Author: Kay Cleaves

The city of Chicago's non-emergency line offers a ton of services for residents, all free of charge. We've written before about how to use the system to report building code violations, but there's a ton of other things you can request from 311 that you might not know about.

311 should only be used for non-emergency issues. If you are witnessing a crime in progress or someone or something is in immediate danger, you should still use 911.

1. Graffiti removal

Most folks know about this one if you frequent Everyblock, but some newcomers might not know. If your building gets tagged you can request a city "graffiti blaster" to come and wash it off.

2. Lead testing of your water and apartment

If you have small children you should be particularly concerned about the presence of lead in your home. Lead is poisonous to all but particularly bad for kids. The city will test your water and living quarters for lead at no cost to you.

Continue reading 10 Services from Chicago 311 You Probably Didn’t Know About

This one is for tenants in two-flats, rental houses and other small buildings. Even if you live in a big building that isn't likely to get trick-or-treaters, some of the tips below may still apply.

In most cases renters will let their landlord or property manager handle cleanup of their building's front yard. However, many renters have landlords who live far away. Even landlords who live on site may not care about how clean or safe the yard is.

On Halloween though, there will probably be small children (and lawsuit-happy parents) walking through your yard for the first time. They may not come up to the door, but they'll still have to pass through your lot on the way to another house. Nobody wants to see kids get hurt, nor deal with the rent increases that will come out of a slip-and-fall lawsuit. It might be worth a few minutes to go out and make sure your yard is safe for kids even if you don't own the building where you live.

Some of these things you can do yourself. You may want to ask your fellow neighbors or your building manager for help with others.

• Walk up and down all sidewalks in front of your building and on the path to the front door. Make sure there are no trip hazards such as extension cords or pebbles. Remember that trick or treaters may have limited vision.
• Cracks in the sidewalk can't really be fixed in a day. However, you can put up little warning signs next to them just like side streets have warnings for speed bumps.
• Make sure there are lights on all sidewalk areas.
• Look up at any trees. If you see dead branches, bring them down.
• If there are any stairs leading up to the front door, make sure they are in decent condition. If you know they get slippery you may want to put up a little temporary sign as warning.
• Clear up any dead leaves that could be slippery
• Check for and clean up any dog waste in the yard.
• Cordon off any areas that shouldn't get foot-traffic (such as newly planted grass, freshly poured concrete and open sidewalk gratings) with caution tape or string.
• If you live in a building with a someone who has been convicted of sex offenses against a minor, remember that Illinois law (720 ILCS 5/11-9.3 c-2) prohibits them from handing out candy. They may be required to keep the lights off, avoid decorations and remain indoors. If this is the case you should still consider clearing the sidewalk.

Chicago has made a lot of "top 10" lists of the best US cities for trick or treating going back several years. But for those who live in apartment buildings you'd never know it. When you live in a big apartment building in the city it can be a little tricky to figure out where to take your kids on Halloween, and you have no chance of seeing any kids coming by for candy. Do you risk walking around your neighborhood with all the weirdos? Is going door to door within your apartment building enough of a legit "Halloween experience?" Will your fellow renters even think to stock candy?

Forget all that worry. Consider one of these alternative options for maximizing your kids' candy haul this Halloween.

Take a field trip to one of the Chicago neighborhoods that go all out for Halloween.

Some areas such as Lakewood-Balmoral, Hyde Park, Ravenswood Manor have been known to get busloads of kids from other areas on Halloween night just for trick-or-treating. It's become a tradition.

Go out to the suburbs.

If walking around the city isn't for you, you might want to consider heading out to a neighboring suburb for your walk around. However, bear in mind that suburban residents aren't necessarily prepared for a huge influx of city kids.

Check with your local police department.

Some police departments will offer tailgate trick or treating in their parking lots at a relatively early hour.

Visit businesses instead of homes.

If walking through dark residential streets is not your idea of a good time, consider visiting your local commercial strip. Many chambers of commerce work with local shops to sponsor late night trick-or-treat walks on Halloween.

Plan to go early.

In the Chicago area trick-or-treating is an afternoon thing. Most areas - especially in the suburbs - only allow trick or treating from the time school gets out until sunset. Metromix has a good list of trick-or-treat hours for the Chicago suburbs and a few Chicago neighborhoods.

Visit your local park.

The Chicago Park District runs a ton of Halloween events for families. Check out their calendar.

Go to a Halloween event at a nearby college.

Some Chicago universities offer Halloween events that are open to the community, including Northwestern and Depaul.

Work with other families in the building to create a trick-or-treat event.

If you live in a large apartment community you may have a party room or courtyard area that can be set up for a building-wide Halloween event. If your management company sponsors it, even better.

Take a tour of a local Cemetery.

If you've got older kids or just aren't hip to the whole candy thing, consider taking one of the Chicago Architecture Foundation's guided tours of a local cemetery. Note: visiting Chicago's cemeteries without a guide on Halloween is a very bad idea.

Visit a local Senior Center or Retirement Community

You might not get much candy, but you'll definitely make the day of some seniors who don't get frequent visits from their own families. Make a call to any senior community you'd like to visit before you go to find out visiting hours and make sure you won't be disrupting anything big.

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No matter which option you choose, make sure to accompany your kids on any Halloween outing!