Jefferson County, MO Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Before any right-of-way opening or excavation
- Issuing office
- County Public Works Highway Division
- Emergency crossings
- Verbal OK allowed, written agreement to follow
- Revocation grounds
- Departure from approved plans, fraud, mistake
- Violation penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, up to 1 year jail
- Applies to
- County streets, alleys and rights-of-way
Summary
Jefferson County requires written authorization from the Public Works Highway Division before anyone opens or excavates the public right-of-way, streets or alleys in the county. Only a genuine emergency road crossing allows verbal permission first, with a written agreement required afterward, and a permit can be revoked for departing from its approved plans.
No person shall perform an opening or excavation, or any act incident thereto, in the public rights-of-way or in the streets or alleys within the County without first obtaining written authorization for construction from the County Public Works Department Highway Division. If any emergency road crossing is needed, verbal permission may be obtained by contacting the County in advance of construction, with written agreement to follow at earliest possible time.
Full Breakdown
500 of the Jefferson County code, part of the UDO's permits article, requires anyone who wants to open or excavate the public right-of-way, or perform any act incident to such an opening, to first get written authorization for construction from the County Public Works Department Highway Division. That covers work in county streets and alleys as well as the right-of-way itself, and the only carve-out in the text is for an emergency road crossing, where a contractor may get verbal permission from the County in advance and is then required to follow up with a written agreement as soon as possible; routine private encroachments, such as a driveway cut or utility trench, get no such shortcut and need the written authorization up front.
330 the County may revoke a validly issued permit in writing if the work substantially departs from the approved plans without Director approval, if the permit was obtained through fraud, misrepresentation or a false statement, if it was issued by mistake, or if the permitted activity otherwise violates the UDO or county code. A revoked permit requires written notice mailed to the permittee's last known address and posted on the property, and all work must stop once that notice goes out. 340.
Violations & Fines
Excavating or opening the right-of-way without the Highway Division's written authorization is a violation of the UDO under Section 400.140. It is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in jail, or both, with each day the unauthorized work continues counted as a separate offense; the County can also seek a court injunction to stop the work or require the site to be restored.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to dig in the county right-of-way in front of my house?
Can I get emergency permission to cross a county road?
Can Jefferson County revoke a right-of-way excavation permit once it's issued?
What's the penalty for excavating the right-of-way without a county permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson County
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