Building permits in St. Louis, Missouri
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in St. Louis, 1 needs a permit outright and 9 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
By Mario Bailey Last checked · 2 official sources
Verified against official sources- Project types verified
- 10
- in St. Louis
City of St. Louis Building Division, Permit Section (Department of Public Safety)
- Building Division Permit Section, City Hall, 1200 Market Street, Room 425, St. Louis, MO 63103
- Phone: (314) 622-3313
- Email: stlcitypermits@stlouis-mo.gov
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in St. Louis
St. Louis runs an online permit portal. Many local portals let you check application status, search permit records, and view inspection results without calling the office.
What needs a permit in St. Louis
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in St. Louis, 1 needs a permit outright and 9 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Permit | It depends | inches above adjacent grade for an uncovered wood deck or patio resting directly on the ground or a rock base with no permanent foundation | Charged as a building permit on estimated construction cost: $25.00 application fee plus... |
| Electrical Permit | It depends | Before starting any electrical work other than the code's listed minor repairs, and... | The application fee for all electrical permits is $25.00 |
| Fence Permit | It depends | Before building any new fence | The Building Division's published building permit schedule charges a $25.00 application... |
| HVAC Permit | It depends | Before installing or replacing a furnace, condensing unit, combination system, boiler... | There is a $25.00 application fee for each permit |
| Patio Permit | It depends | Not needed for a flat, open, at-grade paved patio on the same lot as the house | A patio cover is charged as a building permit on estimated construction cost: $25.00... |
| Plumbing Permit | It depends | Before any plumbing, drainlaying or process drainage work, any connection to a sewer... | The application fee for all plumbing permits is $30.00 |
| Pool Permit | It depends | inches of water depth, applied together with a 250 square foot surface area test | Charged as a building permit on estimated construction cost: $25.00 application fee plus... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | percent of roof sheathing removed and replaced during a like-material roof covering replacement | ...building permit for alterations and repairs on estimated construction cost: $25.00... |
| Shed Permit | It depends | square feet of floor area for a detached accessory building, which must also keep the setbacks required by the Zoning Ordinance | Charged as a building permit on estimated construction cost: $25.00 application fee plus... |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Any size | Charged as a building permit on estimated construction cost: $25.00 application fee plus... |
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St. Louis permit fees compared with nearby Missouri localities
| Missouri locality | Deck Permit | HVAC Permit | Electrical Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | ...permit on estimated construction cost: $25.00... | There is a $25.00 application fee for each permit | The application fee for all electrical permits is $25.00 |
| Kansas City | ...valuation table in Sec. 18-20(b)(2): $52.00 up to... | ...table as building permits, Sec. 18-20(b)(2): $52.00... | ...table as every other trade, Sec. 18-20(b)(2): $52.00... |
Each cell is the opening clause of that Missouri jurisdiction's own fee schedule; the full wording and source sit on each permit page.
St. Louis penalty for work started without a permit
St. Louis publishes what it charges when work begins before the permit, quoted here from the schedule or permit page we verified.
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Starting work before the permit issues triggers a surcharge that scales with the permit fee, from $35.00 on a $0 to $50.00 permit up to $1,005.00 over $10,000.00.
St. Louis plumbing permit page · last checked
The Missouri statute, the after-the-fact permit path and who may pull the permit: building without a permit in Missouri.
St. Louis permit questions, answered from the data
- Do you need a permit in St. Louis?
- For most projects, yes. Of the 10 permit types we have verified for St. Louis, 1 always requires a permit (for example a solar permit), 9 depend on size or scope (a deck permit, for instance). Each St. Louis permit type's page states the exact rule and its source.
- How much does a permit cost in St. Louis?
- St. Louis publishes a fee for 10 of the 10 permit types we cover, each quoted on its page from the jurisdiction's own schedule (linked on every page that carries one). Fees are set by City of St. Louis Building Division, Permit Section (Department of Public Safety); we do not estimate or mark them up.
- Where do you apply for a permit in St. Louis?
- City of St. Louis Building Division, Permit Section (Department of Public Safety) issues permits in St. Louis, with an online portal for applications, plan uploads and status checks, and takes questions at (314) 622-3313. The St. Louis official page and portal are linked in the office section above.
- What is the penalty for building without a permit in St. Louis?
- St. Louis publishes its own charge for work started before the permit: Starting work before the permit issues triggers a surcharge that scales with the permit fee, from $35.00 on a $0 to $50.00 permit up to $1,005.00 over $10,000.00. That is the local bill; the Missouri statute, the after-the-fact permit path and who may pull the permit are on the Missouri building-without-a-permit page.
How the St. Louis pages were verified. 10 permit types, 7 distinct official sources, most recently checked . Every rule is read from City of St. Louis Building Division, Permit Section (Department of Public Safety) or the applicable code and cited on its page; anything we could not confirm for St. Louis is marked rather than estimated. How we verify.