Spanish Lake, MO

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.

St. Louis County does not have a STR-specific parking ordinance. Off-street parking for residential dwellings is governed by SLCRO Section 1003.165 (Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements). Single-family detached dwellings in unincorporated St. Louis County must provide off-street parking on an approved hard-surface driveway. On-street parking is regulated locally; many subdivisions and cities prohibit overnight street parking.

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.

St. Louis County does not impose a county-wide STR-specific occupancy cap in unincorporated areas. Maximum occupancy defaults to the St. Louis County Property Maintenance Code (Chapter 1110, adopting the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code), which sets minimum sleeping room area of 70 sq ft for one occupant and 50 sq ft per occupant for rooms used by more than one person. Missouri has no statewide STR preemption, so incorporated cities may set stricter caps.

St. Louis County BANS consumer fireworks county-wide. Under Title VIII, Chapter 810 SLCRO 1974, it is unlawful to sell, possess, use, discharge, or explode any fireworks within St. Louis County (including unincorporated areas) without a permit issued by the St. Louis County Department of Public Works at least 10 business days in advance. Permits are issued only for supervised public displays approved by the local fire protection district. Penalties include fines of $50 to $1,000 and/or up to 90 days in jail per offense. Missouri RSMo Chapter 320 authorizes consumer fireworks statewide but expressly preserves local regulation, including the special supremacy clause in RSMo 320.122 specific to St. Louis County.

St. Louis County Revised Ordinances (SLCRO) Section 611.200 prohibits dogs, cats, and other animals from being 'at large' in unincorporated St. Louis County. If not in a cage or building, an animal must be on a leash, in a car, or on the owner's property. In St. Louis County Parks, leashes may not exceed 6 feet. Enforcement is by St. Louis County Animal Care & Control (Public Health).

St. Louis County Zoning Ordinance Chapter 1003 allows boundary walls or fences six (6) feet or less in height within minimum structure setback requirements in residential districts (Sec. 1003.115). No accessory building (which the code treats fences as a related structure) may exceed the primary structure's height. City limits within the county (Florissant, Kirkwood, Ferguson, etc.) set their own fence rules.

St. Louis County Chapter 625 (Noise Control Code) governs noise in unincorporated areas. The code restricts lawn-care maintenance equipment to operation from 7:00 a.m. prevailing local time to sunset (when fitted with original-equivalent sound control devices). State law RSMo 574.010 (peace disturbance) backstops loud noise that knowingly disturbs another. Each of the 88+ municipalities in the county (Florissant, Kirkwood, Ferguson, etc.) sets its own quiet hours.

St. Louis County participates in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and enforces floodplain management standards through Title X, Chapter 1008 SLCRO 1974. Residential structures (new or substantially improved) within Special Flood Hazard Areas must have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated to at least 1 foot above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) - a 1-foot freeboard standard. Non-residential structures must be similarly elevated or floodproofed to 1 foot above BFE. The county lies at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and was severely impacted by the 1993 Great Flood (Mississippi crested at 49.58 ft in St. Louis on August 1, 1993, the highest stage ever recorded). A floodplain development permit is required for any development in mapped flood zones.