Libertyville Window Well Covers & Basement Windows
Libertyville asks for something we have not run into anywhere else in our service area. Where a spot survey is required, the village wants a licensed surveyor to record the USGS datum elevation of the top of the foundation walls — and the top of the concrete window well walls. Your window wells are, quite literally, on the record here.
The housing explains some of that care. The median Libertyville home was built in 1976 and about 36% of the stock predates 1970. The Des Plaines River forms much of the village's eastern boundary, and Butler Lake, Liberty Lake and Lake Minear all sit inside it.
A 20% discount, in the floodplain or out of it
Libertyville holds Class 6 in FEMA's Community Rating System, effective May 2019, which earns residents a 20% discount on flood insurance. The unusual part is the village's own statement that the discount applies whether the insured structure sits inside the Special Flood Hazard Area or outside it. Few suburbs in this region hold a class that strong.
Flooding here is not a new subject. In July 1938 the Des Plaines River and Butler Lake together did roughly a million dollars of damage across the area; the Fould's Milling Company on Church Street lost $35,000 when its basement flooded and the fire department pumped it out. In July 2017 the Des Plaines set records along its length, cresting at 16.53 feet just downstream at Lincolnshire.
Between a river on the east edge and three lakes inside the village, the water table here is not an abstraction. A well that drains and a cover that sheds are the parts of that picture you actually control.
Permits and egress in Libertyville
Libertyville is stricter than most of its neighbors on windows, and it is worth knowing before you order anything. The village's permit list names two separate window items: window openings, new or changed — and replacement of existing windows in bedrooms and basements. So even a like-for-like swap of a basement window needs a permit here, which is not true in most surrounding towns. The village's own rule of thumb is blunt: if you have to go to the hardware store, you probably need a permit.
The village adopted the 2018 International Residential Code as amended, effective May 1, 2019. The Building Division is part of Community Development at 325 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Suite 203; the number is (847) 918-2020.
The baseline requirements are the usual ones — 5.7 square feet of net clear opening, a well of at least 9 square feet with 36 inches of projection and width, a ladder in anything deeper than 44 inches, and a cover that releases from inside without a key, a tool or special knowledge. Ask the Building Division about the window well elevation requirement if a survey is part of your project.
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Libertyville Window Well Covers | Libertyville Window Wells | Libertyville Egress Window Wells | Libertyville Well Covers | Libertyville Basement Window Well Covers