Oakland City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VI
Permits, Orders and Certifications
Section 405.570 Permits.
[CC 1997 §§26-15.31 — 26-15.35; Ord. No. 979, 1-15-2025]
A.
Building Permits.
1.
It shall be unlawful to commence or to proceed with the erection, construction, reconstruction, conversion, alteration, enlargement, extension, razing or moving of any building or structure or any portion thereof without first having applied in writing to Saint Louis County for a building permit to do so and a building permit has been granted therefor. Primary responsibility for securing the necessary permits shall be the property owner's. If the property owner should contract part or all of the proposed work, it shall be the responsibility of both the owner and the contractor to ensure that all required permits and approvals have been secured prior to any work being initiated.
2.
There shall be a separate permit for each building or structure to be constructed, altered or erected except for accessory buildings which may be included in the permit for the principal building when construction is simultaneous.
3.
Any building permit under which no construction work has been commenced within six (6) months after the date of issuance of said permit or under which proposed construction has not been completed within two (2) years of the time of issuance shall expire by limitation.
B.
Voiding Of Building Permit. A permit may be revoked by the City Administrator or his/her designee at any time prior to the completion of the building or structure for which the same was issued, when it shall appear to him/her that there is departure from the plans, specifications or conditions as required under terms of the permit, that the same was procured by false representation or that any provisions of this Article are being violated. Written notice of such revocation shall be served upon the owner, his/her agent or contractor or upon any person employed on the building or structure for which such permit was issued, via a stop work order, which shall be posted in a prominent location and thereafter no such construction shall proceed.
C.
Occupancy Permits.
1.
No person, firm or corporation shall hereafter occupy or use, in whole or in part, any land or any buildings structurally altered for any purpose until such person, firm or corporation has applied in writing for a certificate of occupancy and has been issued such certificate by the City Administrator or his/her designee. Before a certificate of occupancy may be issued, the land and the building or addition and the proposed occupancy and use must be found by the City Administrator or his/her designee to comply with the provisions of this Article and the building, health and fire ordinances of the City; and compliance with such ordinances shall be stated in every certificate of occupancy issued.
2.
No change in use of any building or part thereof hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be made without a permit being issued therefor by the City Administrator or his/her designee. No permit shall be issued to make a change in use unless the proposed use conforms to the provisions of this Article and the building, health and fire ordinances of the City. No person shall knowingly make any false statement in an application for an occupancy permit as the names, ages, relationships or number of occupants who will occupy the premises or as to the use to which premises will be placed.
3.
Certificates for occupancy and compliance shall be applied for coincidentally with the application for a building permit and shall be issued within ten (10) business days after the lawful erection or alteration of the building is completed. A record of all certificates shall be kept on file by the City Administrator or City Clerk and copies shall be furnished on request to any person having a proprietary or tenancy interest in the building or premises affected.
4.
No permit for excavation for or the erection or alteration of any building shall be issued before the application has been made for certificate of occupancy and compliance and no building or premises shall be occupied until that certificate and permit is issued.
5.
A certificate of occupancy shall be required of all non-conforming uses. Application for certificate of occupancy for non-conforming uses shall be filed within twelve (12) months from the effective date of this Article.
D.
Floodplain Certification. Application for floodplain certification shall be upon the form designated by the Floodplain Administrator and shall include the locator number and address or legal description of the parcel of land for which certification is sought.
E.
Compliance With Permits And Certificates. Permits or certificates issued on the basis of approved plans and applications authorize only the use, arrangement and construction set forth in approved plans and applications and any other use, arrangement or construction at variance with that authorized shall be deemed a violation of this Article and punishable as provided herein.
Section 405.575 Procedures and Requirements for Obtaining Building Permits and Inspections.
[CC 1997 §§26-15.4 — 26-15.49; Ord. No. 979, 1-15-2025]
A.
Building Permits And Plats. In addition to such documents as may be required by Saint Louis County, each application for a building permit shall be accompanied by a plat in a form and size suitable for permanent filing and drawn to scale, showing the actual dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the size, shape and locations of the building to be erected and such other information as may be necessary to provide for the enforcement of this Chapter. The property shall be surveyed by a licensed surveyor, with signed and sealed copies of said survey included. A record of the applications and plats shall be kept in the office of the City Administrator or City Clerk.
B.
Four (4) complete sets of drawings and specifications and two (2) sets of other required documents including, but not limited to, structural calculations and soils reports (if required by applicable sections of the City Code), shall be submitted to the Oakland City office for review for compliance with:
City of Oakland zoning requirements and ordinances.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A). "Flood plain" criteria and City of Oakland ordinance Chapter 415 Flood Hazard Prevention. Copies of the "Flood Insurance Rate Map" and the F.E.M.A. "Floodway Map" and the "Flood Insurance Study" are available for review at the Oakland City offices.
Site drainage requirements.
Upon review and approval of the above by the City of Oakland City Administrator or his/her designee, three (3) sets of drawings and specifications and two (2) sets of additional documents (structural calculations, soils reports, etc.) will be returned to the permit applicant.
C.
Application For Building Permit.
1.
Upon securing all necessary approvals from the City of Oakland, application must be made to Saint Louis County through the Saint Louis County Permitting and Contractor Licensing Portal.
2.
Submission requirements include, but are not limited to, a form indicating City of Oakland approval and two (2) sets of drawings, specifications, structural calculations, soils reports and other required documents. Any fee required must also be paid upon submitting the application. It is recommended, but not mandated, that Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District and St. Louis County Highway Department approvals (where applicable) be obtained prior to application for a building permit.
D.
All subdivisions and/or property line adjustments must be approved by the City of Oakland Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Aldermen.
E.
Electrical And Plumbing Inspections. For inspections and approval of electrical and/or plumbing projects only, application must be made to Saint Louis County through the Saint Louis County Permitting and Contractor Licensing Portal. Inspection fees shall be payable to Saint Louis County.
F.
Elevator Permits And Inspections. For permits and inspections of elevators, application must be made to Saint Louis County through the Saint Louis County Permitting and Contractor Licensing Portal. Permit and inspection fees shall be payable to Saint Louis County.
G.
Grading Permits. Applications for a grading permit shall be submitted to the City Administrator or his/her designee and shall be accompanied by a plan in form and size for permanent filing, drawn to scale showing the areas to be graded, the depth of cut and fill and an estimate of total cubic cut and fill. The plan shall be prepared and sealed by a registered engineer. A record of the application and plans shall be kept in the office of the City Administrator or City Clerk.
H.
Fence Permits And Plats. Any owner of property wanting to construct a fence in any required front, rear or side yard as provided above shall first file an application with the Ordinance Enforcement Officer. Where fences authorized in Section 405.555 in side and rear yards and ornamental fences are authorized in front yards, a plan or plat of the entire property with specifications for the fence shall accompany the application and such plans and specifications must be approved by the Ordinance Enforcement Officer. The plans and specifications shall set forth in sufficient detail the location of the fence on the property of the applicant or owner, the composition of the fence, the depth and means of anchorage and the type of columns or imbedded vertical supports to be used, height of fence at its highest point and distance between imbedded vertical supports or columns.
Section 405.580 Entry and Inspection of Land and Buildings.
[CC 1997 §§26-15.5 — 26-15.52]
A.
The Planning and Zoning Commission or its representatives, the Ordinance Enforcement Official, City Engineer or other authorized personnel of the City of Oakland are hereby empowered in the performance of their functions to enter upon any land in Oakland for the purpose of making inspection, examinations and surveys or to place and maintain thereon monuments, markers, notices, signs or placards affecting the provisions of this Chapter during daylight hours. The above authorized person or persons shall be required to present proper credentials upon demand when entering upon any land or structure for the purpose of this Chapter.
B.
The Ordinance Enforcement Official is authorized to inspect or cause to be inspected any building or other structure or any land on which work is in progress.
Section 405.585 Fees, Charges and Expenses.
[CC 1997 §26-15.6]
The Board of Aldermen shall establish a schedule of fees, charges and expenses and a collection procedure for building permits, certificates, appeals and other matters pertaining to this Article. The schedule of fees shall be on file with the Oakland City Clerk and may be altered or amended as provided by law. No permit, certificate, conditional use, approval or variance shall be issued unless or until such costs, charges, fees or expenses listed in this Article have been paid in full, nor shall any action be taken on proceedings before the Board of Aldermen unless or until fees have been paid in full.
Section 405.590 Unauthorized Sewer Connections.
[CC 1997 §26-15.8]
The Ordinance Enforcement Official or City Engineer may, prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit for a newly erected, reconstructed or structurally altered building, cause tests to be made in conjunction with the Metropolitan Sewer District to determine if any unauthorized connections have been made between the surface water or stormwater drainage system and the sanitary drainage system. If any such unauthorized connection shall be found, the Ordinance Enforcement Official shall not issue said occupancy permit until he/she is satisfied that said unauthorized connection is removed. The Ordinance Enforcement Official shall, immediately on finding of an unauthorized connection as stated above, by written notice give the offending party or parties thirty (30) days to correct said condition. If said condition shall not be corrected within said thirty (30) days, the Ordinance Enforcement Official shall refer the matter to the City Attorney for appropriate action.