Excavation Permits

An excavation permit is required any time a portion of the public right-of-way is removed thereby creating a cavity or unequal grade with the adjoining area of public right of way.

Items you will need before applying for an excavation permit:

1. A valid business license with the City of St. Louis
2. If excavation is for plumbing work, you will need to first get a plumbing permit from the Building Division
3. Non-plumbing related excavations will require a permit from the Board of Public Service.
4. $1500 CASH deposit (cachier's check or money order accepted, but no personal/company checks accepted for the deposit). Note: Deposit is refundable upon payment of all outstanding invoices to the city
5. $10,000 surety bond
6. $500,000 in liability insurance, naming the City of St. Louis as additionally insured

1. Submit your permit application online After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email and an application ID number.  

2. We will review your application and check for any unpaid invoices you or your company might owe to the city. If all is in order, we will approve your permit for issue.

3. Monitor the status of your application by entering your application number or your customer ID number on the Check Status of Street Permit Application page.

4. Once your permit has been approved, you may come to our office at 1900 Hampton to pay for and pick up your permit.

You will be required to back-fill the job site and a street inspector will check the site before final paving. If you need a copy of the specifications required for back-filling, please let us know when you pick up your permit.

The Street Dept accepts payments in cash or check, but not credit card at this time.

Begin online

Review the high/low traffic volume fee division map for reference.

For cuts under 20 feet in length:  $125/repair, permit good for 30 days from start of work.  

For cuts over 20 feet in length:  $125/block plus $20/day/crew inspection fee for each day the excavation is open. 

Excavation permit allows for blocking ONE lane of roadway.  If additional lanes need to be blocked, there will be additional fees of $30/day for a traffic lane and $20/day for a parking lane.

If meters will be blocked, the following meter rental fees apply:  one time $25 application fee plus $10/meter/day; excluding Sundays and city holidays.

(cash or check only)

Your permit will indicate the date you plan to start work. You must notify Missouri One Call at least 48 hours before you dig in order to locate underground utility lines, traffic and lighting wires, pipes, cables, etc. The number to call is 1-800-344-7483 or go to http://www.mo1call.com

After the plumbing inspector has signed off on your work, you must notify the Street Department to request an inspection of your back-filled area. Once the job site passes inspection, a Streets Division crew will re-pave the area and you will be invoiced for the cost of labor and materials.

 The excavation permit allows you to close one lane of the street.  Additional fees will apply if you need to block additional lanes.