St. Louis committee adopts update to rental code, exempts children under 6 from occupancy counts

Board Bill 18, which updates the city's housing conservation code and occupancy rules, passed the Board of Aldermen's Housing, Urban Development and Zoning (HUD) committee on a 6-1 vote, with the committee giving a 'due pass' recommendation.

The bill, introduced by Alderwoman Daniella Velasquez, does two things: it places interior housing-safety requirements (previously listed only in an exhibit to the rental-registry ordinance) directly into the code, and it changes occupancy rules to better accommodate multi-generational and larger family households. Under the change, the primary ("master") bedroom will no longer be required to be the largest sleeping room, the rule restricting two occupants in the main bedroom is removed, and children under age 6 will not be counted when calculating whether a dwelling exceeds allowed occupancy.

Why it matters: Sponsors and administration officials said the updates are intended to modernize code language, make enforcement easier and support family housing options for immigrant and multigenerational households. Alderwoman Velasquez and the mayor's Office of New Americans framed the change as an incremental tool to help the city attract and retain families.

Key details

- Codification: The bill moves interior safety and habitability standards that had lived in an ordinance exhibit into the body of the municipal code so inspectors and the public can find them in one place.

- Occupancy changes: The ordinance no longer requires the primary bedroom to be the largest room; the numerical cap specific to the primary bedroom was removed; and children under 6 years old are excluded from the headcount used to compute occupant limits.

- Enforcement: Building Division Commissioner Edward Ware told the committee the building-division's safety standards (smoke detectors, means of egress, structural, mechanical and electrical requirements) remain unchanged. He said the division does not expect a dramatic change in inspection workload from these code tweaks.

Debate and implementatio…