Gurnee Window Well Covers & Basement Windows
The Des Plaines River runs straight through the middle of Gurnee, and 235 square miles of watershed drain toward the village from upstream. The village's own emergency information calls the river its most dangerous flood hazard — and the record backs that up. The river crested at 12.09 feet on July 15, 2017, breaking a record of 11.95 feet that had stood since September 1986.
Gurnee has been buying out and demolishing at-risk floodplain homes since the 1990s — 27 properties as of late 2017. If you live here, water is not an abstraction, and the condition of your window wells is not a cosmetic question.
Gurnee's egress spec is tighter than the state's
This is the detail that catches homeowners out. The International Residential Code allows an escape window sill up to 44 inches above the finished floor. The Village of Gurnee's own basement finish requirements set the maximum at 42 inches — two inches tighter — and call for a window well of at least 3 feet by 3 feet with a ladder.
The rest matches the code you would expect: a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 square feet, at least 24 inches of clear opening height, at least 20 inches of width, and a unit that operates from the inside without separate tools or special knowledge.
Two inches is enough to fail an inspection after the drywall is up. If you are finishing a Gurnee basement, get the sill height confirmed before the framing goes in, not after.
Permits and flood standing in Gurnee
Permits are issued by the Community Development Department's Building Safety Division. Windows are a listed residential permit category, and the village asks for a copy of the contract detailing window styles, sizes and locations. Finishing a basement requires its own permit application.
Gurnee adopted the 2024 International Code series, including the 2024 International Residential Code, effective March 1, 2026. Some village handouts still reference older editions, so confirm the current requirement with Building Safety before you order anything.
The village participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and in FEMA's Community Rating System, which earns Gurnee residents a 5% to 20% discount on flood insurance premiums. Keeping water out of your wells is part of the same picture — it is the part you control directly.
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Gurnee Window Well Covers | Gurnee Window Wells | Gurnee Egress Window Wells | Gurnee Well Covers | Gurnee Basement Window Well Covers