STATE LICENSE
NoneSee what applies
No Missouri statute or state agency licenses general contractors. A builder working in Missouri answers to the city or county where the job sits: many local governments require a contractor license, a business license, or both before they will issue a building permit. Kansas City, for example, requires a business license, a Certificate of Qualification for the supervisor (a Residential Building Supervisor certificate for one- and two-family work), and a contractor license.
State law still shapes every job. Construction employers must carry workers' compensation from the first employee (RSMo § 287.030), an original contractor must deliver the statutory notice to owner before taking any payment or lose the right to a mechanic's lien (§ 429.012), and deceptive sales practices are actionable under the Merchandising Practices Act (§ 407.020).
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Missouri has no statewide contractor license for this trade, so the rules that matter are local: home-rule cities and charter counties set their own contractor licensing, business licensing and permit requirements. Kansas City, for example, requires a city business license, a Certificate of Qualification held by the trade supervisor, and a contractor license before it issues permits.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Missouri county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Missouri issues no state general contractor license, so the state-fee line is genuinely $0. Your costs are local licenses, permits and insurance.
Missouri's statutory notice to owner (RSMo § 429.012) must be delivered before you take any payment — without it you have no mechanic's lien.
Most Missouri employers need five employees before workers' compensation applies; construction employers need only one (RSMo § 287.030.1(3)).
A practical sequence for a new general contracting contractor in Missouri. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
An employer who knowingly fails to insure its workers' compensation liability commits a crime and owes the state a separate money penalty; a repeat offense is a felony.
Giving the § 429.012 notice is a condition precedent to any mechanic's lien; omitting it with intent to defraud is a crime, and a fraudulent lien waiver or false affidavit is a felony.
Deception, false promises or misrepresentation in selling home improvement work is an unlawful practice; the Attorney General can seek injunctions, restitution and civil penalties, and willful fraud is a felony.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Specific contractor-licensing requirements of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Springfield and Columbia (not retrieved from those governments' sites) · Kansas City's business-registration guidance describes a workers' compensation certificate for construction companies with 5 or more employees; RSMo § 287.030.1(3) covers construction employers with one or more employees — the city page appears to state the general (non-construction) threshold · Kansas City contractor-license and Certificate of Qualification fees and exam requirements (city bulletins IB118/IB152 not retrieved)
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.