Short-term rental rules · Maplewood, Missouri
Short-term rentals in Maplewood, explained properly.
Maplewood, Missouri (City of Maplewood, St. Louis County) permits short term vacation rentals only in owner occupied single family residences in the SR Single-family Residential Zoning District, and as the zoning ordinance permits. The owner needs a City permit and business license before renting or advertising, the permit runs July 1 to June 30, and the owner must spend the night on site except for 30 rental days a year. Occupancy is two people per bedroom with no more than two bedrooms rented at once, a local contact must respond within 45 minutes, and amplified sound is barred from 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. The zoning ordinance, the fee amounts and the City lodging tax are not shown in the pages read, so this page does not confirm that a given address can be permitted. State sales tax is extra and this page does not total taxes.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Conditional: short term vacation rentals are permitted only in owner occupied single family residences within the SR Single-family Residential Zoning District, and as permitted in the zoning ordinance, with a City permit and business license [1] ClauseConfirming |
| Is a City short-term rental permit and business license required? | Yes: the owner must apply for and obtain a short term vacation rental permit and a business license from the City before renting or advertising; the permit is valid July 1 to June 30 [1] Clause |
| Must the owner live on the property? | Yes: the rental must be an owner occupied single family residence and the owner must spend the night on site during every rental, except that the owner may rent for a total of 30 days each permit year (July 1 to June 30) without staying on site [1] Clause |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Permit process
| Permit year and renewal | The permit runs July 1 to June 30; renewal follows the same application conditions [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(f) makes the permit valid from July 1 through the following June 30. Sec. 14-802(g) is titled obtaining and renewing a permit and applies the same application conditions to both. The renewal steps beyond that are not shown here. |
|---|---|
| Permit number in advertisements | Required: the current permit number must appear on or in any advertisement or website listing for the rental [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(q) requires the owner to post the current short term vacation rental permit number on or in any advertisement appearing in any written publication or any website that promotes the availability or existence of the rental. |
| Display of the permit at the property | The permit must be posted outside the property in plain view, with a 24-hour local contact phone number, whenever the rental is in use [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(l) requires the owner to post the permit on the exterior of the property within plain view of the general public, with a 24 hours a day, seven days a week local contact phone number for complaints. The posted permit must be between 8.5 inches by 11 inches and 4 inches by 5 inches in size and displayed at all times the property is used as a short term vacation rental. |
Operating rules
| Local contact person | Required: a local contact available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, who can respond within 45 minutes to complaints [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(k) requires the name, address and telephone number of a local contact person, available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, to respond within 45 minutes to complaints about the condition, operation or conduct of occupants or their guests, to be kept on file with the city at all times. Under Sec. 14-802(m), failure of the owner or local contact to respond in a timely and appropriate manner is grounds for revoking the permit. |
|---|---|
| Occupancy limit | Two people per bedroom, and no more than two bedrooms rented at the same time [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(p)(5) limits the number of occupants of any short term vacation rental property to two people per bedroom and says no more than two bedrooms within the property may be rented at the same time. This is one of the conditions to be met before each rental. |
| Amplified sound | No amplified or reproduced sound outside, or audible from the property line, between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(o) bars amplified or reproduced sound used outside or audible from the property line of the rental between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. Sec. 14-802(n) also asks the owner or local contact to use reasonably prudent business practices so occupants and guests do not create unreasonable noise or disturbances. |
| Parking | On-site parking is allowed on approved driveway, garage and carport areas only [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(p)(4) says on-site parking shall be allowed on approved driveway, garage and/or carport areas only. It sits among the conditions the owner must meet before renting. |
| Guest information and records | Before each rental the owner collects each occupant's contact details and a signed acknowledgement from the renter, and keeps them for three years [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(p)(1) and (2) require the owner, before renting, to obtain the name, permanent address, telephone number and emergency contact of each person who will occupy the property, and to have the transient sign a formal acknowledgement that he or she is legally responsible for compliance by all occupants and guests with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Under Sec. 14-802(p)(3) the information is kept for three years and made available on request to any city officer responsible for enforcement. |
| Building, fire, safety and occupancy codes | The rental must comply with all city and state building, fire, safety and occupancy codes and limits [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(b) subjects short term vacation rentals to all requirements of the city and state building, fire, safety and occupancy codes and limits. Sec. 14-802(j) adds that the owner shall use reasonable, prudent business practices so the property is used in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations on its use and occupancy. |
| Additional conditions | The city manager or designee may impose additional conditions on a rental to avoid or mitigate secondary effects [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(p)(6) gives the city manager or designee authority to impose additional conditions on the use of any short term vacation rental property to avoid or adequately mitigate potential secondary effects unique to that rental. The conditions that may be imposed are not listed in the pages read. |
Denial and revocation
| Permit denial and revocation | False application information is grounds for denial or revocation; a permit revoked within 12 months bars a new permit, and a second revocation bars any later permit for that owner or property [1] Clause Sec. 14-802(h) makes false statements or information in a permit application grounds for denial, revocation or penalties under the Code of Ordinances. Sec. 14-802(i) says an application shall be denied if the owner had a short term vacation rental permit revoked within the past 12 months for the same or another property, and that if a permit is revoked twice, no short term vacation rental permit shall subsequently be issued to that owner or for that property. Sec. 14-802(m) makes failure to respond to calls or complaints about occupants grounds for revocation and subjects the owner to the city's administrative, legal and equitable remedies. The penalty amounts are not shown in the pages read. |
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State law that also applies
| Missouri state sales tax on lodging | Missouri's sales tax statute taxes charges for rooms furnished at hotels, motels, inns, tourist cabins and other places in which rooms are regularly served to the public at 4%; the Department of Revenue gives the total state sales tax rate as 4.225% [2] [3] Clause 1 Clause 2 Section 144.020.1(6) of the Revised Statutes of Missouri imposes a tax equivalent to four percent on the amount of sales or charges for all rooms, meals and drinks furnished at any hotel, motel, tavern, inn, restaurant, eating house, drugstore, dining car, tourist cabin, tourist camp or other place in which rooms, meals or drinks are regularly served to the public. The Department of Revenue says the state sales and use tax is 4.225 percent in total, split among General Revenue (3.0 percent), Education (1.0 percent), Conservation (0.125 percent) and Parks/Soils (0.10 percent), and that cities, counties and special taxing districts may add their own sales taxes. The sources read do not say whether, or when, a privately owned home rented for short stays counts as a place in which rooms are regularly served to the public; check with the Department of Revenue. City and county taxes are shown on each place's page. |
|---|---|
| Do booking platforms collect the state sales tax? | No Missouri statute or Department of Revenue statement was found that requires booking platforms to collect the state sales tax on stays; the marketplace facilitator law covers use tax on sales delivered into Missouri and does not cover travel agency services, which it defines to include facilitating hotel or other lodging accommodations [4] Clause Section 144.752, in effect since January 1, 2023, requires marketplace facilitators that do business in Missouri to register with the Department of Revenue to collect and remit use tax on sales made through their marketplaces that are delivered into the state. The section's definition of a marketplace facilitator does not include a person with respect to the provision of travel agency services, which it defines as facilitating, for a commission, fee or other consideration, travel packages, travel reservations, tickets, or hotel or other lodging accommodations. The Department of Revenue pages read do not say whether booking platforms collect state sales tax on short-term rental stays; check with the platform and the Department of Revenue. City rules on platform collection of city taxes are shown on each place's page. |
| Statewide short-term rental law? | No statewide short-term rental license, ban or limit on local rules was found in the Revised Statutes of Missouri; House bills in 2025 and 2026 on the property tax classification of homes used as short-term rentals did not pass [5] [6] Clause 1 Clause 2 A word search of the Revised Statutes of Missouri found no section regulating the short-term rental of homes, so local rules apply. In the 2026 Regular Session, House Bill 1768 (combined with HB 2060), which modifies provisions relating to the classification of certain residential real property used for short-term rentals, was sent to the Senate, which adopted its own substitute; its last action, on May 15, 2026, was referral to the House Fiscal Review Committee, and the House bill page shows it was not truly agreed to and finally passed. In the 2025 Regular Session, House Bill 1086 on the same subject was last voted do pass by a Senate committee on May 1, 2025. A similar bill could be filed in a later session. |
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We read the City of Maplewood Code of Ordinances title page and Chapter 14, Article XI, Sec. 14-802 (Short term vacation rentals) as published on Municode and fetched on October 16, 2026. We haven't reviewed the zoning ordinance, the fee schedule, the lodging tax provisions, or City Council agendas and minutes yet, so we will watch the Code and Council actions for changes.
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
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This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.