Last updated October 30, 2026
In St. Louis, the rules for selling a house change at the city limit. Unincorporated St. Louis County requires an occupancy permit when a new occupant moves in; Crestwood and Chesterfield don’t require one to sell an existing home; Maryland Heights inspects at every transfer. Here’s which cities require what, who orders it, and how to keep it from delaying your closing.
It depends on the city. Unincorporated St. Louis County, Sunset Hills, Green Park, Webster Groves and Maryland Heights require one when a house changes hands. Crestwood, Chesterfield and the City of Fenton don’t require one to sell an existing owner-occupied home. The city-by-city table ↓
Usually the seller. In Sunset Hills the seller commonly applies before closing, and Lakeshire tells the seller to request the inspection before closing. The contract can assign it differently, so read yours. Who orders it ↓
Plan on weeks, not days. Maryland Heights can take a few weeks, and St. Louis REALTORS warned in 2024 that County inspection waits could reach four to six weeks. Order it as soon as you decide to sell. How to keep it off the critical path ↓
No. A Fenton, Florissant or Webster Groves mailing address doesn’t mean the house is inside that city. Check the county’s map or property record for the actual municipality. The mailing-address trap ↓
No. The city checks its own list; your home inspector checks the house for you. On a 2025 Northwoods purchase, the city’s failure list and the buyer’s inspection report didn’t cover the same problems. Occupancy list vs. inspection report →
Sources: each city’s published occupancy rules as summarized on this site’s area guides; St. Louis County; George Kindler’s 2025–2026 transactions. Rules change; confirm with the city before you close.
Most of the cities on the list below do, and a few don’t. St. Louis County alone has 88 municipalities, so this table covers the cities and unincorporated areas this site has written up so far. Each row links to the full rules for that city.
| City or area | Required at resale | What it means | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated St. Louis County Affton, Concord, Lemay, Mehlville, Oakville, Sappington and others | Yes | The County requires an occupancy permit when a new occupant moves in after a sale. After the first inspection, the owner has 90 days to make the repairs. | Oakville rules |
| Green Park | Yes | Required when a sale results in a change of occupant. The residential occupancy permit is $110. | Green Park rules |
| Maryland Heights | Yes | Its own inspection every time ownership transfers; it can take a few weeks. | Maryland Heights rules |
| Northwoods | Yes | Its own occupancy inspection, with its own failure list. | Northwoods |
| Sunset Hills | Yes | Required when occupancy changes; the seller commonly applies before closing. The inspection is $25, and the application is good for up to 6 months. | Sunset Hills rules |
| Webster Groves | Yes | A passed occupancy inspection is required before the permit is issued: $75 for the inspection, $30 for the permit. | Webster Groves rules |
| Bella Villa | Yes | Occupancy permit required for a residential transfer; has a sewer-lateral program. | Bella Villa |
| Grantwood Village | Yes | Ownership change triggers the Village’s occupancy-permit requirement. | Grantwood Village |
| Lakeshire | Yes | Required on change of occupancy or ownership; the seller requests the inspection before closing. | Lakeshire |
| Marlborough | Yes | Re-occupancy permit required, with written disclosure of the requirement before the sale. | Marlborough |
| Shrewsbury | Yes | The new occupant needs occupancy approval before legal occupancy. | Shrewsbury |
| Wilbur Park | Yes | Residential occupancy permit required. | Wilbur Park |
| Chesterfield | No | No re-occupancy permit for selling an existing home to a new owner. | City of Chesterfield |
| Crestwood | No | None for an owner-occupied sale; rentals need a re-occupancy permit. | Crestwood rules |
| City of Fenton | No | No general occupancy permit for the resale of an existing home. | The three Fentons |
| City or area | Required at resale | What it means | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold | Yes | A property maintenance inspection and Certificate of Compliance before a sale or a new occupant moves in. The permit is free, and no one can move in until it’s issued. | Arnold rules |
| Byrnes Mill | Yes | An occupancy inspection before a home is sold: $90 ($50 plus a $40 admin fee), good for 6 months. | Byrnes Mill rules |
| De Soto | Yes | Certificate of occupancy issued after the house passes inspection. | De Soto rules |
| Festus | Yes | Certificate of occupancy issued after the house passes inspection. | Festus rules |
| Unincorporated Jefferson County Imperial, Barnhart, House Springs and others | Depends | The County has no resale inspection, but Rock Community Fire Protection District inspects existing homes at a change of ownership in its area, including Imperial and Arnold; that inspection is good for 6 months. Check the parcel’s taxing bodies on the assessor’s record. | Imperial rules |
Not on the list? Ask the city or village for the exact address before you list or buy. The North County and South County small-towns pages cover more towns, and St. Louis City runs its own inspection program.
The seller, in most cities. The permit is usually tied to the property changing hands, and the city wants the inspection done before the new occupant moves in. Sunset Hills sellers commonly apply before closing; Lakeshire tells the seller to request the inspection before closing; Marlborough requires written disclosure of its re-occupancy requirement before the sale.
Some towns allow a conditional occupancy that shifts the corrections to the buyer by agreement. If you’re buying, find out before you sign who pays for anything the city fails.
Order it the day you decide to sell. Inspection waits run in weeks: St. Louis REALTORS warned in 2024 that County waits could reach four to six weeks, and many County municipalities use County inspectors for their own inspections. Then any failed items have to be fixed and reinspected; in unincorporated St. Louis County, the owner has 90 days after the first inspection to make the repairs. Some approvals expire: a Sunset Hills application is good for up to 6 months, and Byrnes Mill’s and Rock Community Fire Protection District’s inspections are good for 6 months.
How it went on a real sale: Maryland Heights inspects at every transfer, and I had one done on both of my 2026 sales there. The city can be behind. If you’re selling in Maryland Heights, schedule the occupancy inspection as soon as you plan to sell. Maryland Heights rules →
Look up the municipality, not the mailing address. Post office names cross city limits: a house with a Florissant address can sit in unincorporated St. Louis County, and “Fenton” can mean the City of Fenton, unincorporated St. Louis County or Jefferson County, each with different occupancy rules. The St. Louis County map and property record show which municipality a parcel is in.
How it went on a real sale: 12945 Covington Gardens Drive had a Florissant mailing address but sat in unincorporated St. Louis County, so the County’s occupancy rules applied, not Florissant’s. That sale → · The three Fentons →
The listed items have to be corrected and reinspected before the permit is issued, unless the city allows a conditional occupancy that moves the corrections to the buyer by agreement. Failed items become part of the sale: who fixes them, who pays and whether closing waits.
For a buyer, the city’s list is a floor, not a home inspection. Put it next to your own inspection report so you know which repairs the occupancy work covers and which need their own agreement. How that comparison went on a real purchase →
Buying and selling
Several small South County towns run residential sewer-lateral programs, including Bella Villa, Grantwood Village, Marlborough, Shrewsbury and Wilbur Park. Programs and rules vary, so ask the town for the current details. South County small towns →
Yes. The County requires an occupancy permit when a new occupant moves in after a sale or rental change in unincorporated areas like Oakville, Mehlville, Affton and Concord. What unincorporated means →
This is one piece of the St. Louis home buying process. See how it all fits together:
📚 Complete St. Louis Buyer Guide →
Grew up in South St. Louis, lived in Dogtown for 6 years, now in South County. You'll find us at Wellspring on Lindbergh on Sundays. I'm not selling you a house — I'm showing you how to think about buying or selling a house.
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