Tree Service O'Fallon MO
In O'Fallon, Missouri, the tree between your sidewalk and the curb is yours to maintain and remove, not the city's, and the city's tree preservation rules do not apply to single-family lots. Thompson Tree Care and Landscaping gives free estimates.
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Is the Tree by the Curb Mine or the City of O'Fallon's?
Yours, in most cases. O'Fallon's code puts trees on private property on the owner, and it puts trees in the city right-of-way next to an individual lot on the adjacent owner too (Section 402.210). The city's Trees in O'Fallon page says residents handle removal “including trees between the sidewalk and the street.” In most subdivisions that right-of-way reaches about 12 feet behind the curb.
As of October 2026, the tree preservation article of the city code (Chapter 402, Article III) does not apply to a parcel used only for a single-family or two-family home, and we found no city permit for taking down a tree in such a yard. Confirm with Planning and Development through City Hall at 636-240-2000, and read your subdivision's indentures, because an association can be stricter than the city.
This is O'Fallon in St. Charles County, zip codes 63366 and 63368, not O'Fallon, Illinois.
How Did O'Fallon End Up With So Many Builder-Planted Trees?
Most of the city was built within about twenty years. The city's history page says that until the early 1970s O'Fallon was roughly 20 blocks square, mostly north of I-70. The census counted 46,169 residents in 2000 and 91,316 in 2020, and its 2019 to 2023 housing estimates put about 63 percent of O'Fallon homes in the 1990s and 2000s.
So the usual yard tree here went in with the house. The city used to allow those builder trees in the strip between sidewalk and curb. The code now says that practice damaged city and private infrastructure and blocked sight lines, and since 2011 new trees have to sit at least 15 feet behind the curb (Section 402.080).
Which O'Fallon Trees Are Failing, and Why?
Ash, ornamental pear and oak, by the city's own account. Emerald ash borer reached O'Fallon in spring 2014, and the city estimated about 37,000 ash trees in the community. It advises removing an ash once roughly half the tree is dead, because dead ash turns brittle and drops limbs in wind or ice. See our post on treating or removing an ash.
The city also reports Callery pears such as Bradford in decline, and its code lists every ornamental pear, along with silver maple and willow, as not recommended for planting because of weak wood. The third problem is horned oak gall, which the city says is killing pin, red, scarlet and black oaks and has no treatment; our oak gall post explains what the swellings are. Have a dying tree looked at before it becomes a dangerous tree removal.
What Have Storms Done to Trees in O'Fallon?
Mostly straight-line wind, and often. NOAA's storm records for St. Charles County include these O'Fallon entries:
- June 26, 2013: wind brought down limbs and a couple of Bradford pears near Highway K and Winding Woods Drive.
- July 23, 2017: a swath of damaging wind from O'Fallon to Portage des Sioux, with large limbs, trees and fences down in town.
- March 9, 2019: a large tree blown onto a house on Allen Drive.
Our emergency tree service line, (314) 712-3035, is answered 24/7. We are based in south St. Louis County, so we will tell you plainly when a crew can reach O'Fallon.
How High Must Branches Clear the Street, and Who Trims Near Power Lines?
The city wants 15 feet of clearance over the street at the curb and 8 feet over the sidewalk (Section 402.210). For a canopy or sight-line violation the city typically gives the owner ten days in writing, then does the work, bills the owner and can place a lien (Section 402.280). Routine tree trimming and pruning keeps you ahead of that letter.
Near wires, the utility clears its main lines and you look after the rest. Ameren Missouri serves most of O'Fallon and Cuivre River Electric Cooperative serves the southwest part of the city. Ameren says trees along the service drop, the line from the pole to the house, are the owner's responsibility, and it will disconnect the drop by appointment so the work can be done safely.
City yard waste pickup takes limbs up to 6 inches thick and 4 feet long, not stumps or large logs, so plan for the crew to haul the wood. O'Fallon is the only St. Charles County town we have a page for. The nearest others are across the Missouri River: Chesterfield and Florissant.
Last Updated: November 2026
Which Tree Service Fits Your O'Fallon Yard?
Tree Removal
- Dying ash, split pears and curb-strip trees.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
- Street, sidewalk and service-drop clearance.
Stump Grinding
- Ground after a Missouri 811 locate.
Emergency Tree Service
- A tree on a roof or fence. Answered 24/7.
Large Tree Removal
- Declining oaks taken down in sections.
Certified Arborist
- Treat, trim or remove: a second look.
What Do the O'Fallon Stump Grinding and Tree Removal Pages Cover?
The O'Fallon tree removal page covers the city rule for single-family lots, the roads where right-of-way trees are the city's, and what a builder has to keep when clearing. The O'Fallon stump grinding page covers the Missouri 811 locate, the private lines 811 does not mark, and why pear stumps resprout.
O'Fallon Tree Service FAQ
No, not next to a house lot. O'Fallon's code makes the adjacent owner responsible for right-of-way trees beside an individual lot (Section 402.210). The exceptions are a short list of roads the city maintains, listed on our O'Fallon tree removal page.
No. The city says it cannot send staff to diagnose emerald ash borer, and that an ash that looks unhealthy is probably infested. Our treat-or-remove guide covers the choice while the tree is still healthy.
Not under the current code. On minor residential streets, new trees go at least 15 feet behind the back of the curb and not within 5 feet of an underground utility or lateral line (Section 402.110). The code still calls for one tree on each lot, two on a corner lot, so plan the replacement further back.
Talk to the neighbor first. If that fails, O'Fallon's Code Enforcement Division lists “dead or dying trees” among the exterior property conditions it handles, and takes complaints through the city website or City Hall at 636-240-2000. A tree on subdivision common ground is the association's, so start with your trustees.