What changed inside Illinois
The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) rescinded the internal State EAB quarantine. IDOA no longer has regulations or restrictions on moving regulated ash materials inside Illinois, so unrestricted movement of formerly regulated ash and related wood articles is now allowed within the state (IDOA EAB FAQ). That is the current deregulation answer for a Joliet homeowner deciding what to do with ash logs after ash tree removal.
IDOA still encourages people not to willfully or knowingly transport EAB-infested wood, and recommends sourcing and using firewood locally (IDOA EAB FAQ). University of Illinois Extension makes the same practical point: hardwood firewood can move freely across Illinois now that the county quarantine is gone, but Extension still does not recommend moving firewood—burn it where you buy it (U of I Extension).
What did not change: the federal line
Illinois remains inside the USDA federal multi-state quarantine. Ash wood can move anywhere within that federal quarantine, but it cannot leave the quarantine without USDA permitting. If you are unsure whether a move is allowed, IDOA says contact IDOA or your local USDA office (IDOA EAB FAQ).
On other firewood: IDOA no longer regulates hardwood firewood within Illinois, and it may move throughout the state. Softwood firewood is not regulated by IDOA. Hardwood firewood is still regulated by USDA under the multi-state quarantine. IDOA continues to maintain a firewood registry for people and businesses bringing firewood into Illinois (IDOA EAB FAQ).
Don’t Move Firewood guidance for Illinois
- Into the state: firewood entering Illinois should be certified, heat-treated (Don’t Move Firewood Illinois).
- Long moves inside Illinois: firewood moved more than 50 miles within the state should also be certified, heat-treated (same page).
- DNR properties: firewood is not permitted on DNR-managed sites if it came from more than 50 miles away, or from out of state, unless it is certified heat-treated (same page).
- Campground rules vary. Ask at the destination before you haul a load; some sites ban outside wood (same page).
Other quarantines (so you do not get scared wrong)
IDOA still works with USDA on a European / spongy moth quarantine that covers Cook, DuPage, Lake and McHenry counties (IDOA EAB FAQ). Will County is not on that list. IDOA also keeps an external quarantine for Thousand Cankers Disease / walnut twig beetle on walnut material entering Illinois (same page). Those are separate from EAB and from a typical Joliet ash pile.
After an ash comes down here
Will County lost a lot of ash canopy to EAB. Our emerald ash borer timeline for Joliet covers how the pest showed up and how the City stopped planting ash. When the trunk is gone, grind the stump (call 811 first—see our J.U.L.I.E. stump guide) and decide what happens to the wood. Keep ash firewood local. Do not knowingly haul infested pieces across the region for a weekend burn. If you are selling or giving wood away, point people to the IDOA FAQ and the Don’t Move Firewood Illinois page rather than guessing.
Bottom line: inside Illinois, IDOA no longer runs an internal EAB quarantine on ash. Buy local, burn local, and respect the USDA federal quarantine if the wood would leave that multi-state zone.
Sources
Checked Nov. 5, 2026. If a City rule has changed since, the City’s page wins.