Bolthole Index

St. Louis County, Missouri

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Breckenridge Hills, Missouri

Breckenridge Hills, Missouri has its own zoning code, Chapter 4051. Building, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and occupancy inspections inside the city are done by St. Louis County, while occupancy permits are still issued at Breckenridge Hills city hall23. Septic authority inside the city limits is unconfirmed; ask the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.

At a glance

Zoning
City zoning code, Chapter 4051
Building inspections
Performed by St. Louis County2
Occupancy permit
Obtained at Breckenridge Hills city hall3
R-1 minimum lot
9,000 sq ft, 50 ft frontage (single-family)4
R-2 minimum lot
7,200 sq ft (single-family)5
R-1 minimum home size
900 sq ft on one floor6
Subdivision
Regulated by city Chapter 4107
Septic
Not confirmed inside the city; county health department handles septic countywide8

Who to call

Building permits

City of Breckenridge Hills City Hall

Occupancy permits for buildings inside Breckenridge Hills; the city also administers its zoning code

9623 St. Charles Rock Road

Codes & inspections

St. Louis County Department of Transportation and Public Works — Codes and Ordinances

County building, plumbing, electrical and HVAC inspections, which the county performs inside Breckenridge Hills

314-615-5184

41 South Central Avenue, 6th Floor, Clayton, MO 63105

Septic permits

St. Louis County Department of Public Health

Onsite wastewater (septic) permitting for St. Louis County; ask whether it applies at an address inside Breckenridge Hills

(314) 615-0600

[email protected]

6121 N Hanley Rd, Berkeley, MO 63134

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Breckenridge Hills means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Breckenridge Hills, MO have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. Breckenridge Hills adopts its own zoning code, Chapter 405 of the city code, so zoning questions inside city limits go to the city rather than to St. Louis County1. The lot standards we read cover the R-1, R-2 and R-3 residence districts9.

In R-1, a detached single-family house needs a lot of at least 9,000 square feet with at least 50 feet of frontage4. In R-2, the minimum is 7,200 square feet5. R-1 setbacks are a 30-foot front yard, a 5-foot side yard and a rear yard of 15 feet or 20% of lot depth, whichever is greater10. A detached single-family house in R-1 needs at least 900 square feet of floor area on one floor6. Residential structures are capped at 35 feet, though the district heading for that height limit should be confirmed with the city11.

We could not confirm the rules for RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or lot coverage in Breckenridge Hills; ask city hall before planning any of them.

Do you need a building permit in Breckenridge Hills, and who issues it?

Building, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and occupancy inspections inside Breckenridge Hills are now done by St. Louis County, not by a city inspector2. Occupancy permits are still obtained at Breckenridge Hills city hall, 9623 St. Charles Rock Road312.

We could not find the city's own application steps, building-permit fees or an owner-builder exemption, so call city hall and the county's Codes and Ordinances office before you start work1314. The city's building code chapter lists the adopted model codes, but we have not confirmed which ones apply.

The county's published building-permit rule applies to unincorporated St. Louis County, not to land inside city limits15. Where a property sits in a municipality, the municipality's zoning approval comes first16.

How do septic permits work inside Breckenridge Hills?

We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside Breckenridge Hills, or whether a given address is on public sewer. The city code lists a chapter on lateral sewer service lines, which suggests sewer service exists in the city, but we have not verified a connection requirement for any address.

Across St. Louis County, Missouri's health department lists both the county plumbing department and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health as ordinance authorities, and incorporated areas may be handled differently8. A construction permit is required before installing or repairing most onsite wastewater systems, although some single-family lots may be exempt17. If your lot has a septic tank, call the St. Louis County Department of Public Health at (314) 615-0600 before work begins18.

Building a home in Breckenridge Hills: the steps, in order

  1. Ask Breckenridge Hills city hall which zoning district the lot is in, then check the lot size, frontage and setbacks for that district9.
  2. Confirm with the city whether the lot is on public sewer or needs a septic permit from the county health department8.
  3. Ask the county's Codes and Ordinances office how to apply for building, plumbing and electrical inspections, since the county performs them inside the city214.
  4. If you are dividing land, expect city subdivision regulations in Chapter 4107.
  5. Obtain the occupancy permit at city hall before anyone moves in3.

What stays with St. Louis County, and what to check before you buy

Inspections, and probably septic, sit with St. Louis County rather than the city28. For land outside Breckenridge Hills, see the St. Louis County page, which covers the unincorporated-area rules.

The county's flood rules matter if a lot touches a mapped flood hazard area: Missouri requires a permit for all development in a floodplain19. We could not confirm the city's own floodplain chapter. Taxes are set at the county level: St. Louis County's effective property tax rate is 1.2%20, with a median annual bill of $3,19321. A driveway entrance onto a state highway needs a MoDOT permit22.

Watch-outs

  • Septic authority, sewer connection rules and well permits inside Breckenridge Hills are unconfirmed; ask the St. Louis County Department of Public Health and city hall8.
  • The county's building-permit and zoning answers apply to unincorporated St. Louis County, so a county planning counter is the wrong first stop for a lot inside Breckenridge Hills15.
  • Which building codes the city has adopted, permit fees and any owner-builder exemption were not confirmed; ask city hall13.

Sources

  1. City of Breckenridge Hills, MO code of ordinances table of contents (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  2. Building inspections - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  3. Building inspections - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  4. Article II: Zoning Districts - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  5. Article II: Zoning Districts - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  6. Article II: Zoning Districts - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  7. City of Breckenridge Hills, MO code of ordinances table of contents (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  8. OWTS Construction Permit Process — St. Louis County authorities, quoted and re-checked
  9. Article II: Zoning Districts - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  10. Article II: Zoning Districts - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  11. Article II: Zoning Districts - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (eCode360) (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  12. City of Breckenridge Hills City Hall (breckenridge-hills.org)
  13. Building inspections - City of Breckenridge Hills, MO (Breckenridge Hills), quoted and re-checked
  14. St. Louis County Department of Transportation and Public Works — Codes and Ordinances (stlouiscountymo.gov)
  15. Chapter 1115 - Building Code, quoted and re-checked
  16. Single-Family Dwelling Design Checklist, quoted and re-checked
  17. OWTS Construction Permit Process, quoted and re-checked
  18. St. Louis County Department of Public Health (stlouiscountymo.gov)
  19. Floodplain Forms (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  22. Permits | Missouri Department of Transportation (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Breckenridge Hills

Breckenridge Hills’s own rules

  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Occupancy permits for buildings inside Breckenridge Hills city limits, obtained from the city

    • City hall address on the page: 9623 St. Charles Rock Road.
    • Occupancy inspection itself is performed by St. Louis County per the same page.
    “occupancy permits are still to be obtained at city hall, 9623 st. charles rock road.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Breckenridge Hills city limits; the city's own zoning code, Chapter 405 (Zoning Code)

    • Chapter 405 is cited on the city's eCode360 table of contents as sections 405.010 through 405.850; the full chapter text was not opened in this pass beyond Article II.
    “chapter 405 zoning code (section 405.010 – section 405.850)”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Land inside Breckenridge Hills city limits; residence districts in Chapter 405 Article II, including R-1, R-2 and R-3

    • Only the R-1, R-2 and R-3 residence district lot standards were read; the full district list, the use tables and the zoning map were not opened.
    “each detached single-family dwelling located within the "r-2" residence district shall be located on a lot having a minimum area of seven thousand two hundred (7,200) square feet”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 residence district inside Breckenridge Hills city limits

    • Two-family units in R-1 need at least 720 square feet per unit on one floor (item e.2).

    minimum floor area on one floor: >= 900 square feet

    “each detached single-family unit shall have a minimum floor area of nine hundred (900) square feet on one (1) floor.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 residence district inside Breckenridge Hills city limits

    • Lot must also have a minimum frontage of fifty (50) feet.
    • Two-family dwellings in R-1 must be on at least 9,000 square feet of lot area (separate item e.2).
    • Source spells the district as "r-l"; read as R-1.

    minimum lot area: >= 9000 square feet · minimum lot frontage: >= 50 feet

    “each single-family detached dwelling located within the "r-l" residence district shall be located on a lot having a minimum area of nine thousand (9,000) square feet, a minimum frontage of fifty (50) feet”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — Single-family detached dwellings in the R-2 residence district inside Breckenridge Hills city limits
      “each detached single-family dwelling located within the "r-2" residence district shall be located on a lot having a minimum area of seven thousand two hundred (7,200) square feet, a minimum frontage of fifty (50) feet”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 residence district inside Breckenridge Hills city limits

    • Rear yard is the greater of 15 feet or 20 percent of lot depth.
    • Setbacks listed are the minimums in the R-1 lot standards; the Article III supplementary rules and corner-lot and double-frontage rules were not confirmed to change them.

    minimum front yard: >= 30 feet · minimum side yard: >= 5 feet · minimum rear yard: >= 15 feet (or 20% of lot depth, whichever is greater)

    “a minimum front yard of thirty (30) feet, a minimum side yard of five (5) feet and a minimum rear yard of fifteen (15) feet or twenty percent (20%) of the lot depth, whichever is greater.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Residential structures in the Article II district whose lot standards follow (read as R-1; the district heading for this height item was not visible in the extracted window)

    • Confirm the district heading for this height item before relying on it; the extracted text places it immediately before the R-1 lot standards.
    • Non-residential structures in the same district list are limited to 60 feet; that item is separate.

    maximum height: <= 35 feet (or two and one-half (2½) stories, whichever the sentence governs)

    “no residential structure shall exceed two and one-half (2½) stories or thirty-five (35) feet in height.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Land divisions inside Breckenridge Hills city limits

    • Existence confirmed from the code table of contents only; Chapter 410 text was not opened.
    “chapter 410 subdivision regulations (section 410.010 &ndash; section 410.100)”
  • Permit processPartial

    Permit process inside Breckenridge Hills city limits (occupancy permits only)

    • Only the occupancy-permit location and the county inspection split are stated; application steps, fees and building-permit intake were not found.
    “occupancy permits are still to be obtained at city hall, 9623 st. charles rock road.”

Rules another office applies inside Breckenridge Hills

Breckenridge Hills does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • InspectionsRequired

    Building, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and occupancy inspections inside Breckenridge Hills city limits, performed by St. Louis County

    • The city page says these inspections are now done by the county; the county's inspection standards and fees were not opened.
    “building, plumbing, electric, hvac and occupancy inspections are now being done by st. louis county.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Breckenridge Hills or St. Louis County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for permits inside Breckenridge Hills city limits
  • Building code adopted — Building codes adopted for construction inside Breckenridge Hills city limits
  • Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Breckenridge Hills city limits
  • Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Breckenridge Hills city limits
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Breckenridge Hills city limits
14 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Breckenridge Hills publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. St. Louis County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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