Where to search St. Louis permits
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Building Permits Search by Address | Street address or parcel | Past permits issued for the property |
| Building Permits open data | Any field, including contractor name and license number | Application and issue dates, cancel and completed dates, estimated project cost, description |
| STL City Permits | Your own applications | Online permit applications |
| Our St. Louis firm list | Contractor name | Each firm's permits, share completed and days to completion |
How to look up permits on a St. Louis address
- Open the search page and type the street address, or the parcel number from your tax bill.
- Read each permit's description and issue date.
- For the contractor, the estimated cost and whether it was completed, find the permit in the open data: the columns are ContrName, ContrNum, EstProjectCost, IssueDate, CancelDate and CompleteDate.
- The same page links a contact search for building inspectors and supervisors if a permit looks wrong.
What the dates mean
St. Louis's permit file has no status column. Our pages count a permit as finished when it has a completed date, and leave cancelled permits out; days run from issue to that date, which is when the City records completion rather than when the work stopped (St. Louis about page; methodology).
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Completed (a year or more old) | Usual days to completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remodel | 1,904 | 984 | 65.2% | 361 |
| Roofing | 491 | 204 | 70.4% | 294 |
| Deck | 703 | 438 | 67.9% | 234 |
| Fence | 866 | 206 | 71.2% | 213 |
| Windows | 330 | 127 | 70.5% | 382 |
| Demolition | 744 | 37 | 94.7% | 164 |
About a third of year-old remodel, deck and roofing permits have no completed date, so a blank one is common. Before the last payment, ask the contractor whether the final inspection was passed.
When the record is not online
The Office of the City Counselor's Sunshine Law Requests page says requests "are submitted through GOV/QA", where you can also search earlier requests; it recommends that you "first check the City's Open Data catalog". Phone (314) 657-1326; the City Counselor's office is at City Hall, Room 314, (314) 622-3361, and the City follows sections 610.010 to 610.030 RSMo (read 23 October 2026).
What our St. Louis data adds
The City's search is organised by property. Ours groups the permits by firm: the St. Louis permit statistics, and the compare lists for remodelers, roofers, deck builders and garages. Missouri has no state residential contractor license; the City business-license check is in the St. Louis contractor license lookup, and which jobs need a permit is in Do I need a permit?
See every St. Louis remodeler by share completed →
How we know this
Search wording is quoted from the City of St. Louis Building Permits Search by Address page, column names from the City's Building Permits open dataset, and request steps from the City Counselor's Sunshine Law Requests page, all read 23 October 2026. Our counts are City of St. Louis building permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026.
Numbers come from City of St. Louis building permits, data through October 14, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in St. Louis?
Use the City's Building Permits Search by Address page: 'Enter a City address to find past permits issued for that property.' It takes a street address or a parcel number.
- Are St. Louis building permits public record?
Yes. The City publishes building permit data on its open data site, with the contractor's name and license number, the estimated cost and the issue, cancel and completion dates. Other records are requested under Missouri's Sunshine Law.
- Can I search St. Louis permits by contractor?
The open data file has contractor name and license number columns you can filter. Our St. Louis pages list 5,943 building permits on homes from October 2023 to September 2026 under 2,308 firms.
- How do I request old St. Louis permit records?
File a Sunshine Law request through the City's GOV/QA portal, linked from the Office of the City Counselor's Sunshine Law Requests page, or call (314) 657-1326. The City suggests checking its open data catalog first.
- Why are electrical and plumbing permits missing from St. Louis permit data?
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits after 2018 aren't published in bulk, so they are not in our pages. Look them up by address on the City's search page or ask the Building Division.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- St. Louis contractor license lookup: the City business license, trade boards and the permits
- Home improvement costs in St. Louis, MO (2026): what 7 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Wheaton, IL building permit search: the open permit data and FOIA requests
- How to check a contractor's license in Missouri
For one city
- Replacing windows in a St. Louis historic district: the approved window list, wood vs. aluminum vs. composite, and the permit
- Do I need a remodel permit in St. Louis? The City's list, the $10-per-$1,000 fee and the historic district catch
- Solar panels in a St. Louis historic district: which districts allow visible panels, what to submit, and hiring the installer
- Building Permits Search by Address — City of St. Louis (2026-10-23)
- Building Permits — City of St. Louis Open Data (2026-10-23)
- Sunshine Law Requests — City of St. Louis Office of the City Counselor (2026-10-23)
- STL City Permits (online applications) (2026-10-23)