Union, Missouri Building Permit Guide

All building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits inside Union city limits come from the City’s Building & Engineering Department at City Hall (west entrance), 10 E. Locust Street (636-583-1805). You submit the application with two sets of plans and a site plan. A new house is charged 0.35% of its total construction cost plus a $25 administrative fee, so a $300,000 home pays $1,075 before water and sewer charges, and new homes in the floodplain must sit 2 ft above the base flood elevation.

What requires a permit in Union?

The department requires permits for any structural building work, plumbing or electrical work, HVAC, irrigation systems, signs, pools, fences, sheds, garages, carports, decks and roofs over patios or decks. Union’s residential code amendments delete the model code’s exemptions for small sheds, fences and low decks, so those need permits at any size.

Building anything in a floodplain also needs a floodplain permit, and driveways, entrances and parking spaces on City streets must have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete.

Union building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Engineering Department reviews plans, issues building permits for all residential and commercial construction and remodeling in the city and inspects the work; it also handles building-related code enforcement complaints, which need a signed complaint form. The City Engineer is the floodplain administrator. The City permits only land inside its limits, in Franklin County.

Fire codes are separate. Commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-family plans must also go to the Union Fire Protection District for its own permit; the City and the district are independent bodies, and the City does not enforce district regulations or issue permits under a fire code.

Union forms, booklets and business licences

The department publishes separate forms for building permits, alterations and additions, decks, electrical work, fences, garages, carports and sheds, grading, mobile homes, right-of-way work, signs, swimming pools, temporary structures, water and sewer, and detention facilities, plus booklets on building a new home, basement finishes, commercial projects, decks and stairs, electrical services, garages and sheds, mobile homes, retaining walls and pools.

Business licences: the permit holder must make sure every contractor and subcontractor has a valid City of Union business licence before work begins and is responsible for any fines or stoppages if they do not. A business licence is $50 a year, and the building permit form lets a contractor pay it with the permit.

Union permit fees

Fees are set in City Code Section 500.100, last amended by Ordinance 4582 on March 13, 2023. Every building permit also carries a non-refundable administrative fee of $25 for residential or $75 for commercial and industrial permits.

The cost used for a new home is the accepted contract price, or the applicant’s figure checked against a construction-cost formula, so a $300,000 house pays $1,050 plus the $25 administrative fee. The department’s 2024 New Home Booklet works out that cost from floor area and the 2021 BOCA square-foot cost schedule; its example, 1,800 sq ft of living space with an equal unfinished basement and a 576 sq ft garage, comes to $1,411.90 including the $25 fee. The same booklet prices residential additions and alterations at 0.35% of construction cost plus $25 ($116 for a $26,000 basement finish); the area bands in the table are the ones in the adopted City Code. Demolition is $50 per 500 sq ft (none needed for 200 sq ft or less) plus a $2,000 or $4,000 clean-up deposit. Water permits add a $25 administrative fee, the meter at 125% of its cost and a $175 connection fee for a single-family home; sewer permits add $50 and a $75 connection fee. Grading permits start at $250 for up to 1 acre, and development permits cost $100 per acre.

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits in Union

Trade permits are issued by the same department ($35 for homes, $50 for other buildings) and listed on the building permit when part of a larger job. Ameren will not connect a meter until the City’s building inspector has inspected the service and the meter base carries the City’s sticker, and only Ameren may pull or reinstall a meter. Plumbing must pass an air test of 5 psi for PVC or a water test of 80 psi, and lawn irrigation needs a reduced-pressure backflow preventer. The City makes water taps up to 1 in and stocks meters up to 2 in; larger taps are made by the contractor, and the Water Department needs 24 hours’ notice for taps and hookups.

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

What to submit for a Union permit

How to get a Union building permit

Union inspections

Call 636-583-1805 with your name, the address, the permit number and the inspection you need, and leave a voicemail if no one answers; 24 hours’ notice is required, though calls before 8:30 a.m. may be fitted in the same day. Since February 10, 2024, an inspection that is not ready or does not pass carries a $25 re-inspection fee, paid before the next visit. The residential sequence is a setback, floodplain and address check, footings, foundation walls and piers before concrete, under-floor plumbing, sewer and water lines (inspected by the Water Department), rough-in framing, HVAC, electrical and plumbing, fireplaces and flues, the electric service, drywall, and a final and occupancy inspection. Under the City’s residential code amendment, a home permit lapses only if work does not start within 365 days or stops for 365 days, instead of the model code’s 180.

Floodplain rules in Union

Union takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, and FEMA lists its current flood map date as June 5, 2020. Chapter 415 of the City Code applies to the A and AE zones on the Franklin County flood maps (panels dated October 18, 2011, and one panel dated June 5, 2020). A separate floodplain permit ($100) is needed for any work in the floodplain. New or substantially improved homes, including manufactured homes, must have the lowest floor, including any basement, 2 ft above the base flood elevation; commercial, industrial and other non-residential buildings need 1 ft, or floodproofing to the base flood elevation. The City Engineer administers these rules.

Union building codes

Ordinances 4629 to 4636 (November 13, 2023) adopt the 2021 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas and Property Maintenance codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, with local amendments. The City’s code pages and new home booklet also list the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, but Chapter 500 does not adopt it, and the residential code amendments delete the energy efficiency chapter and the home sprinkler requirement. Fire codes are enforced by the Union Fire Protection District, not the City.

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

Union permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Union, Missouri?

The City’s Building & Engineering Department at City Hall (west entrance), 10 E. Locust Street, 636-583-1805.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Union?

0.35% of the total construction cost plus a $25 administrative fee: $1,075 for a $300,000 house, before water and sewer permits.

Do I need a permit to re-roof or replace windows?

No, not for new shingles or same-size window and door replacements; a roof over a patio or deck does need a permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Yes. Fences ($35) and sheds both need permits in Union, whatever their size.

What is the re-inspection fee?

$25 when the work is not ready or fails, paid before the next inspection.

How high must a new home be in the floodplain?

The lowest floor, including any basement, must be 2 ft above the base flood elevation.

Union permit search and official resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Union Engineering / Building Department
• Union permits and inspections
• Union building and engineering forms and booklets
• Union building permit application
• Union New Home Booklet (2024)
• Union adopted building codes page
• Union City Code Chapter 500, Building Codes
• Union City Code Section 500.100, permit fees
• Union City Code Chapter 415, Flood Damage Prevention

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