ST. LOUIS—Short-term rental property owners in St. Louis have until May 6 to apply for a permit. City officials say they've recieved over 250 applications, but are waiting for hundreds of property owners who have yet to apply. The City of St. Louis imposed the requirement in November, giving property owners a six-month grace period.

“We heard our community members loud and clear, and now St. Louis is following national best practices in regulating this industry,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones in a 2024 press release. “As a city, we can both encourage tourism and ensure that these rental units are not a nuisance in their neighborhoods.”

Ordinance 71729 requires properties to meet certain standards at the risk of having their permit revoked for non-compliance.

What You Need To Know

  • May 6 is the deadline to apply for a short-term rental permit. 

  • About 250 property owners have applied. More than 87% of owners haven't. 

  • Short-term rentals must pass inspection and require a minimum two night stay and emergency contact. 

  • The application is available online thorugh the City of St. Louis.

“We know that there are more than 2,000 short-term rentals in the City, so it is time to get registered and in compliance with the law before the six-month grace period expires,” said Rasmus Jorgenson, spokesperson for Mayor Jones. “Short-term rentals in single-family residential zones are required to get a conditional use permit. Hearings for these conditional use permits take several weeks to schedule, with the likelihood of a longer wait, increasing the longer applicants take to apply.”

Vacation rental website Airbnb lists over 1,000 St. Louis homes and apartments, with more than 300 on VRBO. 

Applicants must pay a $150 fee, complete an inspection and submit tax information. According to the ordinance, all short-term rentals require a minimum two night stay. Property owners can hold up to four permits for  non-owner-occupied units. 

St. Louis officials have contracted with Host Compliance through Granicus to establish real-time issue monitoring. Through this system, the City will scan rental listing sites and use human analysts to identify short term rental (STR) properties, allowing the City to know where STRs are operating and if they have a permit.

The city will also have an STR-specific hotline, both online and by phone at (314-798-9245), where residents can report short-term rental-related issues.

Property owners should apply through the City of St. Louis website.