Tree Removal Permits in Blue Springs, MO

Verified against Blue Springs city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Blue Springs has a tree chapter, but read who it binds. Chapter 240 defines "person" as "Any public or private individual (other than owner/resident), group, company, firm, corporation," so the entire chapter is written at everyone except you. Its job is to stop utilities from clear-cutting easements: it is unlawful for a utility to "remove, damage, alter, trim or cut any tree growing in or upon any easement ... unless said person shall first obtain the express written permission of the owner/resident." That is a homeowner protection, not a homeowner restriction. Nothing in the Blue Springs code requires a permit to remove a tree from your own yard, and no diameter threshold exists. The right-of-way is a flat prohibition rather than a permit: "It shall be unlawful for any person to cut, hack or otherwise injure any tree or trees standing or growing in any City right-of-way areas."

Size threshold

None for a private removal. The only diameter figure in Chapter 240 is definitional: a "tree" is "Any self-supporting, woody plant together with its root system, growing upon the earth usually with one (1) trunk of at least two (2) inches in diameter at a height of four (4) feet above the ground, or a multi-stemmed trunk system with a definitely formed crown." The Unified Development Code's planting sizes — 2 inches minimum caliper for medium and large shade trees, 1.5 inches for small shade and ornamental — apply to new development landscaping, not to removals.

What's protected in Blue Springs

Trees in the city right-of-way, protected by a flat ban with no permit path published. Section 505.050: "It shall be unlawful for any person to cut, hack or otherwise injure any tree or trees standing or growing in any City right-of-way areas."
Trees in a utility easement, protected against the utility rather than against you. A utility may prune "certain trees" — the fast, weak or brittle species the code lists by name, including Siberian elm, silver maple, green ash, boxelder, tree of heaven, cottonwood, Lombardy poplar, black locust and willow — within six feet of a line, and may cut one to the ground only "if its trunk lies entirely within such utility easement." For any other tree with a trunk outside or only partly within the easement, it "may be cut to the ground only after written permission is first obtained from the owner/resident."
Existing trees inside a designated tree preservation area on an approved development site. "Existing trees and their root zones that are to be saved shall be protected from all construction activities," with protection zones the Community Development Director may establish.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: There is no fee because there is no private tree removal permit. No tree permit of any kind appears in the Blue Springs code or on the city permit list.
Penalties: Chapter 240 routes to the general penalty at Section 100.080: "the violation of any such provision of this Code or any such ordinance shall be punished by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), or such imprisonment not exceeding ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment ... Each day any violation of this Code or of any ordinance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense." Where a violation is a "municipal ordinance violation" under Section 479.350(4) RSMo the graduated schedule applies instead: $200 first offense, $275 second, $350 third, $450 fourth and beyond. Blocking sight lines at a corner with plants is its own offense at "not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) for each offense."
Ordinance: City of Blue Springs Code of Ordinances Chapter 240 — Tree Trimming and Maintenance, Sections 240.010 through 240.080, enacted by Ord. No. 1414 Section 2, June 17, 1985, with Section 240.045 added by Ord. No. 3460 Section 2, February 18, 2002. Street and right-of-way trees at Chapter 505, Sections 505.040 and 505.050. Dead tree duty at Chapter 515 (Property Maintenance Code), Section 515.600, Ord. No. 4517 Section 2, November 3, 2014. Unified Development Code landscape standards at Section 407.040, last amended by Ord. No. 5383, December 16, 2024. General penalty at Section 100.080, Ord. No. 4637 Section 1, December 19, 2016. The code is published on eCode360 with only four uncodified new laws pending, none of them touching trees.

Worth knowing

The most useful thing in the Blue Springs code is the notice right. Any utility that wants to prune in an easement "shall cause to be delivered to the owner/resident ... a written notice stating the action to be taken, with said notice to be delivered not more than eight (8) weeks nor less than two (2) weeks prior to the action being taken."
If you do not want to lose a shade tree in the easement, you can buy fifteen years. On the owner's written request the utility must let "such other trees with trunks located entirely within the easement and with trunks or branches within six (6) feet of the line to be removed in phases in such a way as to allow up to fifteen (15) years from the date of such a request for replacement trees or shrubs to become established." You have twelve months to plant the replacements or normal pruning resumes.
Fruit, ornamental and evergreen trees in an easement get extra protection: they "may be pruned so as to maintain necessary line clearance, but may not be removed without the owner's/resident's written consent."
You do have an affirmative duty to deal with dying trees. Property Maintenance Code Section 515.600: "Dead, dying or diseased trees, or portions thereof, shall be treated, pruned or removed so as not to pose a threat to adjoining private or public property." Nuisances can be abated by the city after notice and billed as a special tax bill.
You must keep your trees clear of the sidewalk. Section 505.040: "All shade, ornamental or fruit trees shall be kept clear of the sidewalks of the City, and shall be kept trimmed to a distance above the walks of not less than eight (8) feet, the same to be done by the owners or users of adjacent property."
Chemical stump killers are restricted. Section 240.040 makes it unlawful "for any person to use a dangerous substance within the City limits for purposes of controlling the growth of tree foliage, trimming of branches, and/or removal of stumps," a dangerous substance being "a restricted use pesticide that requires a municipal, County, State, and/or Federal license and/or permit to purchase and/or administer."
Storms suspend most of the chapter. "Where emergencies occur, involving, but not limited to, tornadoes, wind storms, floods, freezes, ice storms, or other natural disasters ... the requirements of this Chapter, except for the provisions contained in this Section 240.030, shall be deemed waived." Anyone may also "trim or cut limbs or remove trees which are in such unstable condition as to constitute a hazard of falling upon the distribution facilities of the utility."
The UDC landscape rules are development rules. Section 407.040 applies "to all development except: Agriculture (limited) in the RE District; and Improvements or repairs to existing development that do not result in an increase in floor area and changes in use that do not result in an increase in intensity." Removing a tree from an existing house lot is neither.
Missouri law punishes cutting a tree that is not yours. RSMo 537.340 awards treble damages for cutting down, injuring or destroying "any tree placed or growing for use, shade or ornament" on another person's land, and the claimant "need not prove negligence or intent."

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— No bluespringsgov.com page states in plain language that no permit is required. The answer rests on the code text read directly on eCode360 plus the absence of any tree permit from the city permit list.
— Whether Section 505.050's flat ban on cutting a right-of-way tree has any permit or waiver path. None is published, and Section 240.045 gives the city itself the right "to plant, prune, maintain and remove trees and/or other woody vegetation within the right-of-way lines of all Blue Springs streets," which implies the city does the work rather than permitting yours. Call Public Works Operations at (816) 228-0195 before touching anything near the street.
— Where the right-of-way line actually falls on a given lot. The code does not publish a standard depth.
— Whether a tree service needs a Blue Springs business license. The Business Licensing Code applies broadly to anyone "deal[ing] in the selling of any goods, wares, merchandise, or services," and its representative list of covered businesses includes "Contractors of all kinds" and "Nurseries (trees, shrubs, etc.)," but names no tree service, arborist or tree trimmer category. There is no arborist certification or insurance minimum anywhere in the code, and nothing makes it unlawful to hire an unlicensed tree service.
— Whether Blue Springs has a tree board, a landmark or heritage tree program, or a city forester. None appears in the code or on the city site.
— How the 1985 Chapter 240 easement rules interact with RSMo 537.340.2, which since August 28, 2019 has given electric suppliers statewide authority to trim and remove hazard vegetation near lines on fourteen days notice. The state definition of "electric supplier" covers rural electric cooperatives, not-for-profit electrical corporations, municipal power systems and municipal utilities, so it may not reach an investor-owned utility, but the tension is reported rather than resolved.
— Chapter 520 (Erosion and Sediment Control) applies "to all residential and non-residential construction sites that are greater than three hundred (300) square feet but less than one (1) acre is size." Whether stump grinding or site clearing without construction triggers it was not confirmed.

Sources

Who to contact in Blue Springs

Public Works Operations Division (right-of-way and street trees) and Codes Administration, Community Development (property maintenance and nuisance trees)

(816) 228-0195 (Public Works Operations); (816) 228-0151 (Public Works after-hours emergency); 816-220-4565 (Codes Administration); 816-228-0110 (City Hall) Official page

Public Works Operations, 500 SE Sunnyside School Road, Blue Springs, MO 64014; Codes Administration, 903 W. Main St., Blue Springs, MO 64015

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Size threshold

What's protected in Blue Springs

Trees in the city right-of-way, protected by a flat ban with no permit path published. Section 505.050: "It shall be unlawful for any person to cut, hack or otherwise injure any tree or trees standing or growing in any City right-of-way areas."

Trees in a utility easement, protected against the utility rather than against you. A utility may prune "certain trees" — the fast, weak or brittle species the code lists by name, including Siberian elm, silver maple, green ash, boxelder, tree of heaven, cottonwood, Lombardy poplar, black locust and willow — within six feet of a line, and may cut one to the ground only "if its trunk lies entirely within such utility easement." For any other tree with a trunk outside or only partly within the easement, it "may be cut to the ground only after written permission is first obtained from the owner/resident."

Existing trees inside a designated tree preservation area on an approved development site. "Existing trees and their root zones that are to be saved shall be protected from all construction activities," with protection zones the Community Development Director may establish.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

There is no fee because there is no private tree removal permit. No tree permit of any kind appears in the Blue Springs code or on the city permit list.

Penalties

Chapter 240 routes to the general penalty at Section 100.080: "the violation of any such provision of this Code or any such ordinance shall be punished by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), or such imprisonment not exceeding ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment ... Each day any violation of this Code or of any ordinance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense." Where a violation is a "municipal ordinance violation" under Section 479.350(4) RSMo the graduated schedule applies instead: $200 first offense, $275 second, $350 third, $450 fourth and beyond. Blocking sight lines at a corner with plants is its own offense at "not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) for each offense."

Ordinance

City of Blue Springs Code of Ordinances Chapter 240 — Tree Trimming and Maintenance, Sections 240.010 through 240.080, enacted by Ord. No. 1414 Section 2, June 17, 1985, with Section 240.045 added by Ord. No. 3460 Section 2, February 18, 2002. Street and right-of-way trees at Chapter 505, Sections 505.040 and 505.050. Dead tree duty at Chapter 515 (Property Maintenance Code), Section 515.600, Ord. No. 4517 Section 2, November 3, 2014. Unified Development Code landscape standards at Section 407.040, last amended by Ord. No. 5383, December 16, 2024. General penalty at Section 100.080, Ord. No. 4637 Section 1, December 19, 2016. The code is published on eCode360 with only four uncodified new laws pending, none of them touching trees.

Worth knowing

The most useful thing in the Blue Springs code is the notice right. Any utility that wants to prune in an easement "shall cause to be delivered to the owner/resident ... a written notice stating the action to be taken, with said notice to be delivered not more than eight (8) weeks nor less than two (2) weeks prior to the action being taken."
If you do not want to lose a shade tree in the easement, you can buy fifteen years. On the owner's written request the utility must let "such other trees with trunks located entirely within the easement and with trunks or branches within six (6) feet of the line to be removed in phases in such a way as to allow up to fifteen (15) years from the date of such a request for replacement trees or shrubs to become established." You have twelve months to plant the replacements or normal pruning resumes.
Fruit, ornamental and evergreen trees in an easement get extra protection: they "may be pruned so as to maintain necessary line clearance, but may not be removed without the owner's/resident's written consent."
You do have an affirmative duty to deal with dying trees. Property Maintenance Code Section 515.600: "Dead, dying or diseased trees, or portions thereof, shall be treated, pruned or removed so as not to pose a threat to adjoining private or public property." Nuisances can be abated by the city after notice and billed as a special tax bill.
You must keep your trees clear of the sidewalk. Section 505.040: "All shade, ornamental or fruit trees shall be kept clear of the sidewalks of the City, and shall be kept trimmed to a distance above the walks of not less than eight (8) feet, the same to be done by the owners or users of adjacent property."
Chemical stump killers are restricted. Section 240.040 makes it unlawful "for any person to use a dangerous substance within the City limits for purposes of controlling the growth of tree foliage, trimming of branches, and/or removal of stumps," a dangerous substance being "a restricted use pesticide that requires a municipal, County, State, and/or Federal license and/or permit to purchase and/or administer."
Storms suspend most of the chapter. "Where emergencies occur, involving, but not limited to, tornadoes, wind storms, floods, freezes, ice storms, or other natural disasters ... the requirements of this Chapter, except for the provisions contained in this Section 240.030, shall be deemed waived." Anyone may also "trim or cut limbs or remove trees which are in such unstable condition as to constitute a hazard of falling upon the distribution facilities of the utility."
The UDC landscape rules are development rules. Section 407.040 applies "to all development except: Agriculture (limited) in the RE District; and Improvements or repairs to existing development that do not result in an increase in floor area and changes in use that do not result in an increase in intensity." Removing a tree from an existing house lot is neither.
Missouri law punishes cutting a tree that is not yours. RSMo 537.340 awards treble damages for cutting down, injuring or destroying "any tree placed or growing for use, shade or ornament" on another person's land, and the claimant "need not prove negligence or intent."

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— No bluespringsgov.com page states in plain language that no permit is required. The answer rests on the code text read directly on eCode360 plus the absence of any tree permit from the city permit list.
— Whether Section 505.050's flat ban on cutting a right-of-way tree has any permit or waiver path. None is published, and Section 240.045 gives the city itself the right "to plant, prune, maintain and remove trees and/or other woody vegetation within the right-of-way lines of all Blue Springs streets," which implies the city does the work rather than permitting yours. Call Public Works Operations at (816) 228-0195 before touching anything near the street.
— Where the right-of-way line actually falls on a given lot. The code does not publish a standard depth.
— Whether a tree service needs a Blue Springs business license. The Business Licensing Code applies broadly to anyone "deal[ing] in the selling of any goods, wares, merchandise, or services," and its representative list of covered businesses includes "Contractors of all kinds" and "Nurseries (trees, shrubs, etc.)," but names no tree service, arborist or tree trimmer category. There is no arborist certification or insurance minimum anywhere in the code, and nothing makes it unlawful to hire an unlicensed tree service.
— Whether Blue Springs has a tree board, a landmark or heritage tree program, or a city forester. None appears in the code or on the city site.
— How the 1985 Chapter 240 easement rules interact with RSMo 537.340.2, which since August 28, 2019 has given electric suppliers statewide authority to trim and remove hazard vegetation near lines on fourteen days notice. The state definition of "electric supplier" covers rural electric cooperatives, not-for-profit electrical corporations, municipal power systems and municipal utilities, so it may not reach an investor-owned utility, but the tension is reported rather than resolved.
— Chapter 520 (Erosion and Sediment Control) applies "to all residential and non-residential construction sites that are greater than three hundred (300) square feet but less than one (1) acre is size." Whether stump grinding or site clearing without construction triggers it was not confirmed.