St. Louis, MO Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 26.80.060(A)(9)-(10)
- Base rule
- No regular client/public visits
- Also barred
- Advertising inviting clients to home
- Workaround
- Conditional-use permit, Board of Public Service
- Path fee
- Set in Chapter 26.98
Summary
St. Louis bars home occupations from regularly accepting customers, clients, or the general public into the home, or advertising to invite them, under the zoning code's home-occupation standards.
A.Home occupations shall be permitted if the following requirements are met: ... 9.The home occupation does not regularly and routinely accept customers, clients, or the general public into the home;10.The home occupation does not advertise, solicit or invite customers, clients, or the general public to the home;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 11).
Full Breakdown
St. Louis's home occupation rule, Revised Code § 26.80.060(A), lets a home-based business operate by right only if it meets twelve conditions, including that it "does not regularly and routinely accept customers, clients, or the general public into the home" (A.9) and "does not advertise, solicit or invite customers, clients, or the general public to the home" (A.10). A business that needs regular client visits, home daycare, home cooking or food processing for resale, recording/film studios, or contractor offices, must instead seek conditional-use approval under § 26.80.060(C) and § 26.80.010, reviewed by the Board of Public Service, plus the waiver fee set in Chapter 26.98.
Violations & Fines
A home occupation that takes walk-in clients without conditional-use approval is a Zoning Code violation; the owner, tenant, or anyone assisting is guilty of an infraction under § 26.100.010's general penalty provisions, and the City Counselor may sue to enjoin the use under § 26.100.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have clients visit my home-based business in St. Louis?
What if my home business genuinely needs regular client visits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis
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