Short-term rental rules · St. Clair, Missouri
Short-term rentals in St. Clair, explained properly.
The City of St. Clair, Missouri runs a short-term vacation rental program under Article VII of Chapter 12½ of its Code. A short-term vacation rental is a residential structure or unit, other than a multiple-family dwelling of three or more units, that qualifies once it is granted a City business license. The owner obtains an annual business license, the City inspects the property at least once a year ($100 inspection fee on top of the license fee), and the facility operates under a commercial occupancy permit and/or conditional use permit with an occupancy limit set by the City. The facility must always appear as a current R-1 single-family or R-2 two-family residential district. Occupancy is limited to two persons per bedroom, meals may be served only to guests, and certain materials must be posted inside the rental. The zoning chapter, the business license fee, the City lodging tax and the penalties are not shown in the pages read for this page, and this page does not confirm that a given address can be used. State sales tax is separate, and this page does not total any taxes.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Conditional: allowed as a short-term vacation rental with an annual City business license, an annual inspection and a commercial occupancy permit and/or conditional use permit; the facility must always appear as a current R-1 single-family or R-2 two-family residential district; the zoning chapter that lists the districts is not shown here [1] ClauseConfirming |
| City short-term rental license and permit required? | Yes: an annual City business license for each short-term rental, with an annual City inspection ($100 inspection fee on top of the business license fee) and a short-term rental permit application filed with the city clerk [1] Clause |
Watch this market
Want to know when St. Clair's rules change?
We watch St. Clair's official rule pages, council agendas and Missouri legislation. When a change affecting short-term rentals is proposed or passed, we email you what changed, when it takes effect, and a link to the source.
Alerts are free. Own in several cities? Pro will track every rule for your whole portfolio.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.
Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Operating rules
| Annual inspection | Required: the City inspects each short-term rental at least once a year; the health and safety inspection covers utilities, HVAC, plumbing, electrical hazards, structure, windows, walls, trash and fire hazards, pests and exterior maintenance [1] Clause Sec. 12½-91 says the program establishes a regularly scheduled inspection procedure and lists the areas the health and safety occupancy inspection reviews at a minimum. Sec. 12½-93(a)(1) subjects a short-term rental facility to at least an annual inspection to determine compliance with the section and the city's building and occupancy codes, and the city may require additional inspections on a complaint about the condition of the property or the conduct of the operation. The inspection fee is $100.00, charged in addition to the annual business license fee. |
|---|---|
| Guest occupancy limit | No more than two persons per bedroom; the maximum number of guests at one time also may not exceed the limit in the City's building and occupancy code, which is set in the commercial occupancy permit and/or conditional use permit [1] Clause Sec. 12½-93(c)(1) limits total allowable occupancy per structure to no more than two persons per bedroom. Sec. 12½-93(a)(1)a. separately says the maximum number of guests at any one time may not exceed the number permitted by the applicable building and occupancy code provisions of the City of St. Clair, and that the occupancy limit is established as part of the commercial occupancy permit and/or conditional use permit granted the facility. Both limits are stated in the article; which one is lower for a given property is not shown here. |
| Off-street parking | Off-street parking must be provided in line with the existing municipal code provision; the number of spaces is not shown here [1] Clause Sec. 12½-93(a)(1)b. says off-street parking facilities shall be provided in conformance with the existing municipal code provision. The parking chapter was not part of the pages read, so the number of spaces required is not shown on this page. The application asks for the number of parking spaces and the location of the parking on the lot. |
| Meals, events and neighbour impact | Meals only for guests, never for the general public; no food storage or preparation in guest rooms; no rental for receptions, parties, weddings or similar events; no activity or noise inimical to the residential character of the district [1] Clause Sec. 12½-93(a)(1)c. allows a short-term rental facility to provide meals only to its guests and under no circumstances to members of the general public, and says no food storage or preparation capabilities shall be provided in guest rooms. Sec. 12½-93(c)(7) requires a posted statement that no short-term rental shall be rented or used for the sole purpose of receptions, parties, weddings or other similar events. The facility must not generate activity or noise inimical to the character of a residential district nor fall below the standards of the city's adopted building, property maintenance and other applicable codes. Noise limits and quiet hours are in separate ordinances that haven't been reviewed yet. |
| Materials posted in the rental | Post inside the rental: the name and contact information of the person responsible for day-to-day operation, a copy of the certificate of occupancy, a copy of the approved business license, the City's noise and nuisance ordinances, and the no-events statement [1] Clause Sec. 12½-93(c)(3) to (7) requires every short-term rental user to conspicuously post these items within the rental. The article does not say in what form the noise and nuisance ordinances must be posted. |
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 Code title page and preface and Chapter 12½, Article VII (Short-Term Rental Program, Secs. 12½-91 to 12½-93) as published on Municode and fetched on October 16, 2026. We haven't reviewed the zoning chapter, the parking provisions, the business license fee schedule, the lodging tax provisions, the penalty provisions or Board of Aldermen agendas and minutes yet, so we will watch the Code and Board actions for changes.
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
Newsletter
Not tracking St. Clair specifically?
One email a month with STR rule changes across the US markets we track.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.
Questions
Managing properties in several cities?
Tell us what you're trying to decide and which markets you operate in. We read every message.
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.