Boone County, Missouri Building Permit Guide

Outside Columbia, building permits in Boone County come from Boone County Resource Management, Room 315 of the Boone County Government Center, 801 E. Walnut Street, Columbia (573-886-4330), which also issues the septic, driveway and stormwater permits. Applications are filed online with a site drawing. Since June 1, 2026 a house is charged $170.80 per sq ft of finished space times 0.00222, about $758 for 2,000 sq ft, and new construction needs a site and setback inspection before any permit is issued.

Boone County building department: who handles permitting

Resource Management combines the county’s Planning, Inspections and Engineering divisions. Its Inspections Division handles building inspections everywhere in the county outside Columbia: planning questions go to 573-886-4330, inspections to 573-886-4339 and engineering to 573-886-4480, and the office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, taking applications until 4:30 p.m. The county has no jurisdiction inside cities, but it has agreements with Centralia, Sturgeon, Harrisburg, Hallsville, Hartsburg and Rocheport; Centralia, Rocheport and Hallsville take applications at their own offices and may add a city fee to the county’s, while Ashland runs its own building permits and inspections. State law does not let the county license general contractors. Populations below are Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates.

What needs a county permit?

Cosmetic work does not need a building permit. The county’s FAQ still says no demolition permit is required, but the newer June 2026 notice on the Resource Management home page now requires the free permit when a structure is completely removed. Plans are required only for commercial projects, accessory buildings over 3,000 sq ft and solar installations.

Boone County permit fees

The County Commission approved the current building permit fees on April 30, 2026, effective June 1, 2026. New space is valued with the International Code Council’s Building Valuation Data, updated each August, and the value is multiplied by 0.00222 for non-commercial work (always valued as type VB construction) or 0.003 for commercial work.

For example, a house with 2,000 sq ft of finished space and a 500 sq ft attached garage works out to about $758 plus $77, or roughly $836, before any septic or driveway permit. The online Permit Fee Calculator gives estimates only, and staff set the final figure.

Card payments carry a 2.35% convenience fee ($1.55 minimum); cash and checks do not.

What to submit

For a house, the online application needs a copy of the recorded deed or survey, the estimated cost, the owner’s details, the distance to every property line, separate square footages for the finished and unfinished basement, each floor, the garage, carport, breezeway, porch and decks, the foundation type, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the height to the peak, the road the driveway joins, directions from a major highway and the total area to be disturbed. A site drawing must show the building, driveway, wastewater system and other buildings, and a new septic system needs a soils report. Incomplete applications are not processed, and attachments over 25 MB cannot be sent.

Commercial projects need three paper sets of plans, the commercial application and the $300 plan review fee; review takes at least three weeks and emailed plans are not accepted. Inside the Boone County Fire Protection District, one paper set, a digital copy and the district’s own review fee go to the district at 2201 I-70 Drive NW, Columbia (573-447-5000). Food businesses and daycares are also inspected by the Columbia/Boone County Environmental Health Department (573-874-7346).

How to get a building permit in unincorporated Boone County

Inspections and certificates of occupancy

Inspections are booked only by phone with the permit number; email requests are not accepted and inspectors do not schedule in the field. They take place the next business day in a morning or afternoon window, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., with one inspection per site per day. Where a new septic system is planned, its pre-site inspection must pass before a footing inspection can be booked, and the two cannot fall on the same day; no backfilling of the system is allowed before its final inspection. The Building Inspections page says a $25 re-inspection fee may be charged whenever an inspector has to come back, while the June 2026 fee sheet lists $25 for a re-inspection after three failures of the same inspection. A permit stays active for six months and renews with each inspection, and a certificate of occupancy, temporary or final, takes three business days to issue, so plan any closing around it.

Floodplain, septic and other local rules

Building codes: the county enforces the 2015 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Existing Building and Energy Conservation Codes and the 2014 National Electrical Code, with county addendums, adopted by the Commission on March 23, 2017 and in force since April 1, 2017. Changes come from the Commission on the advice of its Building Code Commission.

Septic systems: Resource Management has run the county’s onsite wastewater ordinance since June 28, 2022. Only installers on the county’s certified list may work on permitted systems, and processing a wastewater application can take up to seven days.

Floodplain: the Planning Division checks every building application against the flood maps. Under Section 22 of the zoning regulations, last revised March 31, 2026, a new or substantially improved home in a mapped A, AE or AH flood zone with a base flood elevation must have its lowest floor, including any basement, at or above that elevation, each structure needs its own floodplain development permit, and building in the floodway itself is strictly limited. Boone County is in the National Flood Insurance Program on flood maps dated April 19, 2017; FEMA lists McBaine as not participating.

Rentals and planning: the county adopted Rental Housing Standards for unincorporated areas in February 2024, and the 2025 Boone County Master Plan, adopted on June 12, 2025, guides rezoning decisions. The Planning and Zoning Commission meets at 7:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers.

Missouri building code

Missouri has no mandatory statewide building code for private construction: a county, fire protection district or municipality may adopt one (usually by reference under RSMo 67.280), and in parts of the state none has. Building codes in Missouri

Boone County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Boone County outside Columbia?

Boone County Resource Management, 801 E. Walnut Street, Room 315, Columbia (573-886-4330), on unincorporated land and in Sturgeon. Columbia and Ashland run their own permit offices, and Centralia, Hallsville and Rocheport take applications at City Hall.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Boone County?

Finished space is charged at $170.80 per sq ft times 0.00222, about $758 for 2,000 sq ft, with garages at $69.64 per sq ft times 0.00222. A new septic system adds $510.

What building code does Boone County use?

The 2015 International Codes and the 2014 National Electrical Code, with county amendments, in force since April 1, 2017.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Boone County?

The county’s list of work needing a permit names sheds, barns and garages as well as any single-story accessory structure over 160 sq ft. The fee is $69.64 per sq ft times 0.00222, with a $40 minimum.

How do I schedule a county inspection?

Call Resource Management at 573-886-4339 with your permit number a business day ahead; inspections are not booked by email.

How long does commercial plan review take?

At least three weeks, after the county has three sets of plans, the application and the $300 plan review fee.

Who permits building in Columbia?

The City of Columbia’s Building and Site Development office at City Hall, 701 East Broadway (573-874-7474), not the county.

Boone County permit search and official resources

• Boone County Resource Management
• Boone County Building Inspections and online permit application
• Boone County Resource Management forms and fees
• Boone County building permit fees, effective June 1, 2026
• Boone County onsite wastewater permit fees (2026)
• Boone County types of construction requiring a building permit
• Boone County 2015 building code addendums
• Boone County permit fee calculator
• Boone County onsite wastewater systems
• Boone County floodplain
• Boone County Resource Management FAQs
• FEMA Community Status Book, Missouri
• City of Ashland Community Development
• City of Centralia building code (Chapter 5)
• City of Hallsville building permits and inspections
• City of Sturgeon forms and permits
• City of Rocheport building permits and inspections

Simplify Boone County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Missouri. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Boone County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.