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

Section 400.4590 of the Jefferson County Code of Ordinances, within the zoning code's landscaping and tree protection article, governs tree removal tied to development. Before any grading, bulldozing or other removal of existing vegetation that may affect existing tree coverage, a developer must submit a full tree conservation plan to the county's Planning Division. The Missouri Department of Conservation's Division of Forestry may be consulted at the Director's discretion. The plan must map the development site, show which tree masses will be cleared and which will be retained in undisturbed wooded stands, note utility line locations that limit replanting, mark limits of clearing, grading and trenching, and delineate a tree conservation area that keeps at least 30% of tree canopy intact within riparian buffer areas.

Removal of a significant tree, defined in Section 400.4540 as a tree in fair or better condition valued for its species, size or age (generally a hardwood of 12-inch caliper or more, a softwood 16 feet tall or more, or a small hardwood of 6-inch caliper or more), or any other tree of 10-inch caliper or larger, is permitted only alongside an approved preliminary tree conservation plan, an approved grading plan, and actual grading of building pads, not simply to clear a lot ahead of a sale. For non-residential development marketed to prospects before a use is chosen, the county allows a preliminary version of the plan instead of the full plan.

This tree-removal control applies only to development activity in unincorporated Jefferson County; the cities of Arnold, Festus, De Soto and the county's other incorporated municipalities administer their own separate tree and land-disturbance rules.