Florissant, MO Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

040(A) of the Tree Ordinance covers preserving or removing trees planted in a City street or on City-owned property: no one may treat, spray, fertilize, preserve, trim, remove, or cut a public tree above or below ground, or otherwise disturb it, without first getting a permit from the Director of Public Works. The application has to state the number and species of trees involved, the kind of treatment proposed, and the composition of any spray material, and the Director decides whether to issue the permit based on whether the proposed work and workmanship are satisfactory; every permit carries an expiration date and becomes void if its conditions are violated.

This permit requirement applies specifically to public trees, those in the street right-of-way or on City property, not to trees on private land away from the right-of-way. 070 backs the permit rule with a separate prohibition: unless the Director specifically authorizes it, no one may intentionally damage, cut, carve, transplant or remove a public tree, attach ropes, wires or nails to it, expose it to a harmful substance, or let a fire burn near it. 100 adds protection during construction, requiring excavation or building work near a public tree to keep a guard frame around the trunk and stay at least three feet away with materials and debris, and bars digging within 10 feet of a public tree without a permit.