12 published records
Business licenses and permits in St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County, Missouri, seat Clayton, issues county liquor licenses for unincorporated premises through its Department of Revenue, after the state liquor license from the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. Food permits are issued by the Department of Public Health's Environmental Division. Commercial building permits, septic permits and plumbing and mechanical licensing sit with the Department of Transportation and Public Works. The Assessor issues the Merchants and Manufacturers license. Clayton, the county seat, is itself an incorporated municipality. The county's Licensing page states: "We do not issue business licenses. If your business is located in a municipality, please contact them directly for their requirements." The records on this page are county-level only. A business inside an incorporated municipality should also check that municipality's own licensing and permit requirements, which are not described here.
What are you opening in St. Louis County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
Who issues business permits in St. Louis County?
Permitting in St. Louis County is split across 5 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
St. Louis County issuing agencies
- St. Louis County Department of Revenue, Division of LicensingCounty alcoholic-beverage licenses for unincorporated premises · Street vendor license under Chapter 8124 permits
- St. Louis County Department of Public Health, Environmental DivisionFood establishment health permit and plan review · Mobile unit and pushcart health permit3 permits
- St. Louis County Department of Transportation and Public WorksCommercial building permit under Ordinance 29,445 · Individual sewage disposal (septic) permit under Ordinance 29,445 · Plumbing licensing · Mechanical licensing3 permits
- Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco ControlState liquor license for premises wholly within unincorporated St. Louis County1 permit
- St. Louis County AssessorMerchants and Manufacturers license1 permit
Other Missouri jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.