Graffiti is vandalism. It scars the community, hurts property values and diminishes our quality of life. Graffiti removal is a free service for private property owners and has become one of the most popular services offered by the City of Chicago.

The Graffiti Removal Program employs "blast" trucks that use baking soda under high water pressure to remove painted graffiti from brick, stone and other mineral surfaces. The program also deploys paint trucks to cover graffiti on surfaces such as metal or wood.

Chicago’s Graffiti Removal Program has become a model for other cities. Over the years there have been numerous visits from other US cities and foreign countries to learn more about our program, including Warsaw, Prague, Milan, Rome, China, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Arizona and San Antonio to name a few.

As with the City's many anti-crime and beautification programs, the Graffiti Removal Program depends on community groups, block clubs, chambers of commerce and individual residents to report graffiti and request a removal. If a cleaned building is struck again, we make every effort to return and remove the new graffiti quickly.

The Department of Street and Sanitation also works very closely with the Chicago Police Department who will apprehend graffiti vandals caught defacing property. Parents or guardians may be liable for monetary damages, if a minor in the same household commits any type of vandalism, including graffiti.

No community in Chicago has to tolerate graffiti. Please join us in eliminating graffiti and making this an even more beautiful city.