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9 permits · verified 2026-09-06

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in St Louis?

In short

A contractor or trade in St Louis, MO has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of St. Louis Building Division, Permits Section charges $80 for a unit up to 3,500 sq ft; $160 above that. A name change on an existing permit is $5. for the commercial occupancy permit. 4 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-06 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in St Louis

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Construction Industry Contractor LicenseCity of St. Louis License Collector's OfficeRequired instead of the standard Graduated Business License, under the same graduated employee-count tax table: $200 (0–2 employees) up to $37,500 (501+). A separate, distinct fee schedule specific to this contractor category was not independently confirmed beyond this shared table.annual2026-09-06
Statewide Electrical Contractor License (optional)only if it applies to youMissouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, Division of Professional Registration$200 to open; renewal is $100 every three yearstriennial — all licenses expire together and renew on the same three-year cycle2026-09-04
General Contractor License — Missouri state position (local licensing)only if it applies to youMissouri Division of Professional RegistrationNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in St Louis

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building PermitCity of St. Louis Building Division, Permits SectionVaries — formula on the St Louis pageone-time, per project2026-09-06
Commercial Occupancy PermitCity of St. Louis Building Division, Permits Section$80 for a unit up to 3,500 sq ft; $160 above that. A name change on an existing permit is $5.issued once per qualifying occupancy; application valid 60 days2026-09-06

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

MO registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youMissouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division$50 filed online; $105 on paperperpetual — a Missouri LLC files no annual report at all2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMissouri Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionVaries — formula on the MO pageperpetual, but an annual registration report is due every year2026-09-04
Corporate Annual Registration Reportonly if it applies to youMissouri Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionVaries — formula on the MO pageannual by default, due the month the corporation was formed — a two-year cycle may be elected instead, at $40 online or $90 on paper2026-09-04
General Business License — Missouri state positiononly if it applies to youMissouri Department of RevenueNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in St Louis?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a contractor or trade in St Louis, MO, 3 apply to every business of this type and 6 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $80.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 9 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Construction Industry Contractor License: Required instead of the standard Graduated Business License, under the same graduated employee-count tax table: $200 (0–2 employees) up to $37,500 (501+). A separate, distinct fee schedule specific to this contractor category was not independently confirmed beyond this shared table.

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the St Louis permits page and the MO state page.

Which offices issue these permits in St Louis?

Permits for a contractor or trade in St Louis, MO come from 6 separate offices: City of St. Louis Building Division, Permits Section, City of St. Louis License Collector's Office, Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Missouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, Division of Professional Registration, Missouri Division of Professional Registration, Missouri Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in St Louis that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in St Louis: Construction Industry Contractor License, Statewide Electrical Contractor License (optional) and General Contractor License — Missouri state position (local licensing).

Construction Industry Contractor License

Contractors must provide proof of workers' compensation coverage (or a signed exemption affidavit) and furnish a list of subcontractors on any job. The License Collector's own Construction Contracting Business page, read in full, lists five steps to licensure — a state sales tax number where applicable, the Graduated Business License form itself, a Statement of Clearance, an Occupancy Permit, and proof of workers' compensation coverage — and names no bond or surety requirement anywhere in that process.

Statewide Electrical Contractor License (optional)

This license exists to solve one specific problem and nothing more: a contractor working across several Missouri jurisdictions no longer needs a separate local electrical license in each one, because state law obliges every city and county to recognise this statewide credential in place of its own. It does not abolish local licensing — a city may keep issuing its own electrical contractor license to everyone else, keep requiring a business license, keep issuing permits and inspecting work, and keep licensing individual electricians on its own examination, all in parallel with this statewide option. The state gives that recognition rule real teeth: a political subdivision that refuses to honour a statewide license risks having its own share of state sales tax withheld until it complies. Two hundred dollars to obtain it and $100 to renew, on a shared three-year cycle rather than one tied to the individual holder.

General Contractor License — Missouri state position (local licensing)

The Division of Professional Registration's own list of every board it administers includes Electrical Contractors but has no general contractor, plumbing or HVAC board, so there is no state fee for any of those three licenses. Plumbing licensing is confined by statute to cities of 15,000 people or more and to first-class counties, each running its own board of examiners and its own local code, and HVAC work is regulated only where a city chooses to license it. A contractor working across several Missouri municipalities may need a separate local license in each one for these trades. Electrical work is the exception — see the statewide electrical contractor record.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in St Louis, MO; what each one involves is set out on the St Louis permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MO and are covered on the MO state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in St Louis?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Construction Industry Contractor License, Statewide Electrical Contractor License (optional) and General Contractor License — Missouri state position (local licensing). A auto repair shop needs Fire Prevention Permits, Automotive Repair Shop License — Missouri state position, Salvage Business License (rebuilder or body shop) and Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Station Permit, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in St Louis, MO, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4034
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops4034
Fitness studios1031
Food trucks3033
Restaurants4034
Retail stores1031
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics2032

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the St Louis permits page and the MO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of St. Louis — Graduated Business License Information and Fees ScheduleCity of St. Louis License Collector's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
  2. City of St. Louis — Construction Contracting Business LicensingCity of St. Louis License Collector's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
  3. Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors — fee schedule effective 30 June 2019Missouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  4. Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors — FAQ for political subdivisions, explaining the preemption and recognition ruleMissouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  5. Missouri Division of Professional Registration — the complete list of every board it administers, containing no HVAC or mechanical contractor boardMissouri Division of Professional Registration · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  6. Missouri Revised Statutes chapter 341 — plumbers and plumbing, licensed only in cities of 15,000 or more and first-class countiesMissouri General Assembly, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.