Creve Coeur, Missouri Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Creve Coeur are issued by the City’s Building Division, which also permits and inspects residential heating and cooling work; electrical, plumbing and commercial mechanical permits come from St. Louis County. The City charges $7 per $1,000 of construction valuation (minimum $80) plus a refundable escrow on larger projects, and applications are filed in its online permitting portal.

What needs a permit in Creve Coeur?

A City permit is needed whenever a building or structure is built, altered, converted, demolished, enlarged, improved, moved, repaired or changes use. The Building Division’s own list includes:

All remodeling inside multi-story condominium and apartment buildings needs a City permit, so that the fire separations between units are not compromised. New electrical or plumbing work also needs a St. Louis County permit issued to a licensed electrician or plumber.

Creve Coeur building department: who handles permitting

The Building Division administers residential and commercial building permit submittals, plan review, permit issuance, field inspections and escrow releases, and enforces the City’s building, residential-mechanical, property maintenance, nuisance and zoning codes. Gregory B. Tate, CBO, is the Chief Building Official. St. Louis County’s Department of Public Works issues and inspects all electrical and plumbing work in the city, plus commercial mechanical work and mechanical work in the common areas of apartment and condominium buildings (work serving individual units stays with the City).

Creve Coeur applications and online filing

Applications are now filed in the City’s online permitting portal, with published instructions for using it; paper forms remain available only during the transition. The City publishes separate applications for building permits, new construction, demolition, fences, residential mechanical work, signs (paid with the application), site improvements, temporary uses and structures, private utility facilities, right-of-way work and the combined commercial certificate of occupancy / business licence. Revised plans go in with a Revisions Cover Sheet. Permits are issued in the name of the person or firm doing the work.

Creve Coeur permit fees and escrows

Fees are set in Appendix B to Title IV of the City Code, the Community Development and Public Works Fee Schedule, whose building section was last amended by Ordinance 5903 on July 22, 2024. No later fee ordinance appears in the City’s adopted legislation through October 2026. The Chief Building Official sets the construction valuation.

Escrows: a separate refundable deposit secures completion and repair of public property: $5,000 for a new house, $2,000 for a room or garage addition, $3,000 for a pool, and $500 for a basement finish, interior remodel, retaining wall or deck valued at $20,000 or more. Projects under $20,000 and fences pay no escrow, and a project that receives a stop-work order pays $500. Commercial escrows are 2% of valuation (capped at $10,000) for projects of $125,000 or more, $2,500 for $10,000 to $124,999 and $500 below that. The City’s Fee Schedule & Escrow web page still shows a $5,000 threshold for residential escrows, but the codified 2024 schedule uses $20,000. Escrows are refunded after the final inspection without a request.

For example, a room addition valued at $50,000 costs $350 in permit fees (50 × $7) plus a $2,000 escrow; a commercial project valued at $2 million pays $13,000 ($7,000 on the first $1 million and $6,000 on the next).

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

Creve Coeur splits the trades. Residential mechanical work (furnaces, air conditioners and similar equipment) is permitted and inspected by the City under the 2015 International Mechanical Code, for an $80 permit, and the equipment must be installed by a St. Louis County licensed mechanical contractor. Commercial mechanical work, mechanical work in the common areas of multi-family buildings, all electrical work under the 2014 National Electrical Code and all plumbing under the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code are permitted and inspected by St. Louis County, which issues the permits to licensed electricians and plumbers. The County’s municipality contract list (revised August 3, 2026) also gives it fire suppression systems for cooking hoods, spray booths and hazardous-vapor exhaust, and elevators, in Creve Coeur.

Fire inspections are made by the fire district serving the address: the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District (314-432-5570) east of North Mason Road and west of North Warson Road, the Monarch Fire Protection District (314-514-0900) west of North Mason Road, and the West Overland Fire Protection District (314-428-6069) for Baur, Gateway and Research Boulevards.

Alliance handles electrical permit filing for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

How to get a building permit in Creve Coeur

Creve Coeur inspections

Building inspections are required at stages set by the permit. Call the Inspection Hotline at 314-872-2521 by 4 p.m. on a business day and the inspection is made the next working day. Leave the contact name and phone number, permit number, address with lot or suite number, inspection type, day, and a morning (8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) or afternoon (noon to 3:30 p.m.) preference; missing details delay scheduling. Inspections that fail because the site is locked, not ready, out of sequence, missing approved plans, or has a breached silt barrier or mud on the street cost $40 each, as do same-day or multiple inspections on one day.

The City publishes inspection sequences for houses and for wood decks. Electrical, plumbing and commercial mechanical inspections are scheduled with St. Louis County at 314-615-5000.

Occupancy, apartments, floodplain and other Creve Coeur rules

No resale inspection for houses: Creve Coeur does not require a residential occupancy inspection for the sale or rental of a house or condominium. Apartments are different: each apartment unit needs a certificate of occupancy with a re-occupancy inspection ($75) under the Apartment Re-Occupancy Program, and the fee doubles if a unit is occupied without one; an owner who has allowed that before can also be fined up to $500.

Businesses: commercial occupants file the combined Commercial Certificate of Occupancy / Business License application in the portal; a temporary certificate of occupancy is also available for $65.

Floodplain: the City Engineer is the floodplain administrator under Chapter 415, and new or substantially improved homes in mapped A and AE zones need the lowest floor, including the basement, at least one foot above the base flood elevation.

Code history: the 2021 codes were adopted by Ordinance 5931 and took effect on April 1, 2025. The City kept the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code, removed the 2021 residential code’s energy chapter and inserted the 2015 chapter in its place.

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

Creve Coeur permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Creve Coeur?

The City of Creve Coeur Building Division at 300 N. New Ballas Road (314-872-2500). St. Louis County issues the electrical, plumbing and commercial mechanical permits.

How much is a building permit in Creve Coeur?

$7 per $1,000 of construction valuation for residential work, with an $80 minimum, plus any required escrow. A $50,000 addition pays $350 plus a $2,000 escrow.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Creve Coeur?

Not for a house or townhome unless rafters or trusses are damaged. Commercial re-roofing needs a permit.

Do I need a permit to replace my furnace or AC?

Yes. Residential mechanical permits ($80) come from the City, and the work must be done by a St. Louis County licensed mechanical contractor.

Is an occupancy inspection required when I sell my house?

No. Creve Coeur does not require a residential occupancy inspection for selling or renting a house or condominium; apartment units do need one.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call the hotline at 314-872-2521 by 4 p.m.; the inspection is made the next working day.

Creve Coeur permit search and official resources

• Creve Coeur Building Division
• Creve Coeur permit applications
• Creve Coeur online permitting portal
• When a permit is needed in Creve Coeur
• Codes enforced in Creve Coeur
• Creve Coeur inspection information
• Creve Coeur fee schedule and escrow
• Creve Coeur City Code, Title IV notes (Appendix B fee schedule attached on this page)
• Creve Coeur City Code Chapter 415, flood hazard regulations
• St. Louis County municipality contract list (codes the County enforces in each city)

Simplify Creve Coeur 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 Creve Coeur permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.