Hardscapes, irrigation and planting for Gilberts properties, in a village that keeps the paperwork for small projects genuinely small.
Gilberts runs a Quick Permit Application that covers fences, driveways, patios, re-roofs and pre-fabricated sheds. For the sort of project most homeowners actually want, that is a meaningfully shorter path than a full building permit, and it is the first thing we check when scoping a job here.
The village also publishes a checklist for patios, walkways, driveways and driveway ribbons, which tells you something about how specific the guidance gets. For everything we do, see our services, or the other towns we serve.
Gilberts publishes a checklist for almost everything, which sounds bureaucratic and is actually the opposite. You can find out what is expected before you start.
Fences, driveways, patios, re-roofs and pre-fab sheds can go through the village's Quick Permit Application rather than the full building permit process. Most residential landscape work lands in that category.
Alongside the checklist for constructing a lawn irrigation system, the village publishes a separate Lawn Irrigation Meter checklist. A dedicated irrigation meter is a recognised option here, and worth asking the village what it does to your billing.
Gilberts requires contractor registration before work is permitted. Worth confirming whoever you hire is already registered with the village, because sorting it mid-project is the kind of thing that quietly costs a week.
Patios, walkways, driveways and driveway ribbons all sit on the village's quick permit route, so a well-scoped hardscape job here moves faster than it does in most of the county.
Irrigation is a recognised trade here with its own checklists, including one for a dedicated meter. Worth installing properly once rather than adding to over three seasons.
A small village lot takes a water feature better than people expect. Sound does more for privacy on a tight lot than another foot of fence would.
South-east of here. Tiered retaining walls and drainage correction, with the rear of the property planned around a paver patio and pergola.
West in DeKalb County. A 3D plan, then regrading, trench edging, new beds and irrigation on a front yard that pooled after heavy rain.
What homeowners here ask us most, answered straight.
For most structural work yes, but the route is shorter than you might expect. Gilberts runs a Quick Permit Application covering fences, driveways, patios, re-roofs and pre-fabricated sheds, and publishes checklists for each so you can see the requirements before applying. Community Development is at 87 Galligan Road, (847) 428-2861, open Monday to Friday 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
Two strips of paving under the wheels with planting or turf down the middle, instead of one solid slab. Gilberts covers them in the same checklist as patios, walkways and driveways. They use less hard surface, move less water into the street and look considerably better on a rural-edge lot, which is why they turn up more out this way than in the denser suburbs.
It is worth asking about. The village publishes a Lawn Irrigation Meter checklist alongside the one for constructing an irrigation system, so a dedicated meter is a recognised setup here rather than something unusual. What it does to your specific bill is a question for the village, but the fact they publish a checklist for it tells you it is a normal request.
Yes. Gilberts requires contractor registration, with its own requirements and form, before work gets permitted. It is a sensible question to ask any company quoting you: whether they are already registered with this village, or whether your project pays for the delay while they sort it out.
Permit and code requirements described on this page reflect Village of Gilberts guidance published as of September 2026. Fees and codes change. Confirm current requirements with the village before starting work.
Gilberts sits between Elgin and the open country out towards Hampshire.
Tell us what you want built and we will tell you whether it qualifies for the quick permit. Free on-site estimate, no pressure.
