Short-term rental permit rules in St. Louis County, MO — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Missouri has no statewide STR preemption law. St. Louis County (the county government) does not currently operate a county-wide short-term rental permit or licensing program in unincorporated areas. STRs in unincorporated St. Louis County are subject to the County Zoning Ordinance (SLCRO Ch. 1003) and adopted building/fire codes, but no county STR-specific license is required. The City of St. Louis (separate jurisdiction) adopted Ordinance 71729 requiring STR permits, but a court order has prohibited its enforcement. Individual cities within St. Louis County (Florissant, Kirkwood, Ferguson, etc.) may impose their own STR rules.
The City of St. Louis is an independent city, separate from St. Louis County, and its STR ordinance does not apply to St. Louis County residents. Within St. Louis County, the county government does not run a unified STR permit program for unincorporated areas. STR operators in unincorporated St. Louis County must comply with the underlying zoning district's permitted use list (residential districts may not expressly list 'short-term rental' or 'tourist home' as permitted uses, which can create zoning ambiguity), the adopted St. Louis County building and fire codes, and the residential rental licensing chapter (SLCRO Title VIII, Ch. 825) if applicable. Hosts must collect and remit Missouri state sales tax (4.225%) plus St. Louis County sales tax and any applicable local hotel/lodging tax. Missouri RSMo Chapter 67 authorizes various local lodging taxes. Each of the 88+ incorporated cities in St. Louis County (Florissant, Kirkwood, Ferguson, Chesterfield, Maryland Heights, University City, Webster Groves, Clayton, etc.) sets its own STR rules; some prohibit STRs entirely in single-family zones, some require business licenses, and some are silent. Hosts should verify the specific municipal code where the property sits. The City of St. Louis (separate from St. Louis County) passed Ordinance 71729 in 2024 requiring a $150 STR permit, but a court order issued in 2024-2025 has prohibited the City from enforcing that ordinance.
Operating an STR in a zone that does not permit transient lodging can result in zoning violation citations and stop-use orders from St. Louis County code enforcement. Failure to collect and remit Missouri state sales tax (4.225%) or applicable county sales/lodging taxes exposes the operator to Missouri Department of Revenue assessments, penalties, and interest. Municipalities within St. Louis County may impose their own license fines.
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