Apply For A Housing Conservation Inspection (Occupancy Permit)

100% of property in St. Louis is located in a Housing Conservation District.

Ordinance No. 71835 requires a City Housing Conservation District Inspection of any property located in the district. It consists of a basic code inspection designed to check for minimal interior building code violations, and meet minimum exterior standards under the International Property Maintenance Code.  

An inspection does not imply a guarantee or warranty as to the overall condition of the building and/or its systems.

Citizens who are purchasing property may want to consider having a commercial grade building inspection completed.

For residential sales, a Certificate of Inspection must be obtained before occupancy of the unit is permitted.

For rental units, a Certificate of Inspection must be obtained before occupancy of the unit.

During a Housing Conservation District Inspection, the number of people that may safely occupy that unit will be established. (Please note that a "family" is one or more persons living as a single housekeeping unit. No more than three unrelated persons may live in the same dwelling)

1. Plan ahead. Units must be inspected before they are occupied. 
2. A certificate of Inspection is required before:
   • A vacant residential unit is occupied.
   • A sale of an occupied structure and a Certificate of Inspection has not been issued within the last 12 months.
3. A Certificate of Inspection is valid for a period of 12 months, therefore, those units which have been inspected and have received a valid certificate are not required to be reinspected.
4. A reinspection is required every three years or upon a change in occupancy for rental dwelling units. Owner occupied properties are exempt.

Schedule an inspection

Determine when you are ready to schedule an inspection.

The earliest your inspection may be scheduled is 3 business days from the day you apply. The latest your inspection may be scheduled is 15 days from the application day.

If your property is not be ready for inspection within this time frame please apply when you are ready.

Apply in person or online

In Person

• Schedule the inspection as part of the application process after you apply for the inspection.

Online

 Apply online by clicking the "Begin Online" button below.

• Schedule the inspection as part of the application process after you apply for the inspection.

Begin online

• The cost of an application is $120.00.
• If a resident is found to be occupying a dwelling that does not have a current certificate of inspection then the application fee is $200.00.
• Property managers may apply for multiple inspections at the same address at a discounted rate. The initial application is $120.00 for a vacant unit or $200.00 for an occupied unit; each additional application at the same address is $65.00 per unit.

Payment Types

The Housing Conservation Office accepts cash and checks only.

Online applications are credit/debit card only.

Forms of payment accepted on stlcitypermits.com are:

• Visa
• MasterCard
• Discover

There is a 3.5% processing fee that is added for credit cards. The City does not receive any of these funds. Thank you for your cooperation.

Water and electric must be operable at the time of inspection.

Inspectors examine a building's exterior, interior, interior common areas and set a dwelling's occupancy load.

If a Certificate of Inspection is issued with violations, the property owner has 30 days to make the necessary repairs. Extensions may be granted due to weather or other specific causes.