St. Louis, MO short-term rental license
St. Louis built a full permit system in Ordinance 71729, then a court stopped it. An order of April 22, 2025 bars enforcement. The city has paused permit applications, inspections and issuance while it stands.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in St. Louis?
Get a license first
What you apply for: Short-Term Rental Business License
- Seasonal homes
- 813
- Housing units
- 174,111
- Residents
- 288,512
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleLicense required
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each stay7.225%
- Seasonal homes5 per 1,000
St. Louis short-term rental license
In St. Louis, the Short-Term Rental Business License goes to the operator. One license from the License Collector covers all of that operator's units in the city. Ordinance 72095 took effect February 23, 2026, and the license became mandatory 60 days later. The license fee is 3% of the base nightly rate, paid quarterly. No license is issued or renewed while the applicant owes city taxes.[4]
What St. Louis asks of you
In Ordinance 72095, a short-term rental means a dwelling unit, or part of one, that transient guests rent for 30 days at most.[4]
The definition leaves out hotels, month-to-month tenancies and unpaid home exchanges.[5]
Starting 60 days after February 23, 2026, no operator may offer or run a short-term rental without a current business license.[4]
The license does not replace any other business license, permit or registration the property needs, such as a home occupation registration.[4]
The 3% fee applies to the base nightly rate. Cleaning charges, platform service fees and taxes stay out of that base.[5]
Voters approved the 3% fee as Proposition S in November 2024.[5]
Returns are due one month after each calendar quarter ends. The first quarter's return, for instance, is due April 30.[4]
Each return reports the nights rented in the quarter and the base rent collected.[5]
The License Collector may examine an operator's books during business hours to check the returns.[4]
Violations draw a fine of $250 to $500. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.[4]
Fee revenue goes 50% to an affordable housing fund, 25% to the Impacted Tenants Fund and 25% to a Right to Counsel Fund.[4]
Ordinance 71729 created two permits, one for occupied units and one for non-occupied units. It also set a two-night minimum stay. Each owner could hold four non-occupied permits at most.[7]
The city states that it will not enforce the permit requirements of Ordinance 71729 while the court order is in effect.[6]
What Missouri asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
The Department of Revenue's vacation rental guidance makes nightly stays in homes, condos and cabins taxable. Cleaning and service fees are taxed with the stay. Stays contracted for 31 days or more are exempt.[1]
Missouri's state sales tax is 4.225%. Cities, counties and special districts can stack local sales taxes on top. The combined rate follows the address.[2]
Sellers who collect sales tax need a Missouri retail sales license before their first sale. Under RSMo 144.083 the license costs nothing.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in St. Louis
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri state sales tax[2] | 4.225% | The state revenue department |
| St. Louis short-term rental license fee[4] | 3% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 7.225% |
The License Collector may sign voluntary collection agreements with booking platforms. Where none is in effect, the operator alone collects and remits the 3% fee.[4]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of St. Louis is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 813 of St. Louis's 174,111 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 5 out of every 1,000. It ranks St. Louis 4th of the 5 Missouri cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 4th of 5
- Share of housing
- 5 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $197,500
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where St. Louis sits among its neighbors
Branson, MO
License required
2,856 seasonal homes, 317 per 1,000 housing units.
Branson short-term rental rulesKansas City, MO
Registration required
982 seasonal homes, 4 per 1,000 housing units.
Kansas City short-term rental rulesOsage Beach, MO
Allowed by zone
3,049 seasonal homes, 572 per 1,000 housing units.
Osage Beach short-term rental rulesVillage of Four Seasons, MO
Allowed by zone
1,410 seasonal homes, 591 per 1,000 housing units.
Village of Four Seasons short-term rental rulesFAQ
St. Louis short-term rental questions
Is the St. Louis short-term rental permit in force?
How much is the St. Louis short-term rental license fee?
What is the fine for operating without a St. Louis license?
Sources
- Audit Services, Vacation Home Rentals Tax Matrix, revised March 28, 2025, Missouri Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
- Sales/Use Tax, Missouri Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
- RSMo Section 144.083, retail sales license, Missouri Revisor of Statutes, read on October 2, 2026
- Ordinance 72095, Short Term Rentals (Board Bill 126), City of St. Louis, read on October 2, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Tax Information, Short-Term Rental Business License & 3% License Fee, City of St. Louis, Office of the License Collector, read on October 2, 2026
- Notice: Short Term Rental Permit Applications Paused Due to Court Order, City of St. Louis, Building Division, read on October 2, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Permits, City of St. Louis, Building Division, read on October 2, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 2, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb house rules
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Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.