65 local rules on file · Pop. 7,995 · St. Louis County
Showing ordinances that apply to Sappington, MO
Sappington is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 7,995 in St. Louis County, Missouri. Because Sappington is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, St. Louis County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in St. Louis County may have different rules.
Pools in St. Louis County must be enclosed on all sides by a barrier at least 48 inches high. If the house wall serves as part of the barrier, all access doors must be self-closing or equipped with audible alarms. Openings cannot allow passage of a 4-inch sphere.
Above-ground pools exceeding 24 inches deep, 250 sq ft in area, or equipped with a recirculation system require a building permit. The same 48-inch barrier and gate requirements apply. Setback review through the Zoning Review Section is required.
A building permit is required for any swimming or bathing pool exceeding 24 inches deep, 250 sq ft in area, or equipped with a water recirculation system — whether in-ground or above-ground. Setback review by the Zoning Review Section is also required.
Public pools (including subdivision pools) in St. Louis County must comply with the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act. Drain covers meeting ASME/ANSI A112.19.8 are required. A lifeguard is mandatory for pools with combined water surface ≥2,000 sq ft.
St. Louis County's zoning code does not specifically address short-term rentals as a distinct use category. Operators in unincorporated areas must obtain a re-occupancy permit (§1110.1045) and a Chapter 825 rental license. Enforcement is inconsistent compared to the City of St. Louis.
All lodging facilities inside St. Louis County, including transient home rentals booked through Airbnb, VRBO, and similar online purveyors, must file and pay a 3.75% Convention and Tourism Tax plus a 3.5% Convention and Sports Tax (7.25% total county lodging tax). Returns are due quarterly within 20 days after each calendar quarter. Missouri state sales tax of 4.225% and local city/county sales taxes also apply.
STR noise complaints in St. Louis County are handled under SLCRO §716.073 (Loud Noise) — plainly audible at 50 feet is presumed a violation — plus the host's Chapter 825 license is at risk for repeated nuisance complaints.
STR guest parking falls under the same rules as all residential parking: paved driveway required (§1003.165), no front-yard parking (§1207.060), and on-street limits (§1207.040). Guests do not get special parking privileges.
STR occupancy in unincorporated St. Louis County is effectively governed by the family definition in SLCRO §1003.020: an individual or related persons, or up to 3 unrelated persons living as a single non-profit housekeeping unit using no more than 2 kitchens.
SLCRO §810.020 makes it unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to sell, possess, offer for sale, expose for sale, give, use, discharge, or explode fireworks anywhere in St. Louis County. The ban is countywide and applies to incorporated and unincorporated areas.
Recreational bonfires are exempt from St. Louis County's open-burning ban only when limited to 16 square feet, fueled with clean untreated wood, monitored at all times, and equipped with an extinguishing means. Local fire-district notification is required.
Open burning of trade waste, household refuse, tires, trash, or any non-yard-waste material is prohibited everywhere in St. Louis County at all times under SLCRO §612.340 and Missouri 10 CSR 10-6.045. Leaf burning is prohibited countywide in incorporated areas.
Fences 6 feet or less in height may be installed in unincorporated St. Louis County without a building permit. Taller fences require a permit. Barbed wire and electrical fencing are prohibited in residential areas.
A building permit is required for any retaining wall over 3 ft in height (measured from the non-retained grade), over 2 ft if it supports a surcharge load, located closer than its height to a property line, or with a fence/guardrail on top exceeding 6 ft total.
SLCRO bans barbed wire and electrical fencing in residential areas of unincorporated St. Louis County. Property-maintenance rules also prohibit fences with peeling paint, rust, or structural damage.
SLCRO §716.075 declares a habitually barking dog that disturbs the peace to be a public nuisance. Owners are responsible for ensuring their dog does not disturb neighbors; complaints go to St. Louis County Animal Control.
St. Louis County does not set fixed quiet hours; instead SLCRO §716.073 makes it unlawful at any time to play any radio, instrument, TV, or audio device at a volume that disturbs another person. Noise plainly audible more than 50 feet from the source is presumed a violation.
SLCRO §716.078 bans operating an ATV on private property within 100 ft of another's residence or on any public paved road or sidewalk. Pocket bikes (≤49cc) are 'motor vehicles' subject to the county noise ordinance and require a driver's license and helmet.
Residents in unincorporated St. Louis County may keep chickens as pets but may not breed them for sale or sell eggs. Chickens must not become a public nuisance under SLCRO §611.210. Each incorporated city sets its own poultry rules.
SLCRO §611.210 declares any animal that defaces public property, causes unsanitary conditions, or attracts pests a public nuisance. Stagnant water collecting on private property is itself a §602.050 nuisance because of mosquito breeding.
In unincorporated St. Louis County, a single-family residence may keep at most 3 dogs, OR 5 cats, OR a combination of 5 dogs and cats with no more than 3 dogs at any time.
SLCRO §611.200 prohibits dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens from being at large anywhere in St. Louis County. Pets must be on a leash, in a cage or building, in a car, or on the owner's property at all times — this applies countywide, including all 88 municipalities.
SLCRO §1207.075 prohibits commercial vehicles over 12,000 lbs from parking on a residential road or highway between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Tractors and tractor-trailers may never be parked on a residential road except for active loading/unloading.
SLCRO §1207.060 makes it unlawful to park a vehicle in the front yard of a residential property unless the vehicle is on a paved driveway or designated paved parking area contiguous with the driveway.
SLCRO §1216.080 declares junked motor vehicles on private property a public nuisance. Unincorporated residents cannot store a junked or unlicensed vehicle for more than 72 hours unless inside a fully enclosed building; one vehicle may be stored 30 days during active repair.
Under SLCRO §1003.165, all vehicles in unincorporated St. Louis County residential districts — including RVs, campers, and boats — must be parked on a paved driveway. Front-yard parking on lawn or gravel is prohibited.
SLCRO §1207.040 prohibits parking within 8 ft of a public mailbox, 15 ft of a fire hydrant, 20 ft of a crosswalk, or 30 ft from an intersection. Parking on sidewalks, in driveways, or blocking snow removal is also prohibited countywide.
A building permit is required for residential attached or detached garages, attached carports, sundecks, and smokehouses (regardless of size for smokehouses). Smokehouses on residential property are limited to 25 sq ft and 8 ft height.
St. Louis County's Zoning Ordinance §1003.020 defines 'family' as related individuals or a group of no more than 3 unrelated persons. Two kitchens maximum per dwelling unit, which effectively prohibits unpermitted ADUs in standard single-family zoning.
A building permit is required for sheds larger than 120 sq ft in unincorporated St. Louis County and in cities that contract for building inspection. Sheds ≤120 sq ft are permit-exempt but must comply with setbacks and the Property Maintenance Code.
SLCRO §1003.020.59 limits home businesses in unincorporated St. Louis County to family members residing on the premises, no exterior signage, no stock-in-trade sold on premises, no nonresidential mechanical equipment, and no customers except one tutoring/music student at a time.
A St. Louis County license is required for any person caring for more than 4 children (other than their own) in their home. Maximum 10 children including the provider's own; minimum 500-ft separation from another licensed home daycare. Missouri State License also required.
SLCRO §607.1005 permits residential backyard composting countywide if located ≥3 ft behind the main residential structure, screened from neighbors near property lines, and managed to prevent odors, rodents, and leachate runoff.
Grass and weeds on residential property in unincorporated St. Louis County cannot exceed 8 inches in height. Property owners have 7 days after a violation notice to cut; non-compliance triggers county-contractor cutting billed back as a special tax bill.
New trees may not be planted on a St. Louis County right-of-way between the sidewalk and the curb (SLCRO §1218.140). Existing right-of-way trees are owned by the adjacent property owner who is responsible for fallen-tree removal.
Bulky residential waste must be stored neatly at least 3 ft behind the main residential structure (SLCRO §607.120). Two bulky pickups per year are included in the minimum service level. Scrap tires and major appliances are excluded.
St. Louis County's single-stream curbside recycling accepts boxboard, cardboard, milk/juice cartons, newspaper, office paper, plastics #1-5 and #7 (no #6 Styrofoam), glass containers, and aluminum/tin cans. Plastic bags, scrap metal, and hazardous waste are excluded.
SLCRO §607.310 prohibits depositing waste on any property without a valid landfill, transfer, or composting license. The dumper and any property owner who allowed dumping are both liable. Dumping in creeks or waterways is separately prohibited under §607.810.
Under SLCRO §607.060 and §607.182, yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, garden trimmings, tree limbs <6 in diameter, Christmas trees) is banned from landfill disposal and cannot be put in with household trash. Licensed haulers must offer yard-waste collection as an optional service.
SLCRO §607.181 requires that all 1- and 2-family residences in St. Louis County receive: once-weekly trash collection, once-weekly recycling, and twice-yearly bulky waste pickup. All county-licensed residential haulers must provide all three components.
SLCRO §607.120 requires trash and recycling containers to be stored at least 3 feet behind the front of the main residential structure. Containers may go to the curb no earlier than dusk the day before pickup and must be returned the same day as collection.
Garage and yard sale signs are prohibited in the public right-of-way under SLCRO §1003.168 and §710.010. Signs may only be placed on private property with the owner's permission. Real-estate signs are also limited to the property being sold.
Decorative displays for holidays may be displayed no more than 30 days before and 7 days after the specific holiday under SLCRO §1003.168. Displays on private property only — no public right-of-way placement.
Political campaign signs are permitted in all zoning districts under SLCRO §1003.168. Maximum 8 sq ft per sign, 16 sq ft total per lot. Signs must be on private property and removed within 7 days after the election.
Chapter 1110 (Property Maintenance Code) requires foundations, roofs, gutters, fences, decks, sheds, sidewalks, and exterior paint to be kept structurally sound, with no peeling/flaking paint and no rust. Violation notices give 7-30 days to cure.
Properties vacant 90 days or more with an active nuisance (tall grass, debris, broken windows) are subject to monthly inspections by the Department of Public Works Problem Properties Unit. Inspection costs are billed back to the owner as a special tax bill.
St. Louis County does not impose a private snow-removal mandate on homeowners. County plows clear arterial and collector roads first; subdivision roads should be addressed within 24 hours of storm end. Residents are asked to park off streets during storms.
SLCRO §607.060 and §607.070 require residential waste containers to be galvanized metal, rubber/fiberglass, or non-absorbent plastic, 20-35 gallons, leak-proof, fly-tight, properly covered. Storage at least 3 ft behind the main residential structure (§607.120).
St. Louis County Chapter 1008 implements NFIP floodplain regulations. New and substantially improved structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Meramec Rivers must have their lowest floor (including basement) elevated to or above Base Flood Elevation (BFE), referenced to NAVD88.
SLCRO §1115.105.2 exempts site/land-disturbance work of less than 30 cubic yards of soil moved AND less than 2,000 sq ft of disturbed area from the building-permit requirement. Larger projects require a grading permit and erosion controls.
SLCRO §1005.230 (Grading) and §1114.200 (Design Requirements) require grading permits or approved improvement plans before any grading. Erosion and siltation controls are mandatory. Grading that alters watersheds is prohibited.
Chapter 825 (Residential Rental Property License Code) requires owners of rental property in unincorporated St. Louis County to obtain a license and submit to periodic inspections. §825.600 sets the application process and inspection program.
Since July 2007, all owner-occupied and rental housing in unincorporated St. Louis County requires a re-occupancy permit each time a new occupant moves in. SLCRO §1110.1045 requires disclosure of this requirement at conveyance or rental.
Missouri Amendment 3 (2022) legalized adult-use cannabis. St. Louis County allows licensed dispensaries in commercial zones subject to local zoning review. Microbusiness licenses (Sept 2023+) are issued by the state; local zoning still applies.
Under Missouri Constitution Article XIV §2, registered patients and adults 21+ may cultivate up to 6 flowering and 6 non-flowering marijuana plants per registered consumer in a locked, enclosed indoor area. St. Louis County has not added stricter local rules.
These unincorporated areas are also governed by St. Louis County ordinances.