Kearney, Missouri

Kearney is in Clay County, Missouri, and is part of the Kansas City metro area.

The City of Kearney provides water and sewer and contracts with Redgate Disposal for residential trash, recycling and bulky pickup, all billed through City Hall at (816) 628-4142. Trash service is $20.06 per month for one trash and one recycling cart.

Complete the city’s online utility application through its billing portal, which also explains deposit requirements, or call City Hall at (816) 628-4142, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fireworks are allowed June 28 through July 3 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on July 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Kearney sits on I-35 with interchanges at Route 92 and at 19th Street, which opened in November 2023, giving direct interstate access south toward Liberty and Kansas City.

Most of Kearney is served by the Kearney R-I School District, and a small portion of the city lies within the Excelsior Springs 40 School District.

The City of Kearney bills water and sewer and takes payments through its online portal at kearneymo.epayub.com, in person at City Hall, by mail, or through your bank’s bill pay. Call City Hall at (816) 628-4142 with billing questions.

City Hall is at 100 E. Washington St. in downtown Kearney. The main phone number is (816) 628-4142.

Yes. The city lists a Kearney Comprehensive Plan Update among its special notices, with details at kearneyplan.org. The Board of Aldermen meets on the first and third Monday of most months, and agendas are posted on the city website.

The combined sales tax rate in Kearney is 8.975%, according to the city. If voters approve Proposition P on Nov. 3, 2026, it would rise to 9.475% starting April 1, 2027.

Kearney takes part in the Mid-America Regional Council’s regional household hazardous waste program, which accepts items at permanent facilities at 4707 Deramus in Kansas City and 2101 SE Hamblen Road in Lee’s Summit, plus periodic mobile collection events.

The City of Kearney posts Board of Aldermen agenda packets and signed minutes on its Agendas & Minutes page at kearneymo.us. In fall 2026 the board met Sept. 8, Sept. 21, Oct. 5 and Oct. 19, with the next regular meeting set for Nov. 2, 2026.

Kearney posts its annual budgets, annual audits and six-month consolidated financial statements on the city’s Financial Transparency page at kearneymo.us/government/financial_transparency_.php.

Kearney’s code treats weeds and grass over 7 inches tall as a nuisance (Section 215.051). The city can order the property owner to cut it and can abate it and charge the cost if the owner does not (Sections 215.060-215.065). Code enforcement can be reached through City Hall at (816) 628-4142.

Kearney voters approved Proposition P, a half-cent city sales tax, on Nov. 3, 2026, with 56.63% voting yes in unofficial results reported that night (pending certification by the Clay County Election Board). Before the vote, the city said the tax would take effect April 1, 2027, and expire after 25 years.

Permit applications are on the city’s Forms & Applications page, and permits are handled by the Community Development Department at City Hall, 100 E. Washington St., (816) 628-4142, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A $75 water meter deposit applies to new construction, and some subdivisions also carry a water district or transportation fee.

No. In Kearney’s residential districts, vehicles must park on a hard surface, not on grass, unpaved right-of-way or other unpaved areas (Sections 405.180.A.6 and 405.715.D of the city code).

Regular meetings are held on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at Kearney City Hall, 100 East Washington, and are livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel. A 2027 schedule of 24 meeting dates, from Jan. 4 through Dec. 20, is on the Nov. 2, 2026 consent agenda.

The City of Kearney’s 2025 levy was $0.5264 per $100 of assessed valuation, according to the tax impact table in the city’s Sept. 21, 2026 Board packet. Your total bill also includes school, county, library, fire and other district levies, which bring the combined 2025 rate to about $6.83 per $100 assessed.

Yes. City code (Sec. 605.020) requires a license before carrying on any business in Kearney, and the city’s annual occupational licenses expire Dec. 31 each year. Apply through the city’s Economic Development office at City Hall, 100 E. Washington St., (816) 628-4142.

Kearney’s fiscal year runs April 1 through March 31. The most recent audited annual financial report covers the year ended March 31, 2026, and was presented to the Board of Aldermen on Oct. 19, 2026.

It is a Chapter 353 redevelopment area administered by the K-353 Redevelopment Corporation, through which the city can approve property tax abatement for qualifying projects. For example, the Clear Creek Townhomes project at 102 West Lawrence Street was proposed for Level C abatement of 100% of the tax on new improvements for 15 years.

The city’s recycling center and yard waste site at 504 E. 19th St. (off 19th Street near Stonelake Drive) takes grass clippings, leaves and brush from Kearney residents on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Businesses may not use it.

Yes. The city recycling center at 504 E. 19th St. takes electronics for a fee: $10 for computers, $15 for Freon units such as refrigerators and air conditioners, $20 for smoke detectors, $25 for LCD/LED TVs and $30 for CRT TVs 26 inches and smaller. It also takes plastics, cans, paper, cardboard and glass.

According to the city’s audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2026, governmental sales taxes brought in $7,340,492, and general property taxes brought in $1,818,191. The report was presented to the Board of Aldermen on Oct. 19, 2026.

Yes. Residential customers can choose the Winter Water Average Sewer Billing Option, which averages water use on the December through March bills and uses that average to set the sewer charge for the rest of the year; water is still billed on actual use. Sign up with the Sewer Rate Billing Option form on the city website or at City Hall, 100 E. Washington St. The option can be changed once every 12 months.

Yes, for a short time. Kearney’s zoning code allows one storage container per residence for no more than one month. It must be on your driveway or another paved surface on your own property, not in the street, the front yard or landscaped areas (Sec. 405.235).

One temporary For Sale or For Rent sign up to 8 square feet and 5 feet tall is allowed on a residential lot. It can’t be lit and must sit at least 5 feet back from the right-of-way. Real estate signs don’t need a city sign permit.

The city posts agenda packets and minutes on its Board of Aldermen page and has linked meeting video, including the Oct. 19, 2026 meeting on YouTube. Regular meetings start at 6:30 p.m. The next one is Monday, Nov. 16, 2026.

Kearney’s newest elevated water tower holds 1 million gallons. It went into service before the city demolished its old I-35 water tower on March 17, 2026.

Yes. Under Section 205.030 of Kearney’s animal regulations, dog owners pay an annual license tax of $7.50 per dog, or $10.00 for an unspayed female. Section 205.070 limits a household to three dogs over four months old. Licensed kennels and breeders are exempt from that limit.

Redgate Disposal, the city’s residential trash hauler, picks up one pre-scheduled bulky item at the curb each week at no extra cost. To schedule a pickup, email service@redgatedisposal.com. Large appliances are not taken with regular trash, so call ahead. Apartment residents are not covered by this service.

The Street Division of Kearney Public Works plows the city’s public streets. The same crew also handles street paving and maintenance, street sweeping, and traffic and parking signs. For questions, call Kearney City Hall at (816) 628-4142 or email CityHall@kearneymo.us, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

No. Kearney does not require a city license for cats, but every cat must have a current rabies vaccination. Cats may not run at large, and any cat allowed outdoors must be spayed or neutered.

Call Kearney Animal Control at 816-903-4771 during business hours, or the non-emergency dispatch line at 816-407-3700 after hours. The city contacts the owner first to ask for voluntary cooperation; if the barking continues, you may be asked to sign a formal nuisance complaint.

Yes. Kearney’s code lets an occupant tell a for-profit distributor, orally or in writing, not to deliver unsolicited printed material, and each delivery after that is a separate violation with a fine of up to $100. Distributors also may not put material in mailboxes; it must go on the door or door handle. Mail and subscription publications are exempt.

Only on land zoned agricultural “A.” Kearney’s code makes it unlawful to put up or keep a fence with barbed wire, spikes or an electric shock device on any other property.

Voters approved Proposition P on Nov. 3, 2026. The City of Kearney says it adds half a cent, making the typical combined sales tax rate 9.475%, up from 8.975%, starting April 1, 2027.

The Planning & Zoning Commission meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. at Kearney City Hall, 100 East Washington, generally on the second Monday. The 2027 schedule lists 12 meetings, from Jan. 11 to Dec. 13, 2027, with application deadlines one month before each meeting. Agendas are posted on the city’s Agendas & Minutes page.

City permit data show 51 single-family building permits issued from January through October 2026, compared with 35 in the same period of 2025 and 36 for all of 2025. The city reports these figures monthly in its Planning & Zoning agenda packets.

Yes, on a limited basis. The Kearney Board of Aldermen approved backyard hens on June 16, 2025, for single-family properties with at least half an acre of land. Roosters, guinea hens and other crowing or non-hen fowl are not allowed, and feed, water and waste must be kept clean, odor-free and secured against rodents. Check with City Hall at (816) 628-4142 for any permit requirements before you build a coop.

The Clear Creek Townhomes site plan covers about 1.74 acres at 102 West Lawrence Street, at the northwest corner of North Jefferson Street and West Lawrence Street. The plan shows five buildings with about 19 townhome units, a private drive, garages and visitor parking. It was on the Kearney Planning & Zoning Commission agenda for Nov. 9, 2026, with a staff recommendation to approve with 13 conditions, and goes on to the Board of Aldermen.

Yes. Kearney’s zoning code requires each short-term rental to get a City-issued short-term rental permit before operating and to renew it every year. If the rental is not owner-occupied, the owner or manager must have an address within 50 miles of the property (Section 405.180 A.19).

No opening date is set. Les Schwab’s site plan for a 9,872-square-foot, seven-bay tire center on 1.37 acres at 830 Watson Drive (Shoppes at Kearney Lot 3G) went back to the Planning & Zoning Commission on Nov. 9, 2026 for re-approval, and the company told the city its Missouri and Kansas store openings have been pushed to 2028.