Kirkwood, MO Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 25-15(a), part of the Zoning and Subdivision Code's general review-procedure article, sets the citywide trigger for a building permit: any erection, addition, or structural alteration to a building or structure needs one from the Building Commissioner before work starts, and the Commissioner cannot issue a permit that would put the project in violation of the Code. The Building Commissioner's office itself is created by § 5-1, which also makes that official responsible for enforcing the City's Building Code, the 2021 International Building Code, Residential Code, and Existing Building Code, all adopted with local modifications under § 5-2, along with the zoning ordinances, the Plumbing and Drain Layers Code, the Housing Code, the Sign Ordinance, and the Weights and Measures Ordinance.

Section 25-15(b) pairs the permit requirement with a certificate of occupancy: before any building can be occupied for the first time, or before its use changes, the Building Commissioner must issue that certificate confirming the use complies with City ordinances, and a nonconforming use cannot be maintained, renewed, or changed without one either. If a building permit is issued anyway in violation of the Code, or work proceeds without one, Article XIII's enforcement provisions apply. Section 25-100(b) sets out a steep penalty scale for zoning and building violations: a first offense carries a fine of $10 to $250 for each day the violation continues, or up to 10 days in jail per day, or both, and a second or subsequent offense at the same building jumps to $100 to $500 per day, or the same jail exposure, at the court's discretion.

Section 25-101 separately confirms that any Code violation is a misdemeanor punishable per § 1-8, and § 25-102 makes clear these remedies are cumulative rather than exclusive.