Prohibited ordinances and resolutions, exceptions
Cities and counties in Missouri are not allowed to make rules that control how much rent a landlord can charge for private rental properties. Cities and counties also cannot make rules that force landlords to accept housing vouchers or other assistance programs, prevent landlords from checking a renter's credit, income, eviction history, or criminal history, limit how much a security deposit can be, or give tenants an automatic right to buy the property first. However, cities and counties can still control rent on properties they own, make voluntary deals about rent on subsidized housing, and restrict rent on properties that use certain federal grant money. Cities and counties are also still allowed to make rules that stop landlords from turning away someone just because that person receives veterans' benefits.
441.043. Prohibited and s, exceptions. — 1. No county or city, or county or city with a may enact, maintain, or any or resolution which regulates the amount of rent to be charged for privately-owned, single-family, or multiple-unit residential or commercial rental property.
2. No county or city, or county or city with a charter form of government, shall enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance or resolution that:
(1) Prohibits landlords from refusing to or rent a privately owned, single-family, or multiple-unit residential or commercial rental property to a person because the person's lawful source of income to pay rent includes funding from a federal or other housing assistance program;
(2) Restricts a landlord's ability to use or consider income-qualifying methods, scores, credit reports, or property damage history, or criminal history, according to such landlord's own customarily applied criteria, or prohibits landlords from requesting such , to determine whether to rent or lease a property to a ;
(3) Limits the amount of a landlord may require from a prospective tenant; or
(4) Requires s to automatically receive the .
3. This section shall not be as prohibiting any county or city, or any created by a county or city for that purpose, from:
(1) Regulating in any way property belonging to that city, county, or authority;
(2) Entering into voluntary agreements with private persons which regulate the amount of rent charged for ; or
(3) Enacting ordinances or resolutions restricting rent for properties assisted with funds.
4. Nothing in this section shall prevent a county or city, or county or city with a charter form of government, from enacting, maintaining, or enforcing an ordinance or resolution that prohibits a landlord from discriminating against a tenant or prospective tenant solely on the basis that such tenant is a recipient of veterans' benefits.
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Source & history notes
(L. 1989 H.B. 602 § 2, A.L. 2025 H.B. 595 & 343)
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.