Missouri building code
Missouri does not adopt one unified statewide building code. The table below lists the governing edition for every discipline a plan check touches, followed by the Missouri cities and counties that amend it locally.
- Current edition
- No statewide code cycle — local adoption (e.g., Kansas City and St. Louis each maintain their own amended IBC/IRC); PSC modular-unit program is on the 2021 I-Codes / 2020 NEC (eff. 2024-11-30)
- Code authority
- None for general construction (home rule). Narrow-scope programs: Missouri Division of Fire Safety (Dept. of Public Safety) for regulated facilities/elevators; Missouri Public Service Commission for manufactured housing & modular units; Office of Administration for state buildings.
Adopted code by discipline
Missouri adopts no statewide code for general construction. Building, residential, and trade codes are adopted locally, so the governing edition is whatever the city or county reviewing your permit has enacted by ordinance. There is no state edition to fall back on. Any narrow-scope state programs are described under code authority above.
Sources
- https://dfs.dps.mo.gov/about/faqs.php
- https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/missouri/20-CSR-4240-123-080
- https://psc.mo.gov/ManufacturedHousing/About_Manufactured_Housing_and_Modular_Units
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=8.610
- https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/adoptions-map/missouri/
- https://bcapcodes.org/code-status/state/missouri/
- https://up.codes/codes/missouri
Common questions
What building code does Missouri use?
Missouri does not adopt a single unified statewide building code for general construction. Building, residential, and trade codes are adopted locally by ordinance, so the governing edition is whatever the city or county reviewing the permit has enacted. Narrow-scope state programs: None for general construction (home rule). Narrow-scope programs: Missouri Division of Fire Safety (Dept. of Public Safety) for regulated facilities/elevators; Missouri Public Service Commission for manufactured housing & modular units; Office of Administration for state buildings.
Do cities in Missouri amend the state code?
Local amendments are adopted by ordinance at the city or county level. Confirm with the building department that reviews your permit.
Check a plan set against Missouri code
Knowing the adopted edition is the easy half. Architechtura reads your drawings, resolves which of these provisions actually apply to the project, and returns the corrections a plan checker would write up, each one cited to the section it came from.
Your first check is free, no card required.
Compiled from published state and municipal adoption ordinances. Local governments amend their codes on their own schedule, and a pending ordinance can change what applies to your permit. Confirm the governing edition with the building department before you submit. This page is reference information, not a code determination.