Missouri installation guides.
Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources administers state air rules; its open-burning fact sheet notes that local governments may adopt stricter rules. Building permits for stoves and chimneys are handled city by city.
Missouri DNR: Facts on Open Burning Under Missouri Regulations (PUB2047, 05/2020)Choose your city.
Ballwin
St. Louis County / west St. Louis CountyUnlike neighboring Chesterfield and Wildwood, Ballwin runs its own permits and inspections, and in 2026 it moved from the 2015 codes to the 2024 International Mechanical and Residential Codes.
Read the guideBlue Springs
Jackson County / eastern Kansas City metroBlue Springs accepts a master or journeyman trade license from Kansas City or Independence, or a Block and Associates test certificate, as proof a mechanical contractor is licensed to pull a city permit.
Read the guideChesterfield
St. Louis County / St. Louis metroChesterfield doesn’t issue its own building permits: the city grants a Municipal Zoning Approval first, then St. Louis County reviews, permits and inspects the work under contract.
Read the guideColumbia
Boone County / Mid-MissouriColumbia licenses chimney sweeps: a Type D certificate lets a sweep contract for chimney installation work and apply for the city permit.
Read the guideIndependence
Jackson County / eastern Kansas City metroIndependence issues heating permits only to a city-licensed Master Heating/Cooling Contractor or to an owner doing the work in the detached single-family home they live in.
Read the guideJefferson City
Cole County / Mid-MissouriIn Jefferson City’s School Street Local Historic District, a Certificate of Appropriateness must be approved before the city will issue a building permit for visible exterior work.
Read the guideKansas City
Jackson, Clay and Platte counties / Kansas City metro (Missouri side)Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas are separate permit jurisdictions: KCMO issues heating permits through CompassKC, while KCK work goes to the Unified Government’s Neighborhood Resource Center.
Read the guideLee’s Summit
Jackson and Cass counties / Kansas City metroLee’s Summit’s contractor code bars general, building and residential contractors from mechanical (HVAC) work unless they also hold a Class D trade license.
Read the guideLiberty
Clay County / Kansas City NorthlandIn Liberty’s five local historic districts, removing or replacing a chimney needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Review Commission before a building permit can be applied for.
Read the guideO’Fallon
St. Charles County / St. Louis metroO’Fallon’s residential code requires mechanical contractors working in the city to hold a Class A or Class B license from St. Charles County or the State of Missouri.
Read the guideRaytown
Jackson County / Kansas City metroRaytown requires every mechanical contractor to hold a city Master Craftsman license, tied to an active Raytown contractor business license, before a permit is issued.
Read the guideSt. Charles
St. Charles County / St. Louis metroSt. Charles has six local historic districts, including Frenchtown and South Main, covering more than 3,000 properties, and most exterior work there that needs a building permit must first get Landmarks Board approval.
Read the guideSt. Joseph
Buchanan County / northwest MissouriSt. Joseph lets owner-occupants do their own mechanical work, but its code treats a homeowner who takes on more than one alteration in five years as a contractor.
Read the guideSt. Peters
St. Charles County / St. Louis metroSt. Peters’ mechanical code requires every prefabricated metal chimney to be enclosed in a shaft of 5/8-inch Type X gypsum board from the fireplace connector to the underside of the roof sheathing.
Read the guideWentzville
St. Charles County / St. Louis metroWentzville requires every contractor, general and sub, to hold a City-issued contractor’s license, renewed each year by February 28, before doing any work in the city.
Read the guideWildwood
St. Louis County / St. Louis metroWildwood has contracted with St. Louis County for building, mechanical and other permits and inspections since its first months as a city in 1995; the city’s own step is a Zoning Authorization before the county permit.
Read the guide
We add guides as local research is completed. Rules and business coverage vary by address. Explore national planning guides for areas not yet covered.