St. Charles County, MO: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

495 governs every home-based business in the unincorporated county, and Subsection (C) lists ten activities that can never qualify as a home occupation no matter how the operation is run: automobile, truck or vehicle repair (1); a rental business (2); stables or kennels (3); eating or drinking establishments (4); veterinarian services and animal hospitals (5); mortuaries and embalming establishments (6); private clubs, including fraternity and sorority houses (7); storage of construction materials or contractors' equipment (8); retail sales (9); and wholesale or retail distribution of firearms (10).

Even setting the express ban aside, a repair operation would fail the general standards in Subsection (A): home occupations may use only 'normal domestic or household equipment' and are barred from gases, chemicals, and commercial or industrial mechanical or electrical equipment (A(11)), and may produce no offensive noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odors, heat or glare (A(6)). By contrast, Subsection (B) lists what the county does allow from a residence: engineers, planners, architects, accountants, dressmakers, music teachers, up to two beauty or barber operators, real estate and insurance agents, small photography studios, artists and taxidermists.

This ban applies only to the unincorporated county; the incorporated cities within St. Charles County, including St. Charles, St. Peters, O'Fallon and Wentzville, adopt their own home-occupation ordinances.