F.A.Q's

Call 800-244-1977  Groot Industries, Inc.
(Village waste pick up)
https://www.groot.com/waste-management-chicago/village-of-bull-valley

Refuse: Service includes collection of 3-32 gallon or 1-95 gallon cart. Residents are allowed to use garbage cans or bags that are not larger than 32 gallons and do not weigh more than 45 pounds each. We try to be regular with our collection times but we may arrive earlier or later on your collection day, please have your material out by 6:00 AM to be assured pick up.

Electronic Waste Collection - "e-waste": The Illinois Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act prohibits any person from allowing or to cause mixing of any of the items listed with municipal waste that is intended for disposal at a landfill.

Groot Industries offers collection of these items directly from your home for an additional fee; however, you must call in advance to schedule a pick-up and make arrangements.

All items collected will be recycled and rendered inoperable. Due to the sensitive nature of some electronic items (computer hard drives or storage devices), we prefer to pick up items from the front, side, or top of drive locations.

Customers also have the option to bring their items directly to drop-off sites throughout the area, most of which are for no charge. Please visit the where and how page of our site and click on your county and then your town to search for area drop–off locations.

Recycling: Unlimited recycling service is provided. You may use a 65 gallon cart. All recyclables may be mixed together in one container, no sorting is needed. Do Not put your recyclables in plastic bags. Click here for a list of Recyclable Materials

Yard Waste: Available by "Subscription only". State law requires us to pick up yard waste separately from general waste. Our program allows 4.32 gallon container for your use. Collections begin April 1st and end November 30th, no credits or prorates are available for residents that sign up in the middle of the season. All yard waste material must be placed inside the 95 gallon cart provided. Tree limbs, branches or brush must be cut to no more than 4 feet in length and placed in the container. Any brush or branches outside of the container must be cut down to 4 feet in length and bundled no greater than 2 feet in diameter. You will be required to call the office before your service day as there will be an extra charge for each extra bundle or bag. Yard waste in plastic bags will NOT be collected.

Will Call Yard Waste: We have made available for those residents that only wish to have their yard waste picked up occasionally, a "Will Call" program. You may find this very cost effective for those who wish to do spring and fall clean-ups but leave their clippings lay the rest of the year. Simply call in prior to your normal collection day and arrange for payment. Charges are per bag or bundle placed out for collection and $15.00 minimum will apply. Reminder-only biodegradable paper type yard waste bags may be used.

Large Items: One large item such as a couch or dresser or 1 cubic yard (3’x 3’x 3’) of miscellaneous debris or construction material will be collected each week for no additional charge. Construction type debris should be stacked or bundled in lengths no longer than 4 feet and no larger than 2 feet in diameter. We will consider a box spring and mattress as one large item. Carpeting should be in rolls no longer than 4 feet and two feet in diameter and taped. We consider 5 rolls to be one large item. In general try and keep any loose material bundled and neat so we can pick up. Stone, concrete, and dirt can only be picked up in containers and cannot weigh more than 45 pounds per container. Two containers will be considered one large item.

Appliances: State laws require us to collect any "white good" type of appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, washers etc. separately and recycle them. There is a fee per item for collection and you are required to call the office to schedule and make arrangement's for payment.

Special pick-ups and extra garbage: If you find you need extra rubbish picked up all at one time there will be an extra charge of $22.00 per cubic yard and you must call the office to arrange for scheduling and payment. If you choose to have your clean-up done on a day other than your normal service day an extra trip fee will be charged.

Oversized/Overweight Items: Some items are just too big or heavy for our people to handle without special equipment, in that case your driver may leave it so special arrangements can be made. In this event special charges will apply. Please call and check first if you think what you have placed out falls in this category.

Container Rental: Groot Industries has available to rent 95 gallon capacity trash containers and 65 gallon recycling containers. Containers are easily wheeled around and have lids. We also have 18 gallon recycling bins available for purchase. Call us for more details.

Senior Discount: We offer seniors over the age of 65 a 10% discount on their bill. Proof of age must be sent to Groot Industries to the attention of the Billing Department.

Vacation Policy: Residents are required to call Groot PRIOR to stopping service for extended vacations. Vacation hold must be a minimum of 4 weeks and there is not a maximum. Residents must provide a return date and all balances must be paid before the hold can be applied; credit will be issued the following billing cycle.

Observed Holidays: New Year's Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Christmas

*Collections will be delayed one day after a holiday *If the holiday falls on a Sunday there will be no collection on Monday and services will be delayed one day for the remainder of the week. *If the holiday falls on a Saturday there will be no change to your regular pick up day *If a holiday falls on a weekday service will be delayed one day later for the remainder of the week.

The Village of Bull Valley accepts online payments for Ordinance Violations. Visit our payment portal, EPay Illinois.

To pay online go to Pay a Ticket or Permit Fee https://magic.collectorsolutions.com/magic-ui/Login/village-of-bull-valley or mail to Bull Valley Village Hall at 1904 Cherry Valley Road, Bull Valley IL 60098

Visit Parks Department to view regulations and click here to download an application for a permit, or Apply directly online.

See more information listed below, for a list of projects that require a permit. If you are not sure whether your intended use requires a permit, residents within the Village of Bull Valley should contact the Village Hall. Please call 815-459-4833 for information.

Permitting and Inspections provided by B&F Construction Code Services, Building and Fire Protection Plan Review

To View and Download Permit Application

Submit completed permit forms to the Village at bullvalleyfiles@gmail.com

To schedule inspections call 847-428-7010 or email inspectionrequests@bfccs.org before 3 p.m.

Freedom of Information - Access to Public Documents

The Village Clerk serves as the Freedom of Information Officer. Requests for information can be mailed, faxed or emailed to the Bull Valley Village Clerk

• Mail to: The Village of Bull Valley, 1904 Cherry Valley Road, Bull Valley, IL 60098.
• Fax to: 815-459-4791. Email bullvalley.villageclerk@gmail.com
• The office phone number is 815-459-4833.

Public documents are available for viewing by appointment with the FOIA officer during regular business hours. The first 50 pages of copies requested are provided free; copies over 50 pages are $0.15 per page. Color and oversize copies are provided at actual cost. Digital copies are provided at fees established by section 6 of the Freedom of Information Act.

The following is a list of some of the types or categories of documents maintained by the Village:

• The Village Comprehensive Development and Preservation Plan
• Village Municipal Code of Ordinances
• Village Policies
• Annual Budgets and Audits
• Minutes of monthly meetings
• Plats, plans and zoning records

The following two sites explain the details of building or having a home network:

CNET – Home Networking Explained

How Stuff Works – Wireless Networks

Annexation: Join The Village
There are many good reasons to join the Village of Bull Valley. Our police department offers a personal touch not found in unincorporated areas. Adding your land into the unique land conservation that the Village stands for helps protect the natural beauty of the area as other municipalities continue to increase urban sprawl. The Village is now beginning the process of adding properties and residents into our Village. Our main goal is to infill areas between existing properties throughout the area. Many parcels are contiguous to us which could be brought in easily. The Board will discuss pre-annexation agreements with owners who are not currently contiguous, but are interested in joining us when they can do so.

Opportunity To Participate In Government
If you are interested you may also decide to participate in local government, which is another way to actively be involved in maintaining the land uses in and around the Bull Valley area. Some residents of the village have served, or still participate in some form of local government, as Trustees, as members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, or the Stickney House Foundation. The Village Board and all the committees work together to help protect the Bull Valley lands.

The Village of Bull Valley has influence over many land use activities both in the Village and within the mile and a half of the Village boundaries. The Village’s in depth Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and Subdivision Ordinance provides these guidelines to protect and control these land uses.

The Annexation Process
The annexation process begins when a petition is filed by the property owner or owners. The property must be contiguous to another property that is in the Village. If a property is not contiguous the owner desiring annexation can sign a pre-annexation agreement. The property owner may also request certain zoning classifications, variations and special uses sometimes referred to as “conditional uses” and can be memorialized in an annexation agreement. Those requests can be handled concurrently with annexation.

If a property is not contiguous but surrounded by previously annexed land, the property in question could be annexed to the Village under certain circumstances.
The Village Board will assess each annexation request on its merits.

A public hearing is required for a change in zoning, zoning variations, special uses, and annexation agreements. Non-conforming use agreements do not require a public hearing. After the required form is completed and submitted to the Village, the Village attorney will draw up an Annexation Ordinance to be considered by the Village Board. The Petitioner will be notified of the meeting at which consideration will take place.
For Annexation forms and an Annexation Brochure call 815-459-4833.

Annexation Brochure (PDF)