The Lake in the Hills Preschool Academy is open for children ages 3 and 4. The school year operates September through May. Click here for more information and fees. Information regarding open enrollment can be found in the seasonal program and event guides at recreation.lith.org. 

The Village of Lake in the Hills clears most streets within the Village limits. There are, however, a number of roads in the Lake in the Hills area that are the responsibility of other local government agencies. For example, county crews plow roads such as Algonquin Road, Lakewood Road, Randall Road, and Ackman Road. The Illinois Department of Transportation is responsible for Route 31 & Route 47. There are property owner associations in the Village that have responsibility for some roadways. If you have questions regarding a specific road, please call 847-960-7500.

The Village of Lake in the Hills begins an all-out plowing effort when snow begins accumulating on the streets. The Village's goal is to clear all streets within 6 to 10 hours after the snow stops falling, but heavier snows often take longer to clear.

**Please be aware that in an effort to best allow for our crews to plow Village roadways effectively, Municipal Code Section 41.03 requires that on-street parking is prohibited after one inch of snowfall.**

Residents who live on a cul-de-sac may sometimes feel their driveways get more snow than driveways on straight roads. Our staff is often asked why the driver cannot plow from the outside into the middle of the cul-de-sac. Plowing from the outside in will not work because as the truck circles the cul-de-sac, snow naturally tends to be pushed to the outside of the court.

The driver would be pushing a larger amount of snow into an increasingly smaller area toward the middle of the cul-de-sac. Eventually, there would be no place to go with all the snow. As with driveways on streets, it is inevitable that some snow comes off the plow. Try to wait until the cul-de-sac has been plowed to clear your driveway and push the snow to the right side (as you face the street).

The driver could do this but the time involved would be counter-productive. The Village now plows 167 cul-de-sacs and courts in addition to all public parking lots.

The Village has established a priority plowing system for our 90 miles of roadways so that main traffic routes, such as arterials and collectors, are plowed first. Crews always attempt to clear these routes before rush hour. Occasionally, snowstorms will hit just as rush hour is beginning which causes delays for both plowing crews and traffic.

The Village is responsible for clearing snow from all the municipal parking lots, Village facilities, bike paths, Village parks, etc. Property owners are responsible for clearing commercial parking lots.

Both the sidewalks and driveways are the responsibility of property owners for both businesses and residents. Village ordinance requires that property owners clear sidewalks adjacent to their property. Property owners should shovel snow into the yard, not on to the street. Putting snow on the street causes dangerously slippery conditions for both motorists and pedestrians and is a violation of Village ordinance. Village crews try to avoid putting large piles of snow in front of driveways; however, this is not always possible. To avoid having to double shovel, wait until after your street has been plowed to clear your driveway. See the document below for tips to keep your driveway clear of plowed snow. Property owners are also asked to clear snow around fire hydrants to aid firefighters. As schools begin to re-open, please make sure sidewalks are clear so children and other pedestrians do not have to walk in the streets.

Sewers and storm drains are not the same thing. Sewers collect wastewater from indoor plumbing such as toilets, sinks, washing machines, and floor drains. Sewer water is treated at the wastewater treatment plant before it is discharged. Storm drains transport rainwater, which is not treated before it is discharged to local water bodies.

Pet waste can be picked up by snow melt or rain as it travels into the street gutter and down the storm drain, carrying with it bacteria and other harmful materials into our creeks and lakes. Even though you can't see it, the fecal coli form contained in pet waste can have a cumulative affect with hundreds if not thousands of people sending their pet waste into the storm water. Storm water is not treated, so this material flows directly into our creeks and lakes.

Storm water pollution is caused by the daily activities of people everywhere. Rainwater and snowmelt runs off streets, lawns, farms, and construction sites carrying with it soil, fertilizers, chemicals, oil, and many other pollutants that cause water pollution.

Contact the Village of Lake in the Hills Police Department at 847-658-5676. Please write down the address where you saw the pollutants being dumped, and if possible, what pollutants are being dumped and the approximate quantity. The Police Department and Public Works will respond.

Any non-permitted or non-exempt discharge, such as dumping motor oil, chemicals, or any other material which is potentially harmful to the environment into the storm water system is considered an illegal discharge and is illegal.

Any physical connection to the storm drain system not expressly authorized by the Village is considered an illicit connection and is prohibited.

Stormwater is water from precipitation that flows across the ground and pavement when it rains or when snow and ice melt. The water seeps into the ground or drains into storm sewers. These are the drains you see at street corners or at low points on the sides of your streets. Collectively, the draining water is called stormwater runoff and is a concern to us in commercial and industrial sites as well as your neighborhood because of the pollutants it carries.

Its purpose is to prevent flooding of streets and roadways by quickly and efficiently transferring rainwater into creeks and eventually to lakes.

To make, continue or cause any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise that unreasonably annoys, disturbs, injures, and/or endangers the comfort, repose, convenience, health, peace, or safety of another person(s), within the limits of the Village. Or any noise/sound in excess of the maximum noise levels prescribed within the village’s Zoning Code Section 19.2, Performance Standards, Noise.

It is defined that "no person shall emit beyond the boundary of his property any sound that unreasonably interferes with another's enjoyment of property or life or with any lawful business or activity."

Property is divided into land classes: Class A being residential/institutional, Class B being retail/commercial/office space, and Class C being manufacturing.

Class A areas are especially noise sensitive in that they incorporate sleeping quarters due to the fact that they are primarily residential. They elicit the majority of the noise complaint calls and will be the focus for examples. Please see the full ordinance for more information on the other classes.

From 7:00am - 10:00pm Class A property adjacent to Class A property - 55 decibels

From 10:01pm – 7:01am Class A property adjacent to Class A property - 45 decibels

Impulsive sound (sound that repeats two (2) or more times an hour) shall not equal or exceed 88 decibels at any time, in any land Class.

Noise is measured at any point on or beyond the lot line of the land on which the noise originates. Sound levels themselves are measured with a sound level meter manufactured in accordance with standards set forth by the American National Standards Institute (or as the Village may otherwise adopt). Noise capable of being accurately measured with the equipment shall be deemed to be noise which causes fluctuations of the sound level meter with a variation of no more than plus or minus two decibels.

There are exemptions to the noise ordinance for the following reasons:

Construction Activity: Operating or permitting the operation of any tools, machinery, equipment, or vehicles used in conjunction with a specific site development or demolition activity for which the operator has a valid permit issued by the Village (or other unit of government with jurisdiction of subsection B of ordinance 43.09)

The work can only occur between the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Lawn Maintenance

The work can only occur between the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Personal Snow Removal Equipment/Vehicles

The work can only occur between the hours of 7:00a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Violations are subject to a fine. As of October 2017, the fine is $100. If it is not paid within seven (7) days, the amount doubles to $200.

 No, you cannot have fireworks in the Village of Lake in the Hills. Fireworks are illegal in the State of Illinois under the Pyrotechnic Use Act, 425 ILCS 35/.

425 ILCS 35/2: Except where provided here within the Act, it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, co-partnership, or corporation to knowingly possess, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail, or use or explode any display fireworks, flame effects, or consumer fireworks. It is a Class A misdemeanor offense to break this law.

In addition, the Village of Lake in the Hills has a Village Ordinance against fireworks.

If someone is found to be in violation, all illegal fireworks will be confiscated and violators will be issued a fine of $500.

The best way to report fireworks is to call the LITHPD Non-Emergency Dispatch number at 847-658-5676 and give the dispatcher the most accurate location you possibly can give. An address is preferred or an intersection if you do not know the specific location. This will get the officers to the area as fast as possible. You can remain anonymous.

Do not report fireworks via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LITH Village website.  This is greatly delay an officer response as those are not 24/7 monitored systems.

You can text crime tips through the Nixle Emergency Messaging system.

To register for Nixle, text the LITH zip code, 60156 to 888777 to register.  You can also log in to Nixle to register.  You can also text TIP LITHPD to 888777 for anonymous tipping.

Lastly, you can submit an online anonymous crime tip through the online Nixle portal.

Click HERE for more information on Nixle and to access the Nixle Online Anonymous Tip Portal.

To commend the actions or performance of an officer, call the police department at 847-658-5676 and ask to speak with the employee’s supervisor to verbally communicate your thanks. You may also write a letter to the employee’s supervisor, divisional chief, or the Chief of Police:

Lake in the Hills Police Department

1115 Crystal Lake Road

Lake in the Hills, Illinois 60156

Commendation letters are forwarded to the department member and a copy is placed in the employee’s permanent personnel file.

A personnel complaints is an allegation of misconduct or improper job performance that, if accurate and proven to be true, would represent misconduct under the police department’s policies and procedures.  For example, this may include, but is not limited to use of unnecessary or excessive force; unlawful arrests; unlawful searches and seizures; theft or destruction of property; first amendment violations; dishonesty; violation of local, state, or federal laws and police regulations; failure to provide identification; failure to provide a service or allegations that bias toward the complainant/suspect was evidenced through language or behavior demonstrating a bias based factors such as race, ethnicity, immigrant status, socio economic status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification.  A person upset solely based on being the recipient of a citation or being the subject of an arrest without misconduct on the behalf of an employee does not rise to the level of a complaint and is encouraged to speak with an attorney or discuss the matter during court. 

Complaints may be given in person by coming to the police station (1115 Crystal Lake Rd), over the telephone, 847-658-5676, or in writing.  Anonymous complaints, or complaints from citizens who wish his/her name to be held in confidence will be accepted.

Anyone may file a personnel complaint at any time to the police department as the police department is open and operations 24/7. It does not have to wait until regular business hours.

Complaints will be accepted by any supervisor. If the complainant is against supervisory personnel, the complaint will be referred to the supervisor’s divisional chief.  If a citizen requests to make a complaint to non-supervisory staff member, that citizen will be  directed to a supervisor, and the member receiving the complaint shall immediately notify the on-duty supervisor of the complaint.

The supervisor will listen to your complaint to see what, if any, laws, policies, or procedures may have been violated. Upon making such a determination, a complaint report will be generated. The supervisor may ask if you would assist in the complaint documentation with a written  narrative in the complainant reporting form. A investigation will be conducted into all complaints, therefore it is imperative that enough information be provided to thoroughly investigate a complaint.

An officer accused of wrongdoing will be told about the complaint as per their rights under the Uniform Peace Officer’s Disciplinary Act, 50 ILCS 725.  The act states that “no officer shall be subjected to interrogation without first being informed in writing of the nature of the investigation. The information shall be sufficient as to reasonably apprise the officer of the nature of the investigation.”  Officers under investigation are not required to be informed of the name, rank and unit or command of the officer in charge of the investigation.  Anyone filing a complaint against a sworn officer is no longer required to sign an affidavit or any other legal documentation in support of the complaint.

Non-sworn employees are entitled to receive a notice of rights and allegations as set forth in the provisions of 65 ILCS 5/10-1-18.  The statue states that “Except as hereinafter provided in this Section, no officer or employee in the classified civil service of any municipality who is appointed under the rules and after examination, may be removed or discharged, or suspended for a period of more than 30 days, except for cause upon written charges and after an opportunity to be heard in his own defense. The hearing shall be as hereinafter provided, unless the employer and the labor organization representing the person have negotiated an alternative or supplemental form of due process based upon impartial arbitration as a term of a collective bargaining agreement.”

The department strives to complete any internal investigation in a timely manner.  We will complete a throughout investigation of the compliant.  As such, the nature of the complaint itself and its overall complexity will be key factors into the time required to complete the investigation.  The department will make reasonable efforts the complainant advised of the progress of the investigation. Once the investigation has concluded, the complainant will be notified.

The outcome of the investigation dictates the resulting actions taken with the employee or employees. If the employee’s actions were criminal, the information will be forwarded to the State’s Attorney’s Office. If the actions were improper but not criminal, the employee will be disciplined according to the department’s policies and procedures. This procedure will not only subject employees to corrective action when improper conduct is determined, but will also serve to exonerate personnel from unwarranted charges or criticisms when their actions were proper.

The complainant and the accused employee or employees are notified of the results of the investigation and the disposition of the case. Because of privacy laws, you will be advised of the outcome of the case but not the specific facts of the investigation. The Lake in the Hills Police Department cannot release to you any type of disciplinary action taken. It is possible that parts of the complaint may be sustained and other parts not sustained.

Yes, the Village takes the protection of its residents seriously. Squatting and related fraudulent activities are considered crimes, and individuals engaging in such behavior will be subject to arrest.

Notices are not ticketing citations. They simply serve as a reminder of the ordinance requirements and give residents an opportunity to make any necessary adjustments.   Staff prefers to deliver notices and have conversations with homeowners to answer questions about the ordinance.  When a resident is not home, the notice may be left at the front door.   Should it become necessary to issue an actual ticket to a property owner due to non-compliance, a ticketing citation with a fine may be issued.

Cans and special collection items can be placed at the street curb at 6:00 PM or later, on the evening preceding the scheduled pick up day.

When not out for collection cans may be stored:

• Inside a garage or shed
• Along a side wall of the home or garage
• In the rear of the property

Keeping garbage cans in a less visible location and stored securely helps with the beautification of neighborhoods and the preservation of property values.