St. Louis Occupancy and Inspection Permits by Municipality
The question I hear most is not “do I need an occupancy permit.” It is “which office do I even call.” St. Louis is one metro and a pile of governments. The City has one Building Division. Unincorporated County has one Public Works desk. The municipalities between them (Kirkwood, Florissant, Ferguson, Clayton, and many others) may run their own occupancy or point-of-sale programs, or they may contract with the County.
We buy houses as-is for cash, including houses with an open occupancy file. Who clears the punch list is a contract question. Typical close is about two weeks when title is ready. Call 636-525-1566.
If you need the City-versus-County map first, read selling in St. Louis City vs County. If the paper on the door is a condemnation or vacant-building notice, that is a different file, sell a condemned house.
Start with the tax bill, not the ZIP code
Your mailing label can say “Saint Louis, MO” for a house that is actually in Maplewood, Jennings, or unincorporated South County. Occupancy follows the government that issued the tax bill, not the post office.
For County parcels, use the St. Louis County Assessor locator to see the municipality or the unincorporated label. Then call that city, or County Public Works if the locator says unincorporated. For City of St. Louis parcels, skip the County locator and go to the Building Division.
Title companies do this on every file. You should do it before you schedule an inspection you do not need, or fail to schedule one you do.
City of St. Louis: Housing Conservation
The City’s official page is Residential occupancy / Housing Conservation. The Housing Conservation page points to the same program. The Building Division runs it: (314) 622-3313, City Hall, 1200 Market Street.
The City states that 100% of property in St. Louis is located in a Housing Conservation District. Ordinance 71835 requires a City Housing Conservation District Inspection of any property located in the district. The inspection is a basic code check designed to look for minimal interior building-code violations and to meet minimum exterior standards under the International Property Maintenance Code. The City says the inspection does not imply a guarantee or warranty of the building or its systems. Buyers may want their own commercial-grade inspection. That is the City talking to buyers, not a House Sold Easy requirement.
When a certificate is required. The City says a certificate of inspection is required before a vacant residential unit is occupied, and before the sale of an occupied structure if a certificate has not been issued within the last 12 months. For residential sales, a certificate must be obtained before occupancy of the unit is permitted. For rental units, a certificate must be obtained before occupancy of the unit.
How long it lasts. A certificate is valid for 12 months. Units that already hold a valid certificate are not required to be reinspected during that period. A reinspection is required every three years or upon a change in occupancy for rental dwelling units. Owner-occupied properties are exempt from that rental reinspect rule.
Fees, as published. The application is $120. If a resident is found occupying a dwelling that does not have a current certificate, the application fee is $200. Property managers may apply for multiple inspections at the same address at a discounted rate the City publishes: the initial application is $120 for a vacant unit or $200 for an occupied unit, and each additional application at the same address is $65 per unit. The Housing Conservation Office accepts cash and checks in person; online applications are credit or debit card, and the City notes a processing fee on cards. Those fees can change. Use the City page, not this paragraph, when you pay.
Scheduling. The City says the earliest inspection may be scheduled is 3 business days from the day you apply, and the latest is 15 days from the application day. If the property will not be ready in that window, apply when it is ready. You can apply in person at City Hall, 1200 Market, 4th Floor, Room 425, or online through the City’s permit site linked from the occupancy page.
What the inspector needs. Water and electric must be operable at the time of inspection. Inspectors examine the exterior, interior, and interior common areas, and they set a dwelling’s occupancy load. The City also notes that a “family” is one or more persons living as a single housekeeping unit, and that no more than three unrelated persons may live in the same dwelling. That occupancy-load note is a City rule, not a House Sold Easy rule.
If the certificate comes with violations. The property owner has 30 days to make the necessary repairs. The City says extensions may be granted due to weather or other specific causes.
A cash sale can still close while that 30-day clock is running. Who is responsible for the punch list (seller, buyer, or a holdback) belongs in the contract. We buy as-is. We do not promise the City will issue a clean certificate because you called us.
Unincorporated St. Louis County
If the Assessor locator says the house is in unincorporated County, occupancy is a County process. The official page is Occupancy permit applications. County describes that permit as one that applies minimum standards of safety and health on properties in unincorporated County areas. Phone: (314) 615-5184. Email on that page: [email protected]. Office: 41 South Central Avenue, 6th Floor, Clayton, MO 63105.
Every other municipality: call the city on the tax bill
Kirkwood, Florissant, Ferguson, and Clayton are examples of municipalities that may run their own occupancy programs or contract with the County. University City, Webster Groves, Maplewood, and others sit in the same category.
I will not list a fee or a “typical wait” for any of those cities. Call the city clerk or building department on the tax bill. Ask three questions:
- Do you require an occupancy permit, a point-of-sale inspection, or both when a house is sold?
- Who schedules it, and what must be on (water, electric, gas) the day they arrive?
- Does a sale of an occupied house need a current certificate, or only a vacant unit before someone moves in?
Write down the name of the person who answers and give that note to title. If the city contracts with the County, use the County occupancy page above. Areas we serve is where we buy, not a substitute for that call.
Occupancy punch list versus a condemned or vacant-building notice
These papers get mixed together and they should not. An occupancy inspection is a minimum-standards visit. In the City it is Housing Conservation against the International Property Maintenance Code. A punch list from that visit is a repair list tied to a certificate.
A condemned posting or a vacant-building notice is a different order. It can restrict entry, require board-up, or start a path that is not “paint the porch rail and reinspect.” Read selling a house with City code violations and sell a condemned house in St. Louis. Bring the actual paper.
We buy as-is, including houses with occupancy failures and heavier notices when title and the numbers work. We cannot promise the city will lift an order.
What a cash buyer can and cannot do
House Sold Easy has bought 1,000+ houses since 2016. Our office is at 1750 S Brentwood Blvd, Suite 503, Brentwood, MO 63144. We buy within about 75 miles of St. Louis (west to Wentzville, south to Festus, plus Metro East) and about 90% of those deals are Missouri.
We can walk the house as it sits, write an offer that prices the work, and close on a date you pick when title is ready, typically about two weeks. We typically cover our standard closing costs. The occupancy file can stay open if the contract says the buyer handles the remaining items.
If the house has been vacant, restore water and electric before a City inspection, or do not apply yet. You do not need the house staged. The City’s 30-day clock on a certificate issued with violations is the City’s. A cash closing date does not move it.
Common questions
Do I need a City occupancy certificate to sell to a cash buyer?
The City requires a certificate in the situations it lists, including sale of an occupied structure if no certificate was issued in the last 12 months, and before occupancy of a vacant unit. A cash buyer can still close while the file is open. Who finishes the punch list is a contract question. Read the City occupancy page.
What if my house is in Kirkwood, Florissant, Ferguson, or Clayton?
Call that city hall. Those municipalities may run their own programs or use the County. We will not publish their fees here.
Can I leave the water off for the inspection?
Not in the City. The City page says water and electric must be operable at inspection. Ask your municipality the same question if you are not in the City.
Is a certificate a warranty that the house is sound?
No. The City says the inspection is not a guarantee or warranty of the building or its systems.
Who should I call at House Sold Easy?
David Dodge or Michael Slane at 636-525-1566. Office in Brentwood.