St. Louis County, MO Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Single-family ratio
- 1 tree per lot
- Corner lots
- 1 tree per street frontage
- Common/multi-family land
- 1 tree per 50 ft frontage
- Minimum caliper
- 1.5 inches
- Species cap
- 40% of one species per plat
- Curb setback
- no closer than 3 feet
- Exemption
- lots with 150+ ft frontage
Summary
New subdivisions in unincorporated St. Louis County must plant at least one street tree per lot, and two on corner lots, under Section 1005.340 of the Subdivision Ordinance. Common land, multi-family, and nonresidential subdivisions need one tree per 50 feet of street frontage, each at least 1.5 inches in caliper, with no more than 40 percent of one species per plat.
2. Required street trees. For all single-family residential subdivisions there shall be a minimum of one (1) tree for every lot; in cases of lots having frontage of more than one (1) street (e.g. corner lots) there shall be a minimum of one (1) tree for each street on which the lot has frontage. For common land, multiple-family residential subdivisions, and nonresidential subdivisions, there shall be a minimum ratio of one (1) tree for every fifty (50) feet of street frontage. Each tree shall be at least one and one-half (1½) inches in caliper. A maximum of forty (40) percent of one species may be utilized to meet planting requirements within each plat of a subdivision. Street trees shall not be required for large lot subdivisions or for subdivisions in the Non-Urban District utilizing the density development procedure on lots having frontages of one hundred fifty (150) feet or greater. (a) Location. ... Street trees shall not be planted closer than three (3) feet to any curb.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
340 requires a subdivision landscape plan covering the area outside individual residential setbacks to be submitted to the Department of Planning before the record plat, showing the type, size, and location of all proposed and existing plantings. 380, and they cannot be planted within three feet of a curb, within 25 feet of street lights if placed by variance in the right-of-way, within the sight-distance triangle at intersections, or within ten feet of a street inlet or manhole. Hardwood species must come from an approved list the Department of Planning maintains, and a developer may substitute an alternate landscape plan for the required street trees if the Department approves it.
Large-lot subdivisions and Non-Urban District subdivisions using the density development procedure on lots with 150 feet or more of frontage are exempt from the street tree requirement entirely. The Department of Transportation and Public Works must separately approve any structures or plantings proposed at a subdivision entrance, may require sodding or other erosion-control ground cover, and the Department may also require clearing of underbrush and additional landscaping in common land that has been altered by grading.
Violations & Fines
Compliance with Section 1005.340 is checked by the Department of Planning during subdivision plat review, and a record plat will not be approved and recorded until the landscape plan and required street trees meet these standards or an approved alternate plan or Section 1005.380 variance is in place. Because the requirement attaches to the plat approval process rather than a standalone citation scheme, the enforcement tool is withholding plat recordation rather than a per-tree fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many street trees does a new subdivision have to plant?
Where can street trees be placed under the subdivision rule?
Are any subdivisions exempt from the street tree requirement?
Can a developer use one tree species throughout a subdivision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
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