call the Village to confirm the information or ask questions, you may dial the calling number, 847-419-0012, or the Village’s main telephone number at 847-459-2500. The only Village employees authorized to send a message to the community are the Village Manager, Deputy Village Manager, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Public Works Director.
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There are several varieties of call screening devices which use differing protocols for screening. In general, the system has been found to work with these devices; but, some may require some type of pre-programming to allow our Village’s telephone number to pass through. We may conduct tests from time to time to ensure that messages are being delivered to numbers in the notification database.
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For non-residents or owners who reside out of our community, please include your contact information into the system and identify the address of the property that you own and/or maintain. You may provide a phone number to be included in our database so you are contacted during certain situations. In general, calls are sent to the primary number only, but we also have the ability to call multiple numbers for each resident or business.
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Should a situation arise that requires us to contact residents or businesses at multiple phone numbers, we can activate the system to place a simultaneous call to all of the numbers within the database. In most cases, we will be sending calls only to one phone number – the primary number.
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Yes. The area code does not impact whether or not a call is made.
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For busy signals, the call will be repeated several times in an attempt to reach you. The same is true for No-answer and Call-waiting. If the phone is answered by a message recorder, the message will be left on the answering device. If, after several attempts the call does not successfully go through, the system will stop attempting to call.
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Yes. You may update your contact information anytime here on the Village web site (link is on the Home Page), or you may contact us at 847-459-2500.
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Yes, at the end of the message playback, simply press the star (*) key on your telephone to have it repeated in its entirety.
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Repeating or looping of messages happens when the system detects excessive noise in the background. This can be caused by loud radio/television volumes, people talking, or busy traffic noise. When you receive the next call, say “hello” once and turn down the volume of your radio/television or press the mute button on your telephone to allow full message delivery.
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Finance Department
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As of May 1, 2008 vehicle stickers are no longer required in the Village of Buffalo Grove.
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Animal tags are purchased through the Finance Department. They are $10 and are required for dogs and cats that are four months old or older. The tags must be purchased within 10 days of acquiring the pet or 10 days of becoming a resident of the Village. You must have proof that the pet has been inoculated for rabies. The tags run the Village's fiscal year, which is May 1 of the present year to April 30 of the following year. There are special restrictions that apply to Rottweilers and Pit Bull Terriers. For a copy of these restrictions, please contact the Village Health Department at (847) 459-2530. Return the completed application to:
Finance Department
50 Raupp Blvd.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Pet License Application
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To purchase a bimonthly parking pass for the Village's commuter parking facility, fill out the parking pass form and submit it to:
Department of Finance and General Services
50 Raupp Blvd.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Parking Pass Form
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The Village's EZ-Pay utility bill processing system is a quick and convenient way to pay your water bill. For information call the Water Billing Department at (847) 459-2515. The process involves a direct deposit to a designated checking account eliminating the need to write a check or come to Village Hall in person to pay the bill. Payments are processed on the due date designated on the bill received. The program is available for both residential and commercial customers. There is also a drop box on the north side of Village Hall at 50 Raupp Blvd. for water bill payments. Payments put in the drop box are not guaranteed for posting that day.
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To request copies of records, fill out a Freedom of Information Request form and submit it to:
Village Clerk's Office
50 Raupp Blvd.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Freedom of Information Request Form
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Fire Department
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The first Thursday of every month is certification for Heartsaver CPR. It is for a two-year certification and the cost is $40. The second and third Thursday of every month is Heartsaver AED and BLS for the Healthcare Professional Training. It is also for a two-year certification and the cost is $50. Heartsaver First Aid and Pediatric First Aid, (which is required by DCFS for daycare providers), is offered periodically through the year. The cost is $50. For more information, contact the Fire Department at (847) 537-0995.
View the Fire Department Calendar
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By State law, the ambulance must transport all unstable patients to the closest hospital. If a patient is stable and medical control approves, the ambulance will transport to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Condell Hospital in Libertyville, Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, or Highland Park Hospital in Highland Park. Transports to Lutheran General Hospital would only be done for certain trauma patients, or other special situations. If you wish to be transported to any other hospital the BGFD paramedics will contact medical control for permission and call a private ambulance to transport you to another hospital.
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You can not burn any leaves or garbage within the Village limits. Commercial outdoor fireplaces are allowed in Buffalo Grove, but only logs or charcoal may be used in them.
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Patients only may receive a copy of their ambulance report for free. An authorization form must be filled out. The form may be filled out at Fire Department Headquarters, 1051 Highland Grove Drive; Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm or downloaded and sent in.
Report request form
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You may fill out a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request Form and send or bring it to:
Fire Department Headquarters
1051 Highland Grove Dr.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089There is no charge for a copy of the report.
FOIA Request Form
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The ISO Rating is a measure of the level of fire protection provided to the residents of Buffalo Grove.
ISO Class 2 Rating
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The Buffalo Grove Fire Prevention Bureau has a Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program. Contact the Bureau at (847) 520-1533 or (847) 537-0995 and ask for Inspector Skip Hart.
Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention
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The Fire Department provides free blood pressure screenings 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. They are only provided at the headquarters because personnel at the other stations might be out on calls, training, or on other assignments. Fire Department Headquarters
1051 Highland Grove Dr.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
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How Do I?
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Animal tags are purchased through the Finance Department. They are $10 and are required for dogs and cats that are four months old or older. The tags must be purchased within 10 days of acquiring the pet or 10 days of becoming a resident of the Village. You must have proof that the pet has been inoculated for rabies. The tags run the Village's fiscal year, which is May 1 of the present year to April 30 of the following year. There are special restrictions that apply to Rottweilers and Pit Bull Terriers. For a copy of these restrictions, please contact the Village Health Department at (847) 459-2530. Return the completed application to:
Finance Department
50 Raupp Blvd.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Pet License Application
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The Village's EZ-Pay utility bill processing system is a quick and convenient way to pay your water bill. For information call the Water Billing Department at (847) 459-2515. The process involves a direct deposit to a designated checking account eliminating the need to write a check or come to Village Hall in person to pay the bill. Payments are processed on the due date designated on the bill received. The program is available for both residential and commercial customers. There is also a drop box on the north side of Village Hall at 50 Raupp Blvd. for water bill payments. Payments put in the drop box are not guaranteed for posting that day.
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To volunteer for the Village, you must fill out a Talent Bank Application. When openings occur, a replacement is chosen from the Talent Bank Applications. To learn more or to get an application, visit our Volunteer! section.
Volunteer!
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To request copies of records, fill out a Freedom of Information Request form and submit it to:
Village Clerk's Office
50 Raupp Blvd.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Freedom of Information Request Form
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To purchase a bimonthly parking pass for the Village's commuter parking facility, fill out the parking pass form and submit it to:
Department of Finance and General Services
50 Raupp Blvd.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Parking Pass Form
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You can recycle your computer equipment or electronic devices at a community event. For event information, visit SWANCC or SWALCO.
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Tickets are available at the door for $12 (adults) and $8 (62 and over or students), or in advance at Village Hall about 2 weeks before the concert. Seniors 62 and over and students pay $8. Adults $10 in advance.
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Human Resources
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Please go to the Employment Opportunities section of this website to see what positions the Village is currently recruiting for. For more information, contact the Human Resources Department at (847) 459-2549.
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We will be conducting the next Police Officer testing process in Spring 2009. See the Recruitment Information for more details.
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We will be conducting the next Firefighter / Paramedic testing process in Spring 2010.
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Planning and Economic Development
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Contact the Division of Planning Services at (847) 459-2518 and provide staff with either an address or a property index number (PIN). You can also view the Zoning Map to determine the zoning classification of the property.
You can search the address information database for zoning information.
Zoning Classification Information: Address Search
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Contact the Division of Planning Services at (847) 459-2518. For general information concerning land use, refer to the Future Land Use Map.
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Police Department
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In Buffalo Grove, we dial 9-1-1 whenever we need a police, fire, or ambulance dispatched to our location for any reason on both landlines and cellular/PCS. When the nature of your call requires an emergency medical response, you will be serviced by an emergency medical dispatcher (EMD).
When you dial 9-1-1 to report a medical emergency or accident, the EMD dispatcher will ask you:
• Your location
• Your phone number
• What is the problem?
• How old is the person(s) involved? (approximate age will do)
• Is the person conscious?
• Is the person breathing? When there are trained medical personnel with the patient at your location, the dispatcher will ask you to call back 9-1-1 if the patient's condition changes. This is important information for the responding paramedics. When there are no trained medical personnel on the scene, the dispatcher will ask the caller a short series of questions. This allows the dispatcher to ascertain what the specific nature of the problem is and to provide appropriate and medically approved intervention until the paramedics arrive.
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It is unlawful for a person less than seventeen years of age to be present at or upon any public assembly, building, place, street or highway at the following times:
1. Between one minute after twelve am and six am Saturday
2. Between one minute after twelve am and six am Sunday
3. Between eleven pm on Sunday to Thursday, inclusive, and 6:00 am on the following day.The exceptions are:
1. When the juvenile is accompanied and supervised by a parent or legal guardian
2. When the juvenile is accompanied by another responsible companion at least eighteen years of age, approved by a parent or legal guardian
3. When the juvenile is engaged in a business or occupation which the laws of this State authorize a person less than seventeen years of age to perform
4. When the juvenile is participating in, going to or coming from a religious event or school-sponsored activity or event
5. When the juvenile is participating in, going to or coming from an activity involving the exercise of the juvenile’s rights protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, or Article I, Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, or both, such as freedom of speech and right of assembly.
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According to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act guidelines, we are allotted no more than seven (7) working days. There are several ways to obtain a report:
1. You can fax a request which should include your name, address and phone number. Also, be specific about the report you are requesting – including the case number (if available) and date and time of occurrence. Please make sure sign the request and add a copy for your photo ID if you wish to have the report faxed back to you. Fax the request to our Records Division at (847)279-0619.
2. You can fill out the online form and either fax the form to the Records Division or drop off your request 24 hours a day at the Police Department radio room.
Online Form
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Public Works
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Call (800) Edison-1 and report the outage.
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The Engineering Department maintains the current floodplain maps and can assist you with questions concerning floodplain information. Please call (847) 459-2523.
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Any tree that has been removed by the Village is added to a tree replacement list. The Village budgets to replace approximately 100 trees during the Fall months of October or November.
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All trees within the Village are scheduled to be trimmed on an eight year cycle. If branches are hanging low, broken, or dead please call the Public Works Department at (847) 459-2545) or email us and a work order can be created to take care of the situation.
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Notify the Public Works Deptartment as soon as possible as parkways are scheduled to be repaired prior to Memorial Day weekend. The Village will water the seed or sod when it is put down, then it becomes the resident’s responsibility to water and maintain. Village employees will hand out watering permits and instructions for watering at the time of the repair. For more questions you may call the Public Works Department at (847) 459-2547 or (847) 459-2545.
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When you purchase some appliances that require water for operation (such as dishwasher), most manufacturers suggest that you find out the hardness of your drinking water. The hardness of Buffalo Grove drinking water is 7.6 grains per gallon (gpg).
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Low water pressure can be indicative of several problems or situations. If water pressure is lower than usual at one source (faucet, tub, hose, etc.) but sufficient in the rest of the building, it is safe to assume that the fixture itself and / or the pipe feeding the fixture needs to be repaired or replaced at the property owner’s expense. It could also be something as simple as a clogged faucet screen. If water pressure is lower than usual over the entire building, this could indicate a water meter problem, aging or undersized plumbing (including the service line), or a significant leak on the service line. The Water Department should be contacted should you experience a decrease in water pressure over the entire building. Please call (847) 459-2545 to arrange for a time when maintenance personnel can assess the situation.
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Underground water service lines and buffalo boxes to individual buildings are not owned by Village of Buffalo Grove, but are owned and maintained by the property owner. Underground water mains that service entire neighborhoods are part of the Village's distribution system, and the Village is therefore responsible for their maintenance.
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Cloudy water is usually caused by the release of dissolved air from water. This is quite common and harmless. When watched closely, the dissolved air (cloudiness) slowly travels upward. Cloudiness can also be caused when natural minerals in water come out of solution.
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The most common causes of a high water bill are a leaky toilet, humidifiers, and water softeners. Most water meters have leak detectors on the face of the meter. If all your water is shut off at the sink, bathtub, washing machine, sprinkler, etc., and the leak detector is still spinning, then you have a leak. Reading your meter at night and in the morning for a few days to see if any anomalies show up, can be helpful. To check your toilet to see if it is leaking, remove the tank cover and see if the water is overflowing into the full tube after the toilet has finished filling. Adjusting the float can solve this. Our water technicians are available to assist our residents. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call (847) 459-2545 between 7:00 am and 4:30 pm Monday – Friday.
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