Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Illinois

The city can place a street sign on your lawn. The city has certain easements on each property, the utility easement being one of them. If you're unhappy with its placement, the best thing to do would be to call the city and see if you can get them to move it. It's unlikely they will, but if you don't ask it won't happen at all. Anything the city does like placing signs should not affect your property value, a prospective buyer would understand that there are somethings the city does that an owner has little or no control over.

I believe that, generally, a municipality can place a sign on an easement. I believe that they can't place a sign on your property. I suppose the easiest way to resolve this problem is to review the plat of survey for your property, and then determine where they placed the sign.

I would first inquire as to whether the City of Des Plaines has an easment.

If they don't, kindly ask then to remove the sign.

If Des Plaines does have an easement then you can still kindly ask then to remove the sign, but you know where you stand.