Occupancy Permits and Resident Responsibilities

1.      Ordinance 505.070 Occupancy Permits. The city requires all residents to have an occupancy permit including ALL individuals living at one address.  This is a one-time fee of $20.00. Before selling or renting a home the home must have an Occupancy Inspection. This is $50.00.

2.      Ordinance 230.020-230.080 Solid Waste. It is required that you have trash service. Charlack uses Waste Management 1-800-989-2783        www.wm.com.

Waste Management provides trash cans and pick up is on Wednesdays.  Do not leave cans at the curb for longer than 24 hours. Trash service includes solid waste, recycling, and yard waste. They will also pick up large or bulk trash when they are contacted. DO NOT burn trash or store large piles of trash in your yard as this is considered a nuisance.

3.      215.120 Weeds, High Grass or Other Vegetation.  The city requires yards to be maintained. This includes cutting grass and maintaining other vegetation including but not limited to bushes, trees, and weeds growing over fences.

4.      215.010 Nuisances Affecting Health. The storage of old, unused, stripped, or junked motor vehicles as well as not having a current vehicle license plate shall be presumed to be derelict and dangerous.

5.      605.020 License Required. The city of Charlack requires that you have a business license if you are going to be running a business within city limits.  The cost is $15.00 for the first year and .01% if your gross income each year that follows.

 Inspections

·      No person may be moved into a dwelling before passing an inspection. As this is in violation of a city Ordinance the City may take any steps necessary  to ensure compliance with the City’s laws, including filing charges in Municipal court against the tenant and owner, condemnation of dwellings, and seeking injunctive relief by filing a lawsuit.

·         The City of Charlack has one person that does inspections (and all other public works)

·         Inspections are done on Tuesdays.

·         Inspector has the right to refuse an inspection if the house or apartment is not ready to be inspected such as cleaning crew being present or someone working on the dwelling.

·         We do not schedule specific times for inspections because it is not efficient to try to maintain a schedule with each inspection is different, and the duties of public works may change depending on emergency situations.  In an attempt to create a better method, applicants 

with inspections will be contacted on Tuesday in the morning with an estimated time for the Inspectore to be there. Please be aware these are not set times and subject to change.

·         The initial cost of inspection is $50.00.  If the inspection cannot be completed or fails the first attempt an additional $10.00 will be required for each attempt that follows.

Inspection Checklist

The following is a helpful guideline listing some of the items the City of Charlack will be checking during your Code Compliance Inspection. Please be aware that this is not inclusive of all items inspected. It is preferable that the inspection take place when the house or apartment is empty. If circumstances are present that this is not possible, please have the furniture moved away from the walls.  

This is simply a helpful checklist of the more common problems found during an occupancy inspection. If you have questions regarding your electrical service, plumbing system, or your heating and cooling system, the City recommends you contact a professional contractor licensed with St. Louis County.  

The City performs a “minimum” housing inspection using local, county ordinances and the BOCA Code. It does not replace the purchaser’s or tenant’s obligation to be satisfied with the house being purchased or occupied, or to undertake any private inspections which the purchaser or tenant may desire. The City is not and cannot be liable for any deficiencies that may be disclosed after the City inspection of the premises. 

If you are unable to make your inspection appointment, please contact City Hall as soon as possible. Reinspections are subject to additional fees. Prior to moving in, residents are required to obtain an occupancy permit.Occupancy without a permit is an ordinance code violation and subject to fines as set forth in the Municipal Code Book of the City of Charlack. 

Please contact city hall with any comments, questions, or concerns.