Manufacturer Business License

A manufacturer is defined in state statute and city ordinance as “Every person, company or corporation who shall hold or purchase personal property for the purpose of adding to the value thereof by any process of manufacturing, refining or by the combination of different materials."

All manufacturers located in the City of St. Louis are required to obtain a Graduated Manufacturers (Business) License and to pay an ad valorem tax on their machinery, tools and appliances. This tax is a subclassification of the personal property tax and must be filed on a yearly basis before July 1st of the reporting year. Upon payment of this tax a “manufacturers’ license” is issued.

If you still have questions about your business type, please contact our office at 314-622-4528 to find out the appropriate steps that you will need to follow to obtain a business license for the City of St. Louis.

Step 1: Obtain State Sales Tax Number

Step 2: Complete GBL form and visit our office

On the day you visit the License Collector’s office in Room 104 of City Hall to complete your application for a Graduated Manufacturer's License (Business License), you will need to provide a list of all machinery, tools, and appliances with the date of purchase and acquisition costs.

Download and complete the Manufacturers Property Declaration Form ahead of your visit.

Step 3: Obtain Statement of Clearance

In addition to visiting the License Collector’s office, you will also need to obtain a clearance from the Collector of Revenue’s office at the location below:

City Hall Room 410
1200 Market St.
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 622-3291

St. Louis City Ordinance 63454
St. Louis City Revised Code Chapter 8.02.010 - Statement of Clearance requirement

Step 4: Obtain Occupancy Permit

You must also obtain an Occupancy Permit from the Building Division at the location below:

Building Division
Department of Public Safety
City Hall Room 425
1200 Market St.
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 622-3313

Once all clearances and payments are received, you will be able to obtain your license to do business in the City of St. Louis.

If you pay by check, the license application may be held for several working days until the check clears.

A separate Graduated Business License is required for each business location or trade name (St. Louis City Ordinance 52030).

Please visit our general information page to get more important information that you will need to know before obtaining your business license.

For more information about the License Collector's Office other resources and services, please visit our office home page. Once you are there, you will find a list of links to the various other resources and services provided by our office.