Missouri Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
Missouri rules on privacy, guests & animals for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: No landlord-specific statute. It is the crime of invasion of privacy to knowingly photograph, film or otherwise create an image of someone, without consent, while they are fully or partly nude in a place where they would reasonably expect privacy. RSMo 565.252; RSMo 542.402.2
The rules in Missouri
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. It is the crime of invasion of privacy to knowingly photograph, film or otherwise create an image of someone, without consent, while they are fully or partly nude in a place where they would reasonably expect privacy. It is also a crime to create images under or through someone's clothing. This is a class A misdemeanor, and a class E felony if the image is distributed, more than one person is captured, or it is a repeat offense. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents (one-party consent). 542.402: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=542.402. Missouri has no statute on landlord entry; the lease governs. Source: RSMo 565.252; RSMo 542.402.2 |
|---|---|
| Guests & occupants | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. Missouri's landlord-tenant chapters don't define guests versus tenants or give roommate rights. Separate expedited eviction procedures allow immediate removal of parties other than the tenant in certain cases involving criminal activity. Occupancy limits come from local housing codes. |
| Service & support animals (state law) | It is a class C misdemeanor (class B for repeat offenses), with civil liability for actual damages, to knowingly misrepresent an animal as an assistance animal to get Fair Housing Act or Rehabilitation Act accommodations. This includes emotional support animals. Misrepresentation includes creating or providing false documents, fitting a vest or sign on an animal that isn't an assistance animal, or lying to a health care provider to get documentation. All assistance-animal documentation must come from a qualified professional as permitted under federal law. Separately, service dogs may not be subject to an extra charge in places like lodging, though the owner is liable for damage. State fair housing law bans disability discrimination. 209.150: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=209.150. 213.040: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=213.040. The misrepresentation provisions were added in 2020 (S.B. 644/656). Federal rules bar pet fees or deposits for assistance animals in housing. |
Related questions
- Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental?
- Can a landlord limit overnight guests or roommates?
- Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal?
Missouri vs. neighboring states
| State | Cameras & privacy | Guests & occupants | Service & support animals (state law) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | No landlord-specific statute. It is the crime of invasion of privacy to knowingly photograph, film or otherwise create an image of someone, without consent, while they are fully or partly nude in a place where they would reasonably expect privacy. It is also a crime to create images under or through someone's clothing. This is a class A misdemeanor, and a class E felony if the image is distributed, more than one person is captured, or it is a repeat offense. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents (one-party consent). RSMo 565.252; RSMo 542.402.2 | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. Missouri's landlord-tenant chapters don't define guests versus tenants or give roommate rights. Separate expedited eviction procedures allow immediate removal of parties other than the tenant in certain cases involving criminal activity. RSMo ch. 441 and 535 (checked); RSMo 441.710-441.880 | It is a class C misdemeanor (class B for repeat offenses), with civil liability for actual damages, to knowingly misrepresent an animal as an assistance animal to get Fair Housing Act or Rehabilitation Act accommodations. This includes emotional support animals. Misrepresentation includes creating or providing false documents, fitting a vest or sign on an animal that isn't an assistance animal, or lying to a health care provider to get documentation. All assistance-animal documentation must come from a qualified professional as permitted under federal law. Separately, service dogs may not be subject to an extra charge in places like lodging, though the owner is liable for damage. State fair housing law bans disability discrimination. RSMo 209.204.3; RSMo 209.150.3; RSMo 213.040 |
| Arkansas | No landlord-specific statute. Using a camera or other image-recording device to secretly observe or record a person in a private area of a residence where they expect privacy, without consent, is video voyeurism (a felony). Security monitoring run by or at the direction of the residence's occupant is exempt. Recording a conversation is legal only if the recorder is a party or one party consents. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 5-16-101, 5-60-120 | No statute — lease governs. Arkansas sets no guest-versus-tenant rule, state occupancy limit or roommate right. The tenant must make people on the premises with the tenant's permission behave so as not to disturb other tenants, and is responsible if they damage the premises. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-601(6)-(8) | Arkansas law guarantees people with visual, hearing or other physical disabilities full and equal access to rental housing, and makes interfering with that right a misdemeanor. Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal to a public accommodation carries a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation. Arkansas has no state statute on emotional support animal documentation or pet-fee limits in housing; the federal Fair Housing Act governs those requests. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-14-302, 20-14-305, 20-14-310 |
| Illinois | No landlord-specific statute, but Illinois law expressly protects renters: it is a crime to knowingly video record or live-stream another person in that person's residence without consent — and 'residence' expressly includes a rental dwelling (but not stairwells, corridors, laundry facilities, or other areas open to the public). Placing such a device is a Class A misdemeanor; recording is a Class 4 felony. Audio recording of private conversations without the consent of all parties is eavesdropping. 720 ILCS 5/26-4(a-5), (a-6), (a-20), (d), (e); 720 ILCS 5/14-2 | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy, and roommates statewide; landlords may make reasonable rules and regulations. Illinois Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights and Laws, p. 1 | Illinois' Assistance Animal Integrity Act (eff. 2020) covers emotional support and service animals that qualify as a reasonable accommodation. A housing provider may require reliable documentation only if the disability or need is not readily apparent or known; documentation must be in writing, from someone with whom the person has a therapeutic relationship, and describe the disability-related need. Online certificate sellers that do no meaningful assessment do not qualify. Providers may offer a standard form but may not deny a request for not using it, may ask for documentation for each animal when more than one is requested, and may deny or rescind for undue burden, direct threat, substantial property damage, or uncontrolled behavior after an individualized assessment. Providers are immune from liability for injuries caused by a permitted assistance animal. 310 ILCS 120/5, 120/10, 120/15 |
| Iowa | No landlord-specific statute. Knowingly viewing, photographing, or filming another person in full or partial nudity, without consent, where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, for sexual gratification, is invasion of privacy (an aggravated misdemeanor). Intercepting oral communications is unlawful unless the person is a party or one party consents. The landlord must give at least 24 hours' notice before entry (except emergencies or impracticability), enter at reasonable times, and not use access to harass. Iowa Code §§ 709.21; 808B.2; 562A.19 | No statute — the lease and reasonable landlord rules govern guests, occupancy, and roommates. Tenants may not knowingly permit anyone to damage the premises and must not disturb neighbors' peaceful enjoyment. Iowa Code § 562A.17(6), (7) | Iowa law lets a person with a disability request to keep an assistance or service animal as a reasonable accommodation; the landlord must respond within a reasonable time and in writing. If the disability or need is not readily apparent, the landlord may request supporting information, which may be a licensed provider's written finding stating, among other things, whether a provider-patient relationship (in person or telehealth) has existed for at least 30 days, the expiration date, license number, and whether a separate fee was paid for the finding. Online registrations, ID cards, patches, or certificates are not sufficient. Landlords may not request diagnosis, severity, or medical records; may require proof of licensure and vaccination; and may deny for undue hardship, fundamental alteration, direct threat, or substantial property damage. Tenants are liable for damage caused by the animal. Intentionally misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is a simple misdemeanor. Iowa Code §§ 216.8B; 216.8C; 216C.11(3) |
| Kansas | No landlord-specific statute. Kansas' breach-of-privacy law makes it a crime to enter to secretly listen to or observe people in a private place, to install or use inside or outside a private place a device to hear or record sounds not ordinarily audible there without the occupants' consent (class A misdemeanor), and to use a camera to record a person who is nude, in a state of undress, or under clothing without consent where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy (felony). Landlords may enter only at reasonable hours after reasonable notice (except extreme hazards) and may not use access to harass. K.S.A. 21-6101(a)(3), (4), (6); 58-2557 | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits, and roommates. Tenants are responsible for damage and disturbances caused by anyone (or any animal) on the premises with their express or implied permission. K.S.A. 58-2555(f), (g) | Kansas has no statute specific to emotional support animals in housing. By statute, a person with a guide, hearing assistance, or service dog (a dog specially selected, trained, and tested) has the right to be accompanied by it in acquiring and using rental housing without an extra charge, but is liable for damage the dog causes. A dog present only for comfort, protection, or personal defense is not an assistance dog under state law. Falsely claiming the right to be accompanied by an assistance dog in the places listed in K.S.A. 39-1101, or claiming a disability to acquire an assistance dog, is a class A nonperson misdemeanor. ESA requests are handled under federal and state fair-housing reasonable-accommodation rules. K.S.A. 39-1102; 39-1107; 39-1108; 39-1112; 39-1113 |
| Kentucky | No landlord-specific statute. Using a camera or other recording device (or entering or remaining unlawfully on another's premises) to view or record another person's sexual conduct, genitals, undergarments not publicly visible, or female nipple without consent, where the person reasonably expects not to be observed, is voyeurism (Class A misdemeanor). Using a device to overhear or record others' oral or wire communications without the consent of at least one party is eavesdropping (Class D felony). In URLTA areas, landlords must give at least two days' notice before entry (except emergencies or impracticability), enter at reasonable times, and not use access to harass. KRS 531.090; KRS 526.010, 526.020; KRS 383.615 | No statute — the lease and reasonable landlord rules govern guests, occupancy, and roommates. In URLTA areas, tenants must require people on the premises with their consent to not disturb neighbors, and landlord rules on use and occupancy are enforceable only if they meet the statute's conditions (for example, a purpose of promoting tenants' convenience, safety, or welfare or protecting the property). KRS 383.605(7); KRS 383.610 | Kentucky's assistance-animal law (statewide) covers service animals and emotional support animals. Unless the disability or need is readily apparent, a housing provider may ask for reliable documentation, including from a provider with whom the person has a therapeutic relationship — a Kentucky-licensed clinical social worker, professional counselor, APRN, psychologist, or physician with an active in-state practice (or an out-of-state provider for people moving in with an ongoing relationship); providers whose primary service is selling accommodation letters do not qualify. The provider may independently verify documents. No pet fee, pet deposit, or extra rent may be charged, but the tenant is responsible for physical damage if pet owners would be, and must follow rules that apply to all residents. Landlords are not liable for injuries caused by a permitted assistance animal. Knowingly misrepresenting a disability or need, providing false documents, or fitting a pet with an assistance-animal vest for housing is a violation with a fine up to $1,000. KRS 383.085 |
| Nebraska | No landlord-specific camera statute. It is a crime to knowingly intrude on a person without consent in a place of solitude or seclusion, or to photograph, film, or record a person's intimate area without knowledge and consent. Landlord entry generally requires 24 hours' written notice stating the purpose and time window, and may not be used to harass. Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 28-311.08, 76-1423 | No statute — lease governs. The tenant may not knowingly permit any person to damage the premises and must use the premises reasonably. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1421 | A person with a disability who has a service animal is entitled to full and equal access to housing; the landlord may not charge extra compensation or an additional deposit for the animal, but the tenant is liable for damage it causes. No state statute addresses emotional support animal documentation or penalizes misrepresentation in housing. Separately, a pet deposit (for pets) may not exceed one-fourth of one month's rent. Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 20-131.01 to 20-131.04; § 76-1416(1) |
| Oklahoma | No landlord-specific statute. Using photographic, electronic or video equipment in a clandestine manner for an illegal, illegitimate, prurient or lewd purpose to view a person without knowledge and consent where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy is a felony (Peeping Tom); loitering near a residence to watch someone clandestinely is a misdemeanor. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications is a felony unless the person is a party or one party consented (one-party consent). 21 O.S. § 1171; 13 O.S. §§ 176.3, 176.4(5) | A rental agreement may impose reasonable limits on use by a tenant or occupant. A landlord may demand in writing that an occupant who breaches a lease condition leave; an occupant who wrongfully fails to leave within a reasonable time commits trespass (fine up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail). An occupancy limit of two persons per bedroom is presumed reasonable, but does not apply to children born to the tenants during the lease. An occupant with no rental agreement whom the landlord has not accepted as a tenant may be told to leave without an eviction case. 41 O.S. §§ 117(B)-(C), 111(G) | Oklahoma defines 'assistance animal' to include service animals and emotional support animals. Unless the disability or need is readily apparent, the landlord may request reliable documentation verifying the disability under the Fair Housing Act, describing the accommodation, and showing the link between the disability and the need, and may independently verify it. Documentation acquired through purchase or exchange of funds for goods and services is presumed fraudulent. A landlord is not liable for injuries caused by an assistance animal allowed as an accommodation. If a tenant obtains an accommodation by knowingly false claim or fraudulent documentation, the landlord may use the Act's noncompliance remedies, and a prevailing landlord in eviction may recover costs, fees and damages up to $1,000. A landlord may not deny or end a tenancy because of a guide, signal or service dog. 41 O.S. §§ 113.2, 113.1 |
| Tennessee | No landlord-specific statute. Unlawful photography: it is an offense to knowingly photograph (including by video) a person who has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without prior effective consent, if the image would offend or embarrass an ordinary person and was taken for sexual gratification, or includes the person's unclothed intimate areas or sexual activity. Tennessee is a one-party consent state for audio interception. Tenants may not unreasonably refuse landlord entry for inspection or repairs; entry without consent is allowed in an emergency. T.C.A. § 39-13-605; § 39-13-601(b)(5); § 66-28-403 | No statute — no statewide occupancy limit or guest rule; the lease governs. The tenant must require other persons on the premises with the tenant's or other occupants' consent to act so as not to disturb neighbors, and may not let anyone damage the premises. In URLTA counties, an unauthorized occupant who refuses to leave is grounds for termination on 3 days' written notice. T.C.A. § 66-28-401(4)-(5); § 66-28-517(a) | A tenant or applicant with a disability may request an exception to a no-pet policy or pet fees for a service animal (trained dog or miniature horse) or support animal (prescribed or recommended by a health care provider, including for emotional support). If the disability is not apparent, the landlord may request reliable documentation of the disability and the disability-related need; if the disability is apparent but the need is not, only of the need. 'Reliable documentation' must come from a health care provider, licensed disability service provider, caregiver or other reliable third party with actual knowledge — not from a website whose main function is selling animal certificates or registrations. The landlord may verify documentation (but not obtain protected medical records) and may deny the request if accurate documentation is not provided. Misrepresenting a disability or need, or providing documentation falsely stating an animal is a service or support animal, is a material default allowing termination and recovery of damages and attorney's fees. Landlords are not liable for injuries caused by an animal permitted as a reasonable accommodation. T.C.A. § 66-7-111 |
City rules that may add to state law
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Missouri Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules FAQ
Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental in Missouri?
No landlord-specific statute. It is the crime of invasion of privacy to knowingly photograph, film or otherwise create an image of someone, without consent, while they are fully or partly nude in a place where they would reasonably expect privacy. It is also a crime to create images under or through someone's clothing. This is a class A misdemeanor, and a class E felony if the image is distributed, more than one person is captured, or it is a repeat offense. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents (one-party consent). (RSMo 565.252; RSMo 542.402.2)
Can a landlord limit guests or roommates in Missouri?
No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. Missouri's landlord-tenant chapters don't define guests versus tenants or give roommate rights. Separate expedited eviction procedures allow immediate removal of parties other than the tenant in certain cases involving criminal activity. (RSMo ch. 441 and 535 (checked); RSMo 441.710-441.880)
Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal in Missouri?
It is a class C misdemeanor (class B for repeat offenses), with civil liability for actual damages, to knowingly misrepresent an animal as an assistance animal to get Fair Housing Act or Rehabilitation Act accommodations. This includes emotional support animals. Misrepresentation includes creating or providing false documents, fitting a vest or sign on an animal that isn't an assistance animal, or lying to a health care provider to get documentation. All assistance-animal documentation must come from a qualified professional as permitted under federal law. Separately, service dogs may not be subject to an extra charge in places like lodging, though the owner is liable for damage. State fair housing law bans disability discrimination. (RSMo 209.204.3; RSMo 209.150.3; RSMo 213.040)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.