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 9 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.

Host Presence Rule

St. Louis requires every short-term rental to have a designated agent who can be physically present at the property within one hour if the Building Division or a neighbor calls with a problem.

Key details: Response time: within one hour if required. Enforced by: Building Division, City of St. Louis. Penalty: permit revocation for non-compliance. Agent change notice: notify city within 10 business days.

Failure of the agent to fulfill these duties may result in revocation of the short-term rental permit; the Building Division enforces the requirement.

Host Platform Liability

Short-term rental platforms operating in St. Louis must hold a City permit, remove unpermitted or revoked listings within 7 days, and block bookings that lack a valid registry number.

Key details: Platform permit fee: $500 nonrefundable. Listing removal window: 7 days after City notice. Booking block: No registry number, no booking. Enforcing agency: Building Division, City of St. Louis. Effective: Ord. No. 71729, 11-6-2023.

Failing to remove an unpermitted or revoked listing within 7 days of City notice, or completing a booking on an unregistered property, violates § 25.57.130 and can lead to revocation of the platform's own permit.

This is one of the stricter rules in St. Louis's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

A St. Louis 'short-term rental, occupied' permit requires the applicant to affirm the unit is the owner's or tenant's primary residence, and the code caps each resident at one primary residence citywide.

Key details: Permit fee: $150, non-refundable, annual. Primary residences allowed: One per individual citywide. Issuing office: Building Division. False affirmation: Grounds for permit revocation.

Submitting a false primary-residence affirmation is grounds for permit revocation under § 25.57.050.B; operating without the correct permit type is enforced under Chapter 25.57's general penalty provisions.

Repeat Violator Strikes

St. Louis revokes a short-term rental permit for up to 12 months after three violation notices for law breaches or nuisance activity hit the same property within 24 consecutive months.

Key details: Strike threshold: 3 violation notices in 24 months. Revocation period: up to 12 months. Cure window: 30 days to fix violations. Appeal deadline: 30 days after revocation. Violations tracked by: Building Division and Metro Police.

Three violation notices for law or nuisance issues at the same property within 24 consecutive months triggers automatic permit revocation and up to a 12-month ban on new applications for that address.

This is one of the stricter rules in St. Louis's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

St. Louis short-term rental applicants must disclose their off-street or on-site parking spaces, and the posted unit permit must state the maximum number of vehicles guests may park there.

Key details: Parking disclosure: Required on every STR application. Posted parking cap: Max vehicles shown on unit permit. Application fee: $150, occupied or non-occupied. Fine per violation: $500, adjudicated in municipal court.

Operating without a permit, or violating chapter requirements including posted parking limits, exposes the owner to permit revocation and a $500 fine per fully adjudicated violation in municipal court; repeat violations at one property can bar new permits for up to 12 months.

Short-Term Rental Permits

St. Louis requires an annual short-term rental permit from the Building Division, with a $150 non-refundable application fee, before renting any dwelling unit for stays of 30 days or less.

Key details: Application fee: $150 (occupied or non-occupied). Platform permit fee: $500. Renewal cycle: annual. Minimum stay allowed: 2 nights. Revocation trigger: 3 violations in 24 months.

Fully adjudicated violations carry a $500 fine per offense in municipal court. Three violation notices at one property within 24 months triggers permit revocation and a bar on new short-term rental permits there for up to 12 months; false statements on an application are separate grounds for revocation.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. St. Louis actively enforces its short-term rental permits requirements.

Occupancy Limits

St. Louis caps short-term rental occupancy at the load set by the Building Commissioner under the residential code, based on floor area per occupant, and the limit must be posted inside the unit.

Key details: Standard: Occupancy set by Building Commissioner, not fixed. Space formula: 150 sq ft first occupant, +100 each. Sleeping room alt.: 70 sq ft first, 50 each additional. Exclusion: Children under six excluded from count. Posting: Maximum occupancy must be posted inside unit.

Exceeding the posted occupancy limit violates the short-term rental permit and can trigger revocation; adjudicated short-term rental violations carry a $500 fine per violation in municipal court.

Noise Rules

St. Louis short-term rental hosts must post written rules acknowledging the city's noise ordinance, and repeat violations can get the rental permit revoked for up to a year.

Key details: Governing law: Ordinance 67002 (city noise code). Posting requirement: Written noise-rule acknowledgment inside unit. Three-strike threshold: 3 violations in 24 months. Revocation length: Up to 12-month permit ban. Fine: $500 per adjudicated violation.

Three violation notices for law or nuisance issues (including noise) at one address within 24 months triggers permit revocation for up to 12 months; adjudicated violations carry a $500 fine each.

Taxes & Fees

St. Louis charges a $150 non-refundable annual permit fee for short-term rental hosts and a separate $500 non-refundable permit fee for rental platforms, plus applicable state and local hotel-motel taxes under Chapter 25.57.

Key details: Host permit fee: $150, non-refundable. Platform permit fee: $500, non-refundable. Hotel-motel tax authority: RSMo §§ 67.657, 67.619. Violation fine: $500 per offense. Renewal cycle: Annual reapplication required.

Submitting false application information is grounds for permit revocation. Fully adjudicated code violations in municipal court draw a $500 fine per offense, and platforms that fail to delist a revoked property within 7 days risk losing their own permit.

The Bottom Line

St. Louis is tougher than many cities when it comes to short-term rentals. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in St. Louis, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

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.