Kirkwood, MO Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Kirkwood's Tree Code, Chapter 24, defines "public trees" as those "located within the City's paved rights-of-way, excluding trees within the parks" (§ 24-2), which is exactly the parkway strip between the curb and the sidewalk or property line. Anyone who wants to add a tree there needs the Urban Forester's sign-off first: § 24-3(c)(3) requires a property owner who wants to plant in the right-of-way adjacent to their property to file a "permit to plant" application, and once it is approved the planting has to follow all Missouri excavation laws and be selected and planted in accordance with the Tree Manual, the City's technical planting and species document.

Getting the plant permit has one practical upside: it exempts the permittee from also getting a separate City excavation permit for the digging involved. The Urban Forester can deny any tree permit outright, in the Urban Forester's sole discretion, if issuing it would not serve the sustainability and health of the urban forest (§ 24-3(d)(1)), and any maintenance work on an existing parkway tree, beyond basic clearance trimming, has to be done by a certified arborist unless the Urban Forester waives that requirement. Removing a public tree runs through a separate "permit to remove" track: the Urban Forester inspects it, hazard trees are removed by the City, and non-hazard removals go to the Kirkwood Urban Forestry Commission, which can recommend the owner replace it with a two-inch caliper tree from the Tree Manual or pay a replanting fee instead.