Building Safety in St. Louis, MO (2026)
8 verified building safety rules for St. Louis, Missouri, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Lead Paint
St. Louis inspects pre-1978 rentals for lead paint, orders landlords to treat it within 14 days, and can remediate itself and lien the property for 60% of the cost.
St. Louis Lead Hazard Control in Rentals
Significant RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.22.120(B)
If the person served the notice does not comply with the order of the Health Commissioner to correct and treat the condition within the prescribed time period the Health Department may, itself or by contract, correct the condition by remediating the hazard, charge the costs thereof to the owner ... collect the costs by lien or otherwise. The lien ... shall remain in effect until the property ow...
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
St. Louis does not mandate fire sprinklers in new townhouses or one- and two-family homes: builders must instead offer the system as a purchaser option before the sale closes.
St. Louis Fire Sprinkler Option Rule
Light RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 25.11.020 (amending IRC §§ R313.1–R313.2.1)
R313.1 Townhouse Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems. A builder of townhouse units shall offer to any purchaser on or before the time of entering into the purchase contract the option, at the purchaser's expense, to install or equip fire sprinklers in the townhouse unit. No purchaser of such a townhouse unit shall be denied the right to choose or decline to install a fire sprinkler system in such ...
Green Building Code
St. Louis requires municipal, commercial, institutional, and multi-family buildings of 50,000 square feet or more to meet building energy performance standards enforced through mandatory ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking.
St. Louis Building Energy Performance Standards
Significant RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 25.71.040
Standards for each property type will be set by May 4, 2021 through a stakeholder engagement process overseen by the Building Energy Improvement Board. The chief performance metric will be site energy use intensity (EUI). Standards will be set no lower than the 65th percentile by property type such that at least 65% of the buildings of that property type have a higher EUI.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
St. Louis requires at least one approved carbon monoxide detector in every new or rehabbed residential building heated by a fossil-fuel unit, with violations punishable by fine or jail.
St. Louis Carbon Monoxide Detector Rule
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 25.60.020
The owner of every new building or structure within the City of St. Louis which is intended to be occupied for residential purposes by a single family and every single-family residential building or structure which is rehabbed after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, and which is heated by a fossil fuel powered heating unit which is fully contained within the interior...
Building Permits
A concrete patio slab or ground-level wood deck skips a St. Louis building permit only if it's uncovered, unsupported by a permanent foundation, and no more than 12 inches above grade; anything taller, roofed, or footed needs one.
St. Louis Deck & Patio Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 25.01.020 (2018 IBC § 105.2, Item 25)
...concrete patio slabs or wooden patios/decks which rest directly on the ground or a rock base, provided that they are not covered by a roof or canopy, not supported by any type of permanent foundation, and a maximum of twelve inches above adjacent grade;
Electrical Permits
St. Louis has adopted the 2017 National Electrical Code and requires a permit before any electrical work begins, issued by the code official within the Division of Building and Inspection to a licensed electrician, contractor, or qualifying homeowner.
St. Louis Electrical Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 25.02.020 (Electrical Code, Annex H § 80.8.1)
No person shall commence any electrical work until a permit for such work has been issued by the code official. An electrical permit is not required for minor repairs as defined in Section 80.3.1. The fees for said permits shall be paid to the City of Saint Louis for each permit herein required. All work shall be done by a certified employee, firm, corporation, limited liability company, or oth...
Plumbing Permits
St. Louis requires a licensed plumbing or drainlaying contractor to obtain a permit from the code official before installing, altering, or replacing any plumbing system, under the city's adopted 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code.
St. Louis Plumbing Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 25.04.020, adopting Uniform Plumbing Code § 107.1 (When Required)
Any owner, lessee, authorized agent or contractor who desires to ... erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any plumbing system and/or drainlaying work, the installation of which is regulated by this Code ... shall engage a licensed plumbing contractor and/or licensed drainlaying contractor who shall first make application to the code official and obtain the required...
Building Inspections
St. Louis requires inspections at each construction stage, footing, frame, energy efficiency, and final, before work can proceed or a building can be occupied.
St. Louis Building Inspection Stages
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code, Building Code § 110.3 (Required Inspections)
The building official, upon notification, shall make the inspections set forth in Sections 110.3.1 through 110.3.10. No work shall be done on any part of the building or structure beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the approval of the building official... A final inspection and approval of all buildings shall be completed before occupancy as describ...