What's Required in St. Louis
- No building permit for tile, flooring, paint, wall coverings, a vanity cabinet or drywall replacement up to 25% of a room's wall or ceiling area (Ord. 70795 Sec. 105.2 items 12 and 13)
- Plumbing permit for setting or replacing any fixture (toilet, sink, tub, shower, water heater) or disturbing supply, drain, waste or vent connections
- Plumbing fees: $30 application, $10 per fixture, $25 rough inspection, $25 finish inspection; rough inspected before walls close
- Electrical permit ($25 + $60) for new circuits, outlets or lighting; like-for-like outlets, switches and same-horsepower fan motors are exempt minor repairs
- Building permit for removing or installing a partition, converting a basement to living space, or cutting structural members: $25 plus $10 per $1,000 of cost over $3,000
- Plumbing by a city-certified plumbing contractor or a Board-certified homeowner (one permit, up to four fixtures, two-year certification at one address)
- Electrical by a city-licensed electrical contractor or an owner-occupant who passes the Building Division test and does the work personally
- Surcharges for starting before the permit: plumbing $35 to $95 on small permits; building $90 to $240
Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Bathroom in St. Louis?
For the plumbing, almost always. The city's Plumbing Code (2021 UPC as adopted by Ordinance 71644) exempts stopping leaks and clearing stoppages, but says minor repairs do not include the setting or replacing of fixtures or any work that disturbs a soil, supply, waste or vent connection. So a new toilet, tub, shower valve or water heater in the same spot is permit work for a city-certified plumber or a certified homeowner, and relocating a drain is "placement of new fixtures". The building code side is gentler: Section 105.2 of the 2018 Residential Code ordinance exempts floor tile, flooring, wall coverings, cabinet installation and drywall replacement up to 25 percent of a room's wall or ceiling area. A building permit comes in when you remove or install a partition, convert a basement to living space, or cut a structural member. New circuits or lights need an electrical permit; a like-for-like outlet, switch or same-horsepower fan motor is a minor repair with no permit.
St. Louis Bathroom Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, tile, flooring, new vanity cabinet, new mirror; nothing moved | None | Ord. 70795 Sec. 105.2 item 12 |
| Replacing a toilet, sink, tub or water heater in the same spot | Plumbing permit, $90 ($30 + $10 + $25 rough + $25 finish) | Plumbing Code 107.2(3) |
| Moving a drain or adding a shower where there was none | Plumbing permit; three fixtures $110 | Plumbing page: placement of new fixtures |
| New GFCI circuit, lighting circuit or heated floor | Electrical permit, $85 ($25 + $60) | Electrical Code 80.8.1; residential repair or modify fee |
| Removing or adding a partition, or a basement bathroom, $15,000 | Building permit $175 ($25 + $150) plus trade permits | Criteria page: partitions; basement conversion |
| Replacing a bath fan motor with the same horsepower | None | Electrical Code 80.3.1 item 5 |
| Replacing drywall or plaster up to 25% of the room | None | Sec. 105.2 item 13 |
How Much Do Bathroom Permits Cost in St. Louis?
Plumbing: $30 application, $10 per fixture (the table counts water heaters, floor drains and backflow devices as fixtures), $25 for the rough inspection and $25 for the finish inspection. One fixture is $90; a toilet, lavatory and tub together are $30 + $30 + $50 = $110. Electrical: $25 application plus $60 for residential repairs and modifications with no new service. A building permit, only when walls or structure change, is $25 plus $10 per $1,000 or fraction of the job's estimated cost above $3,000: $175 on a $15,000 job, $275 on $25,000. Worked totals: a same-layout refresh with new fixtures and a new circuit is $110 + $85 = $195; a $25,000 remodel that moves a wall is $275 + $110 + $85 = $470. Plumbing work started before the permit carries a $35 surcharge on a fee up to $50 and $95 on $51 to $200; building work started early adds $90 to $240.
Can a Homeowner Do the Plumbing?
Only after certification. Plumbing Code Section 111.17 lets the Board of Examiners certify the owner-occupant of a single-family home who passes the homeowner exam, which may be taken once; a fail means a one-year wait and licensed work. The certification lasts two years at that address, allows one open permit at a time for up to four fixtures, six months per permit, and bars work outside the building or on a house held for rent or sale. Electrical has a parallel route: an owner-occupant who passes the Building Division's written test can pull permits for repairs and modifications, buying the materials and doing the labor personally. Otherwise plumbing permits go to plumbing contractors certified by the city and electrical permits to city-licensed electrical contractors; both are usually approved in 1 to 3 business days.
How Does the Process Run?
Trade contractors apply from their STL City Permits dashboard and print the permit once approved. A building permit, when walls change, is filed online or at Room 425, City Hall, with the $25 application fee and plans of the existing and proposed layout; the trade permits can be entered in the same online application. Small residential projects can be approved at the Hot Spot desk between 9 AM and 3 PM, and the permit runs six months in the owner of record's name. The plumber calls the rough inspection before the walls close and the finish inspection after the fixtures are set; the ordinance bars going past any inspection point without approval. A bath exhaust fan is mechanical work; the mechanical fee table's smallest exhaust-fan line starts at 200 CFM, so ask the contractor what a small fan is charged.
How to Get a Bathroom Remodel Permit in St. Louis
List what moves
Surfaces only: nothing to file. Any fixture set or replaced: plumbing permit. New circuits: electrical permit. Walls or a basement conversion: building permit too.
Choose who pulls the trade permits
A city-certified plumber and licensed electrician, or get certified yourself: the plumbing homeowner exam is offered once; the electrical test is given once per scope of work.
File the building permit if walls change
Online at stlcitypermits.com with the trade permits in the same application, or Room 425 with five sets of plans and the $25 application fee.
Pay and post
Trade fees are paid at application ($90 for one fixture, $85 for a circuit); the building permit fee is paid at issuance. Keep the permits on site.
Rough inspection, then finish
Call the plumbing and electrical rough inspections before closing walls, the finish inspections after fixtures and devices are set, and the building final if one was pulled.