Kansas City, MO Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Kansas City, MO, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 1+ acre land disturbance
- Also triggers at
- building permits over 10,000 sq ft
- Exempt
- single-family homes on platted lots
- Mitigation
- paid per caliper inch
Summary
Kansas City requires a tree preservation and protection plan before permits for land disturbance of one acre or more, most development plans, or building permits disturbing over 10,000 square feet, but a single-family house on an already-platted lot is exempt.
Requirements of this section are applicable to requests for the following permits and approvals in conjunction with land disturbance and development, as follows:
88-424-02-A. Any permit for land/site disturbance, including utility plans, which involves clearing, cutting, grubbing, or grading on one acre or more. No permit shall be issued prior to approval of the tree preservation and protection plan.
88-424-02-B. Development of property requiring development plan (including UR, MPD, and major amendments), project plan, special use permit, or preliminary plat, as defined in this chapter.
88-424-02-C. Application for building permit (site plan approval, per 88-530) disturbing more than 10,000 sq. ft. of property but not requiring a development plan, project plan, preliminary plat, or final plat approval, unless a tree preservation and protection plan has been approved for a larger area that includes the subject site.
88-424-02-D. This section does not supersede and shall be implemented in accordance with other provisions of this chapter including 88-415 Stream Buffers and 88-425 Landscaping, and 88-410 Open Space Developments and Conservation Developments.
(Ord. No. 220961, § 1, 3-16-2023)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 139 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
The Zoning and Development Code's tree preservation article, § 88-424, applies to site disturbance permits covering one acre or more, projects requiring a development plan, project plan, special use permit, or preliminary plat, and building permits disturbing more than 10,000 square feet of a site. Contiguous tree canopy cover of one acre or more must be preserved where the development can be designed around it; unavoidable removal requires mitigation through on-site replanting or payment into the Capital Improvement Sales Tax Fund-Tree Planting, calculated per caliper inch by the city forester. A single-family detached house on a single previously platted lot is fully exempt from the permit trigger, as are emergency storm-damage removal and utility line clearance.
Violations & Fines
The city planning and development department inspects permitted sites for compliance; protective fencing must ring trees marked for preservation during construction, and storing materials, changing grade, or parking within a tree preservation easement is a prohibited activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to cut down a tree in my yard in Kansas City?
What triggers a tree preservation plan in Kansas City?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kansas City
Compare Kansas City to another location·View the Missouri landscaping rules overview
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jackson County handle tree removal & heritage trees.