Construction & Remodeling Experts in Missouri

No single code covers site-built homes across Missouri. State law lets first- and second-class counties adopt building codes, and counties without one before August 28, 2001 need voter approval to adopt one. Cities adopt their own codes, and editions vary: St. Louis enforces 2018 International Codes, St. Charles 2021 codes, and Independence and St. Joseph the 2024 International Residential Code. We confirm the code that applies to your address during planning.

Missouri's professional licensing division does not list a general contractor or home improvement contractor license, but it does license electrical contractors statewide. You can look up an active statewide electrical license through the MOPRO licensee search linked from the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors. For other trades, ask your city or county building department, since cities such as Springfield, Independence and St. Charles run their own trade or contractor licensing. Also ask any contractor for proof of insurance.

It depends on the city. Independence requires a permit to re-roof any home and allows only one layer of roofing. St. Louis requires a permit for an entire new roof that is not like-material replacement, or when more than 25 percent of the roof sheathing is replaced. Like-material replacement that replaces 25 percent or less of the sheathing typically needs no permit. Historic districts can add a design review. We check the rule for your address before the roof is scheduled.

No. The U.S. Department of Energy lists no statewide residential or commercial energy code for Missouri, so the energy code is whatever the local jurisdiction has adopted. St. Charles, for example, lists the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code. The DOE's 2015 county guide puts most of the state in climate zone 4A and 30 northern counties in zone 5A. We confirm the zone against the code edition your jurisdiction uses, since it sets insulation and window targets.

In karst areas such as the Ozarks, sinkholes can affect where a structure or addition goes and how stormwater is handled. Southeast Missouri is in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Statewide, NOAA documents deadly tornadoes, hail as large as 3 inches, and heavy rain days that have been near or above average since 1980. Your site, roof and drainage plan should reflect the risks that apply at your address.

Have your project address, photos of the space, any past permits or plans, and your HOA or condo rules if you have them. Look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and if the work involves a basement, a recent radon test helps, since the state health department finds radon in every county. For homes built before 1978, expect lead-safe work practices wherever paint is disturbed.