St. Louis runs a formal Problem Properties Program and Building Division condemnation process targeting blighted, vacant, and derelict structures. Owners face daily fines, board-up orders, tax liens, and potential demolition under Title 25.
The St. Louis Problem Properties Program, operated jointly by the Building Division, City Counselor, and Department of Public Safety, identifies parcels with chronic nuisance, unsafe structures, or repeated code violations. Under Title 25 Chapter 25.30, unsafe or vacant buildings can be condemned, boarded, and ultimately demolished. Title 11 allows nuisance abatement for overgrowth, trash, and pests with city cleanup charged back to the owner as a lien on the property tax bill. Blight designation also enables use of Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) and Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) tools. Problem properties may be subject to receivership through court action under RSMo 441.500 (Abandoned Housing Act). Fines compound daily until correction.
Daily fines of $100-$500 per violation, emergency board-up costs billed to owner, tax liens for city-abated work, and possible demolition. Receivership can transfer control to a nonprofit rehabber.
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis has no city ordinance restricting residential lawn ornaments, statuary, or religious displays on private property. Property maintenance code under ...
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis has no city ordinance specifically regulating residential inflatable holiday displays. Inflatables are permitted on private property subject to rig...
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis has no city ordinance setting installation dates, removal deadlines, or brightness limits for residential holiday lights. Lights may stay up year-r...
St. Louis, MO
Built-in outdoor kitchens in St. Louis require permits through the Building Division: a building permit for the structure, a gas-line permit for natural-gas ...
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis has no city-specific ordinance regulating residential backyard smokers, pellet grills, or wood-fired ovens at single-family properties. Operation i...
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis adopts the 2018 International Fire Code under SLRC Title 25. IFC §308.1.4 prohibits open-flame cooking devices (charcoal, wood) and propane tanks l...
See how St. Louis's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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