Business Licensing & Operations in St. Louis, MO (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for St. Louis, Missouri, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
St. Louis bans adult bookstores, adult theaters, peep shows and massage establishments within 500 feet of residential zoning, churches or schools, and caps clustering at two per 1,000 feet.
St. Louis Adult Business Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 26.72.030
no building or land shall hereafter be used for any of the uses set out in Section 26.72.020 if: A. The boundaries of the site of the proposed location is within five hundred (500) feet of a residentially zoned district; or B. ... within five hundred (500) feet of a church or elementary, intermediate or high school, or college, junior college or university; or C. There is already in existence, ...
Massage Establishments
Massage establishments in St. Louis must hold a city business license, employ only Missouri-licensed therapists, comply with health inspections, and meet zoning rules under Title XI.
St. Louis Massage Establishment Rules
Some RestrictionsRSMo § 324.240
324.240. Definitions. — As used in sections 324.240 to 324.275, the following terms shall mean: (1) "Board", the board of therapeutic massage; (2) "Certified mentor", a practitioner who is qualified for license in this state pursuant to sections 324.240 to 324.275 and who has practiced professionally for five years, with an average of four hundred fifty hours per year of teaching and massage ho...
Tattoo & Body Modification
St. Louis tattoo parlors need a Board of Public Service license, a public hearing, and fixed 9 a.m.-to-1 a.m. hours, and neighbors can petition to revoke it.
St. Louis Tattoo Parlor License Rules
Significant RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 8.97.090
All tattoo parlors shall be open only between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Central Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time, whichever shall be in effect. All tattoo parlors shall have all patrons removed and the doors locked by the closing times mentioned herein and shall suffer no person subject to curfew regulations to be or remain on the premises in violation of the curfew hours.
Tobacco Retail License
A St. Louis store only counts as a 'retail tobacco store' if smoking materials are more than 50% of its trade: that status is what lets customers smoke inside.
St. Louis Smoke Shop 50% Rule
Some RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 11.31.020(P); exemption at § 11.31.070(E)
"Retail tobacco store" means a retail store used primarily for the sale of smoking materials and where more than fifty percent (50%) of the volume of trade or business carried on is that of the blending of tobaccos or sales of tobaccos, cigarettes, pipes, cigars or smoking sundries and in which the sale of other products is incidental and where smoking is permitted within the public place.
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand dealers, scrap-metal buyers, and resale shops in St. Louis must hold a city license, log seller ID for every transaction, and report sales electronically so SLMPD can trace stolen goods.
St. Louis Secondhand Dealer Rules
Some RestrictionsRSMo § 407.300
407.300. Certain materials, collectors and dealers to keep register, information required — catalytic converter transaction, limit on location — stolen catalytic converter, purchase of, penalties — exempt transactions. — 1. Every purchaser or collector of, or dealer in, junk, scrap metal, or any secondhand property who obtains items for resale or profit shall keep a register containing a writte...
Pawnbrokers
St. Louis requires pawnbrokers to obtain a City license and post a $1,000 bond, bars pledge or pawn transactions between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., and caps licenses at one per 30,000 residents.
St. Louis Pawnbroker Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 8.72.020
No person shall do business as a pawnbroker in the City without having first obtained a license therefor. The license shall conform to those now in use as provided by this chapter, with a form of affidavit attached thereto, which the applicant shall subscribe and make oath that he will faithfully carry out the provisions of this chapter.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
St. Louis flatly bans auto repair and paint shops as a home occupation: no waiver, no conditional-use path around it.
St. Louis Home Auto Repair Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSt. Louis Revised Code § 26.80.060.B.10
The following are prohibited as home occupations: ... 7. Repair shops; ... 10. Automobile repair or paint shops, sales and leasing of new or used autos and auto detailing and washing.
Towing Companies
Tow operators in St. Louis must hold a city license, register each truck and driver with SLMPD, post regulated rates, and follow Missouri towing statutes for non-consensual tows.
St. Louis Tow Truck and Wrecker Rules
Heavy RestrictionsRSMo § 304.155
304.155. Abandoned motor vehicles on public property, removal — hazards on land and water, removal, limited liability, when [...] — 1. Any law enforcement officer within the officer's jurisdiction, or an officer of a government agency where that agency's real property is concerned, may authorize a towing company to remove to a place of safety: (1) Any abandoned property on the right-of-way of: ...