A plumber in Vernon Hills, and who to call first
The village here owns no water system and no sewer system. Lake County Public Works runs both. Tell us what is wrong and we pass it to a plumber licensed in Illinois.
The short version
Looking for a plumber in Vernon Hills means answering a question most towns never ask. Whose pipe is broken?
In nearly every village around here, the village owns the water main and the sanitary sewer. Vernon Hills owns neither. Lake County Public Works runs both. Asked by a regional survey who operates its sanitary sewer, the village answered that it owns none at all.
We are not a plumbing contractor. You describe the problem once, and it goes to a plumber licensed in Illinois who covers Vernon Hills.
Three questions, in this order
Can you stop the water?
Find the main shutoff where the service line enters the house and close it. If it will not turn, say so.
Is the trouble in the street?
A broken main, a hydrant, or a sewer backing up across several houses is Lake County Public Works, on 847-377-7500. Same number for water and sewer.
Is it inside your property line?
Then it is a plumber's job. The village publishes no rule on who owns the sewer lateral, so ask the county before paying for a dig.
Who runs what, and what is in the water
- One utility for both services.
The village utilities page lists Lake County Public Works as the contact for both sewer and water service, on 847-377-7500. Source for One utility for both services.
- The village is on the record.
In a regional survey of sewer lateral policy, Vernon Hills answered that Lake County Public Works operates its sanitary sewer, and later that it owns no sanitary system. Source for The village is on the record.
- Where the water starts.
It is Lake Michigan water, treated at the CLCJAWA plant in Lake Bluff. The service area holds 118 miles of main and reaches past the village line, to Herons Landing, Indian Creek, Knollwood, Rondout and Countryside Manor. Source for Where the water starts.
- Hardness is not in the local report.
Lake County's reports for Vernon Hills publish no hardness figure. CLCJAWA, which treats the water, puts it at about 8 grains per gallon, or 137 mg per liter as calcium carbonate. Source for Hardness is not in the local report.
- The waste is treated inside the village.
Lake County runs the New Century Town Water Reclamation Facility on American Way, south of Vernon Hills High School. Source for The waste is treated inside the village.
- Young housing stock.
The median Vernon Hills home was built in 1990, against a county median of 1982. Only 0.6 percent date from 1939 or earlier, and 1.4 percent from 1940 to 1959. Source for Young housing stock.
- Two townships, one village.
Libertyville Township covers the part north of Route 60 and Townline Road. Vernon Township covers the part south of it. Source for Two townships, one village.
What a Vernon Hills plumber finds in the walls
Vernon Hills was incorporated in 1958 and grew from 123 people in 1960 to more than 20,000 by 2000. Homes of the pre-1960 era often have galvanized steel supply pipe and clay drains, and there is very little of that here. Homes from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s may instead have polybutylene, a gray plastic supply pipe pulled from the market after widespread failures.
Storm water, Indian Creek, and the pump
The village sits in the Indian Creek watershed, 38 square miles of southern Lake County draining toward the Des Plaines River. The county's flood inventory found 15 flood problem areas there, most of them failed local drainage rather than a river out of its banks. A resident filmed water running through a front yard here in the storms of July 12, 2017.
Failed drainage is what a basement pump is for. A pump that short cycles, runs without lifting water, or has never been tested is worth a sump pump repair call before the next storm.
Where sump water may go
Ordinance 2026-075, adopted July 28, 2026, covers illicit discharge and storm water connections. Water from crawl space pumps, footing drains, foundation drains and clean pumped groundwater is exempt from the ban, so it may go to the storm drain system. Running a line that carries sewage into that system is a violation. There is no separate sump pump ordinance, so ask the Building Division first.
The work people ask us about
Pick the closest match, or say it in your own words.
- Emergency Plumber Burst pipes, sewer backups, and water you cannot stop.
- Sump Pump Repair and Installation Pumps that quit, run nonstop, or need a battery backup.
- Water Heater Repair and Installation No hot water, a leaking tank, or a move to tankless.
- Drain Cleaning Slow sinks, clogged tubs, and floor drains that back up.
- Sewer Line Repair and Rodding Root intrusion, camera inspections, and broken laterals.
- Water Softener Installation and Repair Hard water scale, salt problems, and new systems.
Questions Vernon Hills homeowners ask
Who do I call for a sewer backup, the village or the county?
Lake County Public Works, on 847-377-7500. It owns and runs both the water and the sanitary sewer systems that serve Vernon Hills, and the village points residents to that number for both.
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Vernon Hills?
Yes, and it is a quick one. The Building Division handles water heater permits over the counter, or up to one business day if you mail it. The plan review fee is $0.00, worth knowing before a water heater repair becomes a replacement.
Does the village register plumbing contractors?
No. It asks instead for copies of the plumbing licenses, the 055 and 058 classifications, where the work calls for them. Illinois law already requires a licensed plumber, and the state runs a license verification lookup.
How hard is the water here?
Lake County's Vernon Hills reports publish no hardness number. CLCJAWA, which treats the supply, measures its water at about 8 grains per gallon. That will scale a tank heater over years, which is why people here ask about water softener installation.
Is this different for a shop or an office?
Vernon Hills carries far more commercial space than a bedroom suburb, including Hawthorn Mall. Backflow prevention and grease traps need a different license class, so say so when you send a request.
What to tell us
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Whether the trouble is inside or outside.
A wet basement and a wet parkway lead to two different phone calls.
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Your part of the village.
North or south of Route 60 tells us your township, which shows up on permits.
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House or business.
A drain cleaning call on a grease line is not the same visit.
Other towns we cover
Plumbers in Libertyville, Buffalo Grove and Lake Zurich share the Indian Creek watershed and the same storm water pattern.
Not sure whose pipe it is?
Describe it anyway. A person reads every request. If we cannot place it with a licensed plumber who covers Vernon Hills, we tell you.
If it is urgent, do not wait on us. Call a local licensed plumber directly.