Mokena Window Well Covers & Basement Windows
Mokena has a code detail that catches almost everyone who finishes a basement: under the village's amendments, a basement being modified from unfinished to partially or entirely finished space must be provided with an emergency escape and rescue opening. Not just a new bedroom — the change of use itself triggers it.
That means a window well, and in most Mokena basements it means enlarging an opening, which is where the permit rules come in. The village requires a permit when a new wall opening is created or an existing opening is enlarged. A like-for-like window swap where the rough opening does not change needs no permit and no inspection.
Mokena's median home was built in 1995 and about two-thirds of the housing stock dates to 1990 or later, so most of the wells we cover here are modern, deep, and doing exactly the job the code designed them for — right up until they fill with water and leaves.
Mokena's Basement Egress Rule
Mokena adopted the 2024 International Residential Code, first printing, under Section 8-2-2 of the village code, by Ordinance 2024-O-023 on June 24, 2024, with further amendments in June 2025 and January 2026. One quirk to know when you are reading the village's amendments: Mokena renumbers the emergency escape and rescue provisions to R319, not the standard R310.
The amendment that matters most is R319.7: new basement additions, new sleeping rooms in basements, and basements undergoing a change of occupancy from unfinished to partially or entirely finished space shall be provided with an emergency escape and rescue opening. Measurement is taken from the finished floor elevation comprising at least 50% of the room floor area being served.
On replacement windows, the village is specific: replacement of existing emergency egress windows shall meet the net clear opening size of 5.7 square feet for all sleeping rooms, or 5.0 square feet when located on the first floor or basement. Mokena has no local amendment setting window well dimensions, so the well itself follows the unamended 2024 IRC. Call Community Development at (708) 479-3900 to confirm what your job needs.
Where Mokena Water Is Supposed To Go
Mokena's residential construction requirements are unusually specific about foundation drainage, which is good news if you are trying to understand your own basement. Drain tile is laid with 2 inches of stone beneath and at least 6 inches of stone above. Sump pits must extend a minimum of 24 inches below the bottom of the basement or crawl space slab. Sump pump discharge is to be connected to the storm sewer where available.
Downspouts must terminate at least 5 feet from all property lines and be directed to the front or rear yards, and grading plans must show directional flow arrows for any 100-year overland flow paths.
That is a system designed around keeping water moving away from the foundation. An uncovered window well works against every part of it — it collects rain, dumps it at the footing, and sends it straight to the sump you just paid to install.
Mokena's Build Eras And Its Creeks
The village's own timeline records when each subdivision was recorded, and it reads like a map of Mokena's window wells. Kohlwood, Brightwood and Duncan in 1954. Glennell Heights in 1955. Tomahawk Trails in 1976, Green Meadows in 1978, Marilyn Estates in 1979. Then the wave: Marley Creek and Countryview Estates in 1988, Grasmere in 1990, Prestancia in 1993, Country Pond in 1995, Tall Grass in 1996, Blackthorne and Crystal Creek in 2001, Boulder Ridge and The Oaks in 2004, Prairie Ridge and Foxborough in 2005.
Notice how many of those names are water. Marley Creek, Crystal Creek, Creekview West, Old Mill Pond, Sunset Lakes, Country Pond, Whisper Creek. Mokena sits on Hickory Creek — there is a USGS gage named for it here — which drains to the Des Plaines River at Joliet, and Marley Creek runs through town as well.
The biggest rainfall on record locally came with the remnants of Hurricane Ike: the Mokena co-op station recorded 7.45 inches over September 12–15, 2008. Mokena also holds one National Register listing, the McGovney–Yunker Farmstead on LaPorte Road, an early-1860s limestone-era farmhouse and gable bank barn added to the Register on May 31, 2006.
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Mokena Window Well Covers | Mokena Window Wells | Mokena Egress Window Wells | Mokena Well Covers | Mokena Basement Window Well Covers