Rental Property Rules in St. Louis, MO: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in St. Louis or are thinking about moving there, rental property rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. St. Louis has 11 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of rental property rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Security Deposit Rules

Missouri statute caps residential security deposits at two months' rent and requires landlords to return the deposit within thirty days of move-out with an itemized statement of any deductions, applied to all St. Louis rentals.

Key details: Maximum deposit: Two months' rent. Return deadline: 30 days. Wrongful withholding penalty: Up to 2x amount. Statute: Mo. §535.300.

Wrongful withholding can expose a landlord to a tenant lawsuit for double damages, plus court costs, and complaints through the Missouri Attorney General's consumer-protection division.

No-Fault Evictions

Missouri permits no-fault termination of month-to-month tenancies in St. Louis with one month's written notice, and there is no city just-cause-eviction ordinance limiting the landlord's reasons for ending tenancy.

Key details: Notice required (month-to-month): 30 days written. Cause required: No, with notice. Local just-cause ordinance: None. Statute: Mo. §441.060.

Issuing notice that is shorter than thirty days, retaliating for code complaints, or attempting self-help eviction can be challenged in St. Louis associate-circuit court and subject the landlord to damages.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find St. Louis gives residents more flexibility on no-fault evictions.

Tenant Anti-Harassment

St. Louis lacks a stand-alone anti-harassment ordinance, but state law and city housing-conservation rules prohibit lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats, and self-help eviction against residential tenants in occupied units.

Key details: Stand-alone city ordinance: No. Self-help eviction: Illegal statewide. Utility shutoff for eviction: Illegal. Enforcement: Court + Building Division.

Lockouts, utility shutoffs, repeated intimidation, or removal of personal property may yield civil damages, attorney fees, criminal charges, and emergency restraining orders restoring tenant possession.

Source-of-Income Discrimination

St. Louis amended its civil-rights ordinance to prohibit housing discrimination based on lawful source of income, including Section 8 vouchers, Social Security, child support, and veterans benefits, beyond Missouri's narrower state law.

Key details: Covered sources: Vouchers, SSI, child support. City agency: Civil Rights Enforcement Agency. State protection: No, city only. HUD cross-filing: Available.

Refusing vouchers, posting 'no Section 8' ads, or imposing different screening terms by income source can yield administrative orders, damages, civil penalties, and cross-filed HUD investigations.

Section 8 Voucher Acceptance

The St. Louis Housing Authority administers federal Housing Choice Vouchers and project-based units, while the city's source-of-income ordinance limits landlords' ability to refuse voucher holders solely because of voucher status.

Key details: Administering agency: St. Louis Housing Authority. Inspection standard: HUD HQS. Side payments: Prohibited. City source-of-income rule: Yes.

Failing an SLHA inspection, charging side payments above contract rent, or refusing vouchers in violation of the city ordinance can result in contract termination, damages, and civil-rights enforcement action.

Cash-for-Keys Agreements

St. Louis does not regulate cash-for-keys negotiations between landlords and tenants, so payment-to-vacate agreements are private contracts governed by general Missouri contract law and ordinary court enforcement.

Key details: City regulation: None. Written agreement: Strongly recommended. Coercion allowed: No, separate harassment law. Enforcement: Contract law.

There is no city violation for offering or accepting cash-for-keys, but coercive offers tied to threats, lockouts, or utility shutoffs can convert the deal into actionable harassment and fraud.

The rules around cash-for-keys agreements in St. Louis lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Eviction Moratorium History

During the COVID-19 emergency, St. Louis paused eviction filings and used CDC and CARES Act protections, but no local moratorium remains in effect today, and standard Missouri eviction procedure now governs all cases.

Key details: Active moratorium: None as of 2026. Active 2020-2021: CDC and CARES. Court: 22nd Judicial Circuit. Rent assistance available: Through nonprofits.

There are no current moratorium violations to enforce; landlords filing eviction now follow standard Missouri summons-and-default rules, with damages available only for retaliatory or self-help conduct.

St. Louis is more permissive than most cities when it comes to eviction moratorium history. That said, there are still limits.

Relocation Assistance

St. Louis does not have a broad citywide relocation-assistance ordinance for no-fault evictions, but tenants displaced by code-condemned buildings or federally funded projects may qualify for state, federal, or Building Division-coordinated relocation aid.

Key details: General relocation ordinance: None. Condemnation relocation: Case-by-case. URA federal projects: Yes. Rent control allowed?: No, Mo. §441.043.

Displacing tenants from a federally funded project without paying URA-required relocation benefits can expose the developer or landlord to federal recapture, audit findings, and tenant suits.

St. Louis is more permissive than most cities when it comes to relocation assistance. That said, there are still limits.

Rental Registration

St. Louis requires a Certificate of Inspection for one and two-family rentals at change of occupancy, plus occupancy permits for tenants. Larger multifamily properties must obtain a Conditional Use Permit and pass periodic building inspections administered by the Building Division.

Key details: 1-2 Family: Certificate of Inspection at change of occupancy. 3+ Units: Conditional Use Permit required. Tenant: Occupancy permit required. Inspection: Building Division, STL City. HCD Areas: Periodic interior inspections.

Renting without a valid CI or CUP can trigger stop-occupancy orders, daily fines per Title 11, and condemnation. Tenants renting without an occupancy permit risk displacement.

Rent Control

Rent control is prohibited in Missouri. Under RSMo 441.043, political subdivisions including St. Louis cannot enact ordinances controlling rent on private residential property. Market-rate rent increases are legal regardless of amount.

Key details: State Preemption: RSMo 441.043. Local Rent Control: Prohibited. Rent Increases: Any amount legal. Notice: 30 days month-to-month. Federal Programs: Section 8 and LIHTC exempted.

No city enforcement against rent increases. Tenants experiencing improper notice or habitability violations can pursue remedies through housing court.

St. Louis is more permissive than most cities when it comes to rent control. That said, there are still limits.

Just Cause Eviction

St. Louis follows Missouri statutory landlord-tenant law. Missouri does not require just cause for eviction. Month-to-month tenancies terminate with one full rental period written notice under RSMo Chapter 441, and nonpayment evictions follow RSMo Chapter 535 rent-and-possession procedures.

Key details: Just Cause: Not required in MO or STL. Month-to-Month Notice: One full rental period (RSMo 441.060). Nonpayment: Rent and possession under RSMo Ch. 535. Self-Help: Prohibited, court process required. Court: 22nd Judicial Circuit, City of St. Louis.

Illegal self-help eviction or lockout exposes landlord to civil damages, attorneys fees, and possible contempt. Tenants may also counterclaim for retaliation if eviction follows a code complaint.

The rules around just cause eviction in St. Louis lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, St. Louis gives residents more room on rental property rules. 6 of the 11 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from St. Louis's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.