St. Louis Landlord-Tenant Rules

State preemption: Missouri bars cities from regulating rent. Since August 28, 2025 it also bars source-of-income protections for housing-assistance recipients, limits on tenant screening criteria, security deposit caps, and tenant right-of-first-refusal rules. Local protection for veterans' benefits is still allowed.; Occupancy inspection (Certificate of Inspection): All of St. Louis is a Housing Conservation District. A Certificate of Inspection from the Building Division is required before a rental unit is occupied, before a vacant unit is occupied, and before an occupied building is sold if no certificate was issued in the past 12 months. Rental units are re-inspected every 3 years or when occupancy changes. Fees are $120 for a vacant unit, $200 for an occupied unit (including when someone is found living there without a current certificate), and $65 per additional unit at the same address. Certificates are valid 12 months, owners get 30 days to fix listed violations, and no more than 3 unrelated people may live in one dwelling.; Illegal (self-help) eviction prohibited: Residential landlords may not carry out self-help evictions without going through the proper legal process. Effective October 24, 2017.; Local fair housing protected classes: The Civil Rights Enforcement Agency (CREA) takes housing discrimination complaints based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or expression, marital status and disability. File by phone at 314-622-3301, online, by email at crea@stlouis-mo.gov, or at 1114 Market St., Suite 626. There is no fee.