St. Louis County, MO Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- PMC §§ 106.4, 107.2, 107.3, 111.1
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Transportation and Public Works
- Appeal deadline
- 30 days to the Board of Appeals
- Graffiti correction deadline
- 30 days under Section 302.9
- Appeal fee
- Set by Chapter 1100.130 SLCRO
- Penalty basis
- Each continuing day is a separate offense
Summary
St. Louis County's Property Maintenance Code puts every violation, from graffiti to structural neglect, through the same track: a written notice of violation, a correction order, and prosecution under Code Section 106.4 if the owner does not comply. The Department of Transportation and Public Works issues the notice; ignoring it is a separate offense every day it continues.
106.4 Violation Penalties. Any person, who shall violate a provision of this code, or fail to comply therewith, or with any of the requirements thereof, shall be prosecuted within the limits provided by state or local laws. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served, shall be deemed a separate offense. ... 107.2 Form. Such notice prescribed in Section 107.1 shall be in accordance with all of the following: ... 4. Include a correction order allowing a reasonable time to make the repairs and improvements required to bring the dwelling unit or structure into compliance with the provisions of this code; except, however, that the time allowed in any correction order pertaining to the removal of graffiti in compliance with section 302.9 shall not exceed thirty (30) days and said correction order shall further advise that the matter will be referred to the County Counselor for prosecution without further notice at the expiration of the prescribed period if the graffiti violation has not been remedied. 5. Inform the property owner of the right to appeal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
When a Property Maintenance Code inspector documents a violation, the county does not simply post a citation. 9, where the deadline is capped at thirty days and the notice must warn that the county's counselor can prosecute the case without any further notice once that window closes. 3 sets out how the notice has to reach the owner: personal delivery, posting in a conspicuous place at the property, first-class mail to the address on file with the county's real estate records, or, if mail comes back undelivered, posting on the structure itself.
4 makes every day a violation continues after service of that notice a separate offense, and the case is prosecuted 'within the limits provided by state or local laws' rather than under one fixed county fine schedule. 130 to be paid before that appeal can even be docketed. An appeal is limited to arguing that the code's intent was misapplied, that a provision does not actually reach the property, or that an equivalent method of compliance should be accepted instead.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a notice of violation keeps exposing the owner to prosecution, since Section 106.4 treats each additional day as its own offense rather than one continuing charge. Graffiti notices carry the tightest clock: repairs must be finished within thirty days of the correction order under Section 302.9, and missing that deadline sends the file straight to the County Counselor for prosecution with no additional warning required.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time does a property owner get to correct a cited violation?
Can a property owner appeal a St. Louis County violation notice?
How is a notice of violation delivered under the Property Maintenance Code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
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