The City of St. Louis License Collector’s documents have been converted to electronic format by the staff of the St. Louis Public Library. This electronic version has been done for the interest and convenience of the user.

Any person who engages in any business, occupation, pursuit, profession, calling, avocation or trade within the City limits of St. Louis is required to have a business license, unless specifically exempt by law. The requirements to obtain a license will change depending on the type of business.

Below are listed some of the most common types of businesses. Please choose a category that will best fit your business description. Generally, any type of business that involves commercial activities, commodities, manufacturing, wholesale or retail goods and services is required to obtain a business license.

You may be required to obtain more than one business license. A separate license is required for each location of your business in the city. A separate license is also required for each trade name under which you operate. Licenses are not transferable. A new license must be obtained when owners, locations or trade names change.

In general when applying for a business license certain requirements must be fulfilled; such as an occupancy permit for any city location, a Missouri retail sales tax license, tax clearance from the City Collector of Revenue and a statement regarding Worker’s Compensation Insurance. Certain specific types of businesses may have additional requirements imposed by city ordinance.

Please note that these requirements are for a Business License in the City of St. Louis only. Additional requirements may be required for certain trades or professions from other agencies. Please contact the Federal Government and the State of Missouri to review any additional requirements or the License Collector's Office at (314) 622-4528.  In addition, for your convenience, you are now able to print out an application online by clicking on the application link below.

Applications (Here)