St. Louis's Short-Term Rentals: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles short-term rentals a little differently. In St. Louis, Missouri, there are 12 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Noise Rules

St. Louis STRs must follow the Chapter 15 noise code with quiet hours 10 PM to 7 AM. Two verified complaints in 12 months can trigger permit suspension. House rules must be posted inside the unit.

Key details: Quiet Hours: 10 PM to 7 AM. Trigger: 2 verified complaints in 12 months. Outcome: Permit suspension. Outdoor Music: Prohibited after 10 PM. Host Liability: Responsible for guest conduct.

Noise citation: $100 to $500 per incident. Two verified complaints in 12 months: STR permit suspension. Party-house pattern: permit revocation.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. St. Louis actively enforces its noise rules requirements.

Permit Requirements

St. Louis Ordinance 71635 requires STR permits from the Building Division, $500,000 liability insurance, and a local responsible party available 24/7 for complaints.

Key details: Authority: Ordinance 71635. Permit: Annual STR permit required. Insurance: $500,000 liability minimum. Contact: Local responder 24/7. Listing: Permit number required in ads.

Operating without a permit: fines up to $500 per day and platform listing takedown. Failure to maintain insurance or local contact: permit revocation.

Occupancy Limits

St. Louis STRs follow the IBC formula of 2 persons per bedroom plus 2 additional, capped at the unit permit maximum. Infants under 2 typically do not count. Over-occupancy is a common permit violation.

Key details: Formula: 2 per bedroom + 2. Infants: Under 2 not counted. Code: IBC/IPMC based. Day Visitors: Limited, no events. Posting: Required inside unit.

Over-occupancy: $100 to $500 per incident. Hosting unpermitted events: permit suspension. Repeated violations: revocation.

Night Caps

St. Louis does not impose annual night caps on short-term rentals. Both owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied STRs can operate year-round if properly permitted and zoned. HOAs may impose separate limits.

Key details: Annual Cap: None. Owner-Occupied: Year-round allowed. Non-Owner: Year-round with permit. Zoning: District-dependent. HOA: May impose separate limits.

Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find St. Louis gives residents more flexibility on night caps.

Registration Rules

St. Louis STR registration requires Building Division application, safety inspection, insurance proof, and tax registration with the Collector of Revenue. Permits are annual and non-transferable on sale.

Key details: Steps: Application, inspection, insurance, tax. Inspection: Smoke, CO, egress. Tax Registration: Collector of Revenue. Transfer: Non-transferable on sale. Listing: Permit number required.

Operating without registration: listing takedown notice plus $100 to $500 per day. Transferred permit: voided at closing, new owner must reapply.

Parking Rules

St. Louis STR permits require parking matching the underlying zoning requirement. In historic neighborhoods with no off-street parking, hosts must document legal on-street options in house rules.

Key details: Standard: Match zoning requirement. Historic Areas: Document on-street options. Permit Zones: Guests must observe. Street Sweeping: Twice weekly in most wards. RVs: Not allowed overnight residential.

Improper parking: standard citation $15 to $75. Blocking alley or hydrant: tow plus $75 to $250. STR permit violation for inadequate parking documentation: warning then $100 to $500.

Insurance Requirements

St. Louis STRs must carry general liability coverage of at least $500,000 per occurrence. Airbnb AirCover and VRBO Liability Insurance generally qualify. Lapsed coverage triggers automatic permit suspension.

Key details: Minimum: $500,000 per occurrence. Homeowners: Usually excludes STR. Airbnb AirCover: $1M qualifies. VRBO: $1M policy qualifies. Renewal: Annual proof required.

Lapsed coverage: automatic permit suspension. Operating while suspended: $500 per day plus permit revocation.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. St. Louis actively enforces its insurance requirements requirements.

Host Platform Liability

St. Louis expects booking platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo to remove listings without a valid city STR permit number once the License Collector issues a written takedown or non-compliance notice naming the property.

Key details: Permit number on listing: Required. Takedown route: License Collector notice. Tax collection: Host or platform. State law: Mo. §67.187 partial preempt.

A platform that ignores a city takedown notice or a host who continues marketing without a permit number may be referred to the City Counselor for civil enforcement, fines, and back-tax assessment.

Host Presence Rule

St. Louis does not require the host to live on-site or be present during a short-term rental stay, allowing whole-home rentals citywide subject to permit and zoning rules under Title XI.

Key details: Host on-site required?: No. Whole-home STR allowed: Yes, with permit. Local agent required: Yes, 24/7 contact. State preemption: Mo. §67.187 partial.

Operating without designating a local responsible agent or without a current STR permit can lead to permit revocation, daily fines, and removal from listing platforms after city notification.

The rules around host presence rule in St. Louis lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

St. Louis does not restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary residence, so investor-owned non-owner-occupied STRs are allowed citywide subject to permits, hotel tax, and zoning compliance.

Key details: Primary-residence rule?: None. Investor STRs allowed: Yes, with permit. Combined hotel tax: About 17%. State preemption: Mo. §67.187.

Listing an STR while falsely claiming primary-residence status to avoid commercial-use review, or failing to register a non-owner-occupied unit, may trigger permit denial and tax-collection back-assessments.

St. Louis is more permissive than most cities when it comes to primary-residence-only rule. That said, there are still limits.

Repeat Violator Strikes

St. Louis can suspend or revoke a short-term rental permit when the property accumulates repeated verified noise, occupancy, or nuisance violations within a rolling twelve-month period under Title XI enforcement provisions.

Key details: Lookback period: 12 months. Possible outcome: Permit suspension or revocation. Platform takedown: Yes, after notice. Hearing required: Yes.

Repeated substantiated complaints can stack into permit suspension, denial of renewal, civil fines, and referral to listing platforms for delisting after the city issues a notice of revocation.

Taxes & Fees

St. Louis STRs face roughly 14 percent combined tax including state sales, local sales, convention/tourism, and sports facility taxes. Hosts register with the Collector of Revenue for city remittance.

Key details: Total Tax: ~14% on lodging. State Sales: 4.225%. Convention: 3.5% tourism tax. Facilities: 3.75% sports/convention. Collector: City of St. Louis Collector of Revenue.

Failure to remit taxes: penalties of 5 percent per month plus interest. Willful evasion: misdemeanor referral to City Counselor.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, St. Louis gives residents more room on short-term rentals. 3 of the 12 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.

Keep in mind that St. Louis can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.