This is the City of St. Louis. St. Louis County municipalities such as Kirkwood or Webster Groves run their own historic reviews.
The rule
The Building Division's When a Residential Building Permit is Needed page exempts "replacement or repair of existing windows and frames, whenever no modification is made to the opening". Then comes the exception: property "located within a City Historic District or is a City Landmark requires approval for" exterior painting, gutters and downspouts, windows, doors, tuckpointing, all fences, and awnings, and "In most instances a building permit is required by the Cultural Resources Office even though it is not required by the Building Code."
The Cultural Resources Office's permit review page adds that "No permit may be issued without the Cultural Resources Office or the Preservation Board's approval", that the Building Division refers applications in review areas automatically, and that applications are approved "within a few days" unless the work does not meet the standards. Small projects can be signed off at the CRO Hotspot desk in City Hall.
Are you in a district?
The City Historic Districts page lists 18:
| 4100-4300 Lindell | Fox Park | Shaw Neighborhood |
| Benton Park | Hyde Park | Skinker-DeBaliviere-Catlin Tract-Parkview |
| Central West End | Kingsbury-Washington Terrace | Soulard Neighborhood |
| Cherokee-Lemp Brewery | Lafayette Square | The Ville |
| Compton Hill | McKinley Heights | Tower Grove East |
| North I-44 | Union Station | Visitation Park |
Each district has its own ordinance and standards, and the page links an interactive map. In five minutes: open that map, find your address, then call the office on (314) 657-3865 if the boundary is close.
What the office approves
From the Replacement Windows for Local Historic Districts list, updated 18 June 2025:
| Type | Approved |
|---|---|
| All-wood sash replacement kit | Allowed if it replicates the original in configuration, size, member dimensions, placement and trim (e.g. Marvin Tilt-Pac) |
| All-wood full-frame replacement | Allowed on the same terms |
| Color-finished aluminum | Crown Industries M-1400; Quaker H650 Historic Singlehung; EFCO Historic Doublehung |
| Composite | Andersen "Renewal" double-hung |
| Conforming wood (partial list) | Marvin Wood Ultimate Doublehung G2 and Magnum; Jeld-Wen Custom Wood and Custom Epic Wood Doublehung; Lincoln Quantum; Loewen; Weather Shield Premium; Kolbe Heritage and Sterling "with the option of the STL checkrail"; Andersen E-Series; Pella Architect Series Traditional and Reserve Traditional; Rivertown; Sierra Pacific Westchester; Midwest Insulated Glass; STL Historic Windows |
| Listed as non-conforming | Jeld-Wen Premium Wood Siteline and Builders Clad-Wood; Lincoln Doublehung window and sash kit; Windsor; ZapPak Tradition Plus; other Pella wood double-hungs; Quaker Wood Doublehung |
The list warns that "Some historic districts may have additional restrictions" and that the applicant "should consult with the Cultural Resources Office before the purchase of any windows." Any window not listed can be presented for approval, but it must "replicate historic doublehung windows in configuration, size, dimension of individual members, placement and trim."
What it means for hiring
Ask the window company, before you sign: which product line, by the name on the list; whether they will get the Cultural Resources Office sign-off and the building permit (the City's Building Permits page says a contractor files with a letter of authorization from the owner); and whether the price assumes a sash kit or a full-frame replacement. A quote for a product on the non-conforming list, or for vinyl, is a quote for a window the office has not approved.
Two firms on the approved list also show up in our permit data: Renewal by Andersen, the busiest window firm in the City with 37 permits in the last 12 months of the file, sells the Renewal composite double-hung, and Midwest Insulated Glass (10 permits) is on the conforming wood list.
| City of St. Louis window and door permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | Value |
|---|---|
| Permits / firms | 330 / 127 |
| Usual filed value | $9,944 |
| Middle half of firms' usual job | $6,012 to $16,449 |
| Completed (permits a year or more old) | 70.5% |
| Usual days from issue to completion | 382 |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 38.5% |
| Firms with only one permit | 82 (64.6%) |
| Busiest / quietest month | August / December |
Like-for-like windows outside historic districts need no permit, so these counts lean toward district jobs and jobs that change the opening. 64.6% of firms filed only one permit: ask a one-permit firm whether they have been through Cultural Resources review before.
Compare St. Louis window companies →
Prices by firm: St. Louis window cost. Other exterior work in a district: St. Louis remodel permit. Solar on a historic roof: St. Louis historic district solar rules. Past permits at an address: St. Louis building permit search. Counts by year: St. Louis permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
Our file does not mark which permits are inside a historic district, so the numbers above are citywide. Filed values are estimates on the application. Completion is the City's completed status; it does not tell you whether the Cultural Resources Office checked the installed windows. Missouri has no state window or remodeler license, so there is no license status to show.
How we know this
The permit rule and its historic-district exception are quoted from the Building Division's When a Residential Building Permit is Needed page; the district list from the City Historic Districts page; the review process from the Cultural Resources Office's Applications and Permit Review page; product lists from its Replacement Windows for Local Historic Districts list updated 18 June 2025; all read 23 October 2026. Our figures are City of St. Louis residential window and door permits, October 2023 to September 2026; completion uses permits a year or more old.
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
- Do I need a permit to replace windows in a St. Louis historic district?
Usually yes, even though the City's building code list exempts like-for-like window replacement. The Building Division says property in a City Historic District or a City Landmark 'requires approval' for windows, and 'In most instances a building permit is required by the Cultural Resources Office even though it is not required by the Building Code.'
- Can I use vinyl windows in a St. Louis historic district?
Vinyl is not on the Cultural Resources Office's list of approved replacement windows (updated 18 June 2025). The list allows all-wood sash kits, all-wood full-frame replacements, three color-finished aluminum windows and one composite window, and any approved window must replicate the historic double-hung in configuration, size, member dimensions, placement and trim.
- Which replacement windows are approved in St. Louis historic districts?
Non-wood: Crown Industries M-1400, Quaker H650 Historic Singlehung and EFCO Historic Doublehung (color-finished aluminum) and Andersen Renewal double-hung (composite). Conforming wood windows include Marvin Ultimate Doublehung G2 and Tilt-Pac sash kits, Pella Architect Series Traditional, Kolbe Heritage and Sterling (ordered with the STL checkrail) and others. Other products can be presented to the office for approval.
- How many historic districts does St. Louis have?
The City says it has 18 Local Historic Districts, including Lafayette Square, Soulard, Benton Park, Shaw, Fox Park, Compton Hill, the Central West End and Tower Grove East. The Cultural Resources Office at (314) 657-3865 has the most up-to-date map.
- How much does window replacement cost in St. Louis?
The usual window and door permit in our City of St. Louis file was filed at $9,944, and the middle half of firms' usual jobs ran $6,012 to $16,449. Historic-district wood windows are at the top of that range or above it.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a permit to replace windows in Cape Coral? Size-for-size vs new openings, fee and timing
- Do I need a permit to replace windows in Cleveland? Yes: the City calls it an alteration. The fee, who pulls it, and timing
- Do I need a permit? 13 common home projects, checked against city rules and permit files
- Do I need a permit to replace windows? The rule in 13 cities, and how many get filed
For one city
- Replacement Windows for Local Historic Districts (updated 6/18/25) — City of St. Louis Cultural Resources Office (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Approved Historic Window List — City of St. Louis Cultural Resources Office (accessed 2026-10-23)
- City Historic Districts — City of St. Louis Cultural Resources Office (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Applications and Permit Review — City of St. Louis Cultural Resources Office (accessed 2026-10-23)
- When a Residential Building Permit is Needed — City of St. Louis Building Division (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permits — City of St. Louis Building Division (accessed 2026-10-23)