St. Peters, MO Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Chapter 545 Rights-of-Way Management rules require a permit from the City Engineer before any facilities work, defined to include installing, changing, relocating, removing, or repairing conduit, pipe, cable, or other equipment that requires excavation within the public rights-of-way, which the Code defines to reach the surface, air space, and area below any street, sidewalk, alley, boulevard, or similar City-held property. Section 545.020 requires a separate permit for each project and directs the applicant to file with the City Engineer using standard forms covering the applicant and contractor identity, a site plan showing manholes, poles, conduit depth and size, and the number of road and driveway crossings, insurance certificates, and, where relevant, proof the applicant already holds any FCC or Missouri Public Service Commission approval needed.

Individual water and sewer taps tied to a building permit still need their own permit under this Section. Emergency work is the only work allowed to start before a permit issues, and even then the contractor must notify the City, or the Police Department outside normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, and file the permit application by the next business day. Anyone who performs facilities work or excavation in the right-of-way without first getting a permit, outside a true emergency, must still obtain the permit afterward, pay double the normal permit fee, deposit funds to cover repair of any right-of-way damage the unauthorized work caused, and comply with every other requirement of Chapter 545 and other City ordinances, on top of any other penalty the violation triggers.