Business Licensing & Operations in Kirkwood, MO (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Kirkwood, Missouri, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Massage Establishments
Massage businesses in Kirkwood must hold a City license under Code § 13-91, pass a Building Commissioner inspection against the minimum sanitation standards in § 13-83, and every massage therapist must separately hold a therapist permit under § 13-96.
Kirkwood Massage Establishment Licensing
Significant RestrictionsKirkwood Code of Ordinances §§ 13-83, 13-91
No license to conduct a massage establishment shall be issued unless an inspection by the Building Commissioner or designee reveals that the establishment complies with each of the following minimum requirements: ... It shall be unlawful for any person to e ... stablish, maintain or conduct any massage business within the City unless such person has made application for and secured a license to...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Kirkwood zoning requires a tattoo studio to sit at least 1,000 feet from any other tattoo studio and caps its first-floor street frontage at eight feet, under the use-specific standards at § 25-36(bb).
Kirkwood Tattoo Studio Spacing and Frontage
Some RestrictionsKirkwood Code of Ordinances § 25-36(bb)(1)-(2)
A tattoo studio shall be located a minimum of 1,000 feet from any other tattoo studio. ... Any tenant space containing a tattoo studio shall have a maximum first-floor street frontage of eight feet.
Tobacco Retail License
Kirkwood requires anyone selling cigarettes, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products or vapor products to hold a retail sales tax license. Kirkwood Code of Ordinances § 17-213 makes selling those products without that license unlawful, on top of separate rules barring sales to minors, requiring warning signage, and restricting how individual cigarette packs may be displayed.
Kirkwood Tobacco Retail License Requirement
Some RestrictionsKirkwood Code of Ordinances § 17-213
No person shall sell cigarettes, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products or vapor products unless the person has a retail sales tax license.
Secondhand Dealers
Kirkwood requires every purchaser, collector or dealer in junk, scrap metal or secondhand property to keep a written or electronic register of each purchase, recording the seller's photo ID, address, the transaction's date and place, the seller's license plate, and a full description of the metal. Kirkwood Code of Ordinances § 17-123 makes those records available to police and requires them kept 24 months.
Kirkwood Secondhand and Scrap Dealer Registers
Significant RestrictionsKirkwood Code of Ordinances § 17-123
A. Every purchaser or collector of, or dealer in, junk, scrap metal or any secondhand property shall keep a register containing a written or electronic record for each purchase or trade in which each type of metal subject to the provisions of this section is obtained for value. ... B. The record required by this section shall contain the following data: 1. A copy of the driver's license or phot...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Kirkwood bans motor vehicle repair work of any kind, except emergency repairs, in off-street parking and driveway areas under § 25-64(h)(2) of the Zoning and Subdivision Code, but residential lots keep a narrow exception: occupants can still wash their own vehicles or do occasional minor repairs on vehicles they own.
Kirkwood Home Auto Repair Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsKirkwood Code of Ordinances § 25-64(h)(2)
No motor vehicle repair work or service of any kind, except emergency repairs, shall be permitted in or in association with any off-street vehicular use area, except that off-street vehicular use areas for residential uses may be used for occasional auto washing or minor repairs of vehicles owned by the occupant.
Towing Companies
Every tow truck operating in Kirkwood needs a City license under § 13-264, unless it already carries a valid St. Louis County or comparable-municipality license, and licensed wreckers must file a posted price schedule and carry minimum liability insurance under §§ 13-272 and 13-275.
Kirkwood Tow Truck Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsKirkwood Code of Ordinances § 13-264
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a tow truck within the City unless that person shall first obtain a license from the Director of Finance for said tow truck, or unless said person shall be exempt by reason of one or more of the exemptions enumerated in Subsection (b) herein. ... No license shall be required of any person whose principal place of business is not located within the ...
Looking for St. Louis County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Kirkwood city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in St. Louis County →