Tree Service Arnold MO
Arnold is a Jefferson County city, so St. Louis County tree advice does not apply here. City code requires no permit for an ordinary yard tree, but it does make a hazardous dead tree the owner’s problem.
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Who Makes the Tree Rules in Arnold, and Who Do You Call?
The City of Arnold does, from City Hall at 2101 Jeffco Boulevard. The city was incorporated in 1972 from Beck, Flamm City, Maxville, Old Town Arnold, Ten Brook and Wickes, on the Jefferson County bank of the Meramec. What our tree permit guide says about St. Louis County towns stops at the river. Work through it in this order.
- Check that the lot is inside city limits. City Hall, (636) 296-2100, can tell you. Outside them, Jefferson County’s rules apply.
- A tree in your own yard. Arnold’s Tree Preservation section, 405.200, applies only when trees are removed with new development on a lot or group of lots of three acres or more. There, 35 percent of the existing trees must be kept. A routine tree removal on a house lot is not covered, as of October 2026.
- A dead tree. Here the code does reach homeowners. Section 500.030 prohibits dead trees that are hazardous to the public and requires all trees to be kept free of dead limbs. Section 220.030 makes a dead or diseased tree that threatens safety or property a nuisance. For a neighbor’s tree, the Code Enforcement Complaint Line is (636) 296-0596. For your own, see dangerous tree removal.
- The strip along the street. Under section 220.270 the abutting owner maintains the tree lawn between the property line and the pavement. Section 800.040 requires a permit from the Director of Public Works before a truck is driven across a sidewalk, curb or tree lawn. Public Works is at (636) 282-2386.
- Ground in the mapped floodplain. Development in the Special Flood Hazard Area needs a Floodplain Development Permit. If the job includes grading or fill, ask the Floodplain Administrator at (636) 282-2378 first.
What Have the Arnold Floods Done to Trees Near the River?
They have left stressed trees on low ground, and some are still failing. The National Weather Service gauge on the Meramec at Arnold has a flood stage of 24 feet. It reached a record 47.26 feet on December 31, 2015, when the state closed I-55 in both directions, and 45.62 feet on May 3, 2017.
The gauge record shows where the water goes. The fishing banks at Arnold City Park and the boat ramp at Flamm City Access go under just below flood stage. The corner of Convair Drive and Douglas Drive begins flooding at 36.5 feet, and houses along Convair Drive at 39.5. FEMA’s account of 1993 says that flood damaged more than 225 Arnold properties and that a voluntary buyout opened in February 1994.
For trees, the season matters. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s review of the 1993 flood found that growing-season floods do more harm than winter ones, and that white oak, red oak, sugar maple and dogwood cannot stand water over their roots for long. By that measure the May 2017 crest was harder on yard trees than the higher December one. A tree that went under and now has a thin, yellowing crown should be looked at before the next wind. Thompson Tree Care and Landscaping handles that as storm damage tree removal.
Which Arnold Trees Fail, and How?
River-bottom trees break and ash are dying. The city code has an opinion too: section 405.200 calls trees with weak wood “undesirable” but exempts black walnut, pecan, hickory, persimmon, sycamore and Missouri natives.
Silver maple and cottonwood
MDC lists silver maple, cottonwood, sycamore and green ash as the bottomland natives that came through the 1993 flood best. Surviving a flood is not holding together. It describes silver maple as growing to 100 feet with soft wood that easily loses limbs in wind and ice.
Ash
MDC reported emerald ash borer as widespread in Missouri by 2020. Our guide to treating or removing an ash explains how to decide.
Upland oaks that got wet
Oaks and sugar maples on ground that flooded are the ones MDC says tolerate it least. It expected more to die over the following five growing seasons.
What Can You Do With Brush and Storm Debris in Arnold?
Set out what the hauler accepts and have the rest chipped or hauled. The city lists Republic Services, (636) 947-5959, for trash and yard waste. Under section 235.390, limbs and yard waste may not be placed in the street, gutter or a drainage ditch. They go to the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the evening before collection.
We found no burn season for brush in Arnold’s code. Section 220.030 does make smoke or odors offensive to neighbors a nuisance. Ask City Hall and your fire district before lighting a pile.
Who Handles Trees Near Power Lines in Arnold?
Ameren Missouri, for its own lines. The city’s utilities page names Ameren as the electric provider, at (800) 552-7583, and section 800.060 of the city code lets utilities trim trees overhanging streets under the Director of Public Works. Ameren says only qualified line clearance contractors may work within 10 feet of its higher voltage lines, and that the service drop from the pole to the house is the owner’s responsibility.
Arnold is in our service area, along with Oakville on the St. Louis County side of the Meramec and Fenton up the river. Thompson Tree Care and Landscaping is based in south St. Louis County, licensed and insured.
Last Updated: October 2026
Arnold Rules, River and Curb Questions
Not for an ordinary yard tree, as the code reads in October 2026. Tree Preservation section 405.200 applies when trees come down with new development on three acres or more. Confirm with Community Development at City Hall, (636) 296-2100, before a large clearing job.
The county’s, from Hillsboro. Its land disturbance chapter counts tree removal as land disturbance and requires a permit at 5,000 square feet or more inside the county’s urban area boundary. It also protects a buffer strip along streams, where removing an individual tree in danger of falling is still allowed. Jefferson County Code Enforcement is at (636) 797-5310.
Not the stump. Stumps and roots are written out of Arnold’s definition of yard waste, which covers leaves, grass clippings, garden vegetation and Christmas trees. A tree crew normally chips the brush and hauls the wood, and stump grinding takes care of the rest.
Not necessarily. After the 1993 flood the Missouri Department of Conservation expected stressed trees to keep dying over the next five growing seasons as borers and root rot moved in. Watch for yellow leaves, a thinning top, peeling bark and early fall color.