The City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency (PDA) and the Zoning Section of the Building Division are proud to announce the launch of a comprehensive process to overhaul the City’s zoning code—the Zoning Upgrade: a modern code to meet the moment—marking the first major rewrite and map update since the mid-twentieth century.
The Zoning Upgrade is a critical step in implementing the Strategic Land Use Plan (SLUP), legally adopted by the Planning Commission in early 2025 after extensive community engagement. Building upon that momentum, the zoning update will modernize how land use is regulated in the City, improving clarity, consistency, and responsiveness to community priorities.
The ZOUP will proceed in phases over the next two years and will involve:
- A full audit and diagnostic of the existing Zoning Code, guided by the recently approved SLUP, public and stakeholder input, and by local and national best practices;
- Public workshops, webinars, and educational events under the “Code Connect” series;
- Drafting and sharing new Zoning Code modules for public review and input, ultimately to be enacted via ordinance; and
- Incorporating input from an Advisory Committee of residents and Working Groups of people experienced with the Zoning Code and other related topics, including City staff and those working across St. Louis in a variety of relevant sectors and industries.
This 12-member Advisory Committee, made up of St. Louis City residents, will play a vital role in shaping the overhaul by providing community insights, reviewing materials for usability, and supporting engagement efforts throughout the process. Committee members will be selected via lottery from the pool of completed applications.
Advisory Committee members must be residents of the City of St. Louis.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTICE: The Zoning Upgrade public engagement process is currently on pause as our team shifts focus to supporting members of our community impacted by the recent tornado.While the Advisory Committee application form remains open, we now anticipate launching the Advisory Committee and broader engagement efforts in late summer or early fall, rather than our originally planned timeline.In the meantime, we invite you to join us in supporting our neighbors and our city as we navigate this important phase of recovery.We’ll continue to post updates on our website (www.zoup-stl.com) and on our social media channels as the revised dates are confirmed. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@zoup-stl.com