Short-term rental hosts in St. Louis must comply with new regulations by May 2025

Short-term rental (STR) hosts in St. Louis, Missouri, are now required to get a city permit to operate. A new STR law, passed a year ago, went into effect on November 6, 2024. Operators have until May 6, 2025, to obtain a permit. 

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

Under the law, STR hosts must have a city-issued permit for each property they operate, with a maximum of four permits per person. Hosts must pay a $150 fee to apply, and permits may only be issued to a person, not an LLC.

STR operators in areas zoned for single-family residential use will be required to go through public conditional use hearings to apply for a permit. The law limits the percentage of STR units within a multi-unit building. It also requires a minimum stay of two nights — a measure designed to reduce the number of parties held at STR properties. STR operators must also designate an agent who can respond to any issues in person within an hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

St. Louis has contracted with a third-party service to monitor where STRs are operating and whether they have permits. The city also plans to launch an STR hotline, accessible both online and by phone, that residents can use to report STR issues. Under the ordinance, owners who receive three violation notices within 24 months may be fined and have their permit revoked for up to a year.

Short-term rental marketplaces, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, are prohibited from completing bookings for St. Louis properties without permit numbers. Marketplaces must also delist properties that have had their permits revoked.

St. Louis STRs are subject to state sales and lodging taxes and the city’s hotel-motel room tax. City voters also approved a new 3% fee on STRs in the latest election, with at least half of the proceeds going to an affordable housing fund and the rest going to other housing initiatives. 

STR hosts are required to collect taxes from their guests and remit them to the proper tax authorities. While Airbnb collects state and local taxes for its St. Louis listings, Vrbo does not. Operators are responsible for collecting and remitting taxes that aren’t collected for them. 

Avalara MyLodgeTax can help short-term rental hosts automate and simplify lodging tax compliance at the local and state levels, including tax registration and filing. For more on short-term rental lodging tax in Missouri, see our state vacation rental tax guide. If you have tax questions related to vacation rental properties, drop us a line and we’ll get back to you with answers.