Yes, you can sell a vacant Florissant house as-is, and the buyer gets the occupancy permit before anyone moves in.
The city's vacant fees run in the meantime: $200 a year once a house is empty more than six months (Section 505.090), and $200 twice a year plus $45 inspections if it has code violations (Section 505.080).
This is general information, not legal advice. State rules vary.
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How long has your Florissant house been empty?
Free. No obligation. You choose the closing date.
You can sell a vacant house in Florissant as-is, even with a registration fee due or an exterior repair notice open. The city lets a house change hands without its occupancy inspection, and the buyer takes on the permit. What changes with time is the bill: an empty house picks up city fees once it passes six months, and more if it has code violations.
This guide separates what the city's web pages say from what the city code says, shows a year of vacant house fees in one table, and lays out three paths: repair, rent, or sell as-is.
Can you sell a vacant house in Florissant as-is?
Yes. The City of Florissant lets a house be sold "as is" without the city's occupancy inspection, and the buyer then gets the inspection and the occupancy permit before anyone moves in.
That rule comes from the city's Occupancy Inspection page. It says the buyer "will then be responsible for obtaining and paying for the inspection" and the permit "prior to anyone moving into or occupying the property." The permit, its fees, and its 120-day clock are covered in our guide to the Florissant occupancy permit.
A vacant registration or an open exterior notice does not change that rule on its face. What they add is cost, paperwork, and in some cases a lien that gets paid at closing.
Who this guide is for
- Owners whose house sits empty after a move, a death in the family, or a tenant leaving.
- Owners holding a 30-day exterior repair notice from the city.
- Owners of a house that needs more work than they want to pay for.
When does Florissant vacant property registration apply?
Florissant requires registration for residential buildings that have been vacant for more than six months, with an annual fee of $200, under City Code Section 505.090.
The same section adds a line that matters for absent owners. "The obligation to register rests solely with the owner whether or not the owner received notice." An owner who moved away, or an heir who has not seen the mail yet, is still the one the code holds responsible.
What the city page says
The city's Vacant Property page restates the $200 annual fee. It asks the owner or an authorized management company to file the form for a property "that has been vacant or is expected to be vacant for a period of 6 months or more." So the page reaches a house that is only expected to stay empty, a step earlier than the code's wording.
The page also cites the fees as "Chapter 5, Sec. 510-400" of the building code. In the city code itself, the vacant house fees sit in Sections 505.080 and 505.090, so this guide cites those section numbers. The form goes by mail to City Hall at 955 Rue St. Francois, and the page lists 314-839-7648 for questions.
Does listing the house for sale exempt it?
Possibly, but only under conditions, and the two city sources do not agree on whether an exemption exists. The Florissant code's vacant property provisions, as published on ecode360, list an exemption for a vacant property that is "actively listed for sale and/or rent, and has a current approved municipal housing inspection."
The city's Vacant Property page does not mention any exemption. Read together, a For Sale sign alone may not be enough; the code pairs the listing with a current city housing inspection. Some owners confirm the exemption with Public Works in writing before relying on it.
What changes if the vacant house has code violations?
A Florissant house that has been vacant six months or more and is in violation of the city's housing codes owes a semi-annual fee of $200, plus a $45 inspection fee, under City Code Section 505.080.
Semi-annual means twice a year, so the violation fee alone comes to $400 a year. The city's Vacant Property page describes the $45 as a re-inspection fee charged each time a re-inspection finds the property still in violation.
When an unpaid fee becomes a lien
Section 505.080 gives the fee 30 days. If it is still unpaid after that, "a lien may be placed on the property" by recording it with the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds. The city may instead add the fee to the property tax bill.
Either way, the charge follows the land, not the person. A title search usually finds a recorded lien, and the payoff typically comes out of the seller's proceeds at closing.
What does a vacant Florissant house cost in city fees over a year?
In city vacant fees alone, a clean vacant house costs about $200 a year once it passes six months, and a vacant house with code violations can cost $690 or more, based on the fees in Sections 505.080 and 505.090.
The table below is illustrative. It covers the first 12 months after the house crosses the six-month line, and it assumes one $45 inspection per semi-annual period. The code does not say whether the in-violation fee replaces the registration fee or adds to it, so the second column shows both, as the city page lists both.
| Fee | Clean vacant house | Vacant house with violations | Code section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacant registration | $200 (annual) | $200 (annual) | 505.090 |
| In-violation fee | $0 | $400 ($200 twice a year) | 505.080 |
| Inspection fee | $0 | $90 (assumes two at $45) | 505.080(B) |
| Year total | $200 | $690 or more | Sum of the rows |
Built from the fee amounts in Florissant City Code Sections 505.080 and 505.090 as quoted in the city code and on the city's Vacant Property page. Example only; the city sets the actual charges.
These are only the city's vacant fees. Property taxes, utilities, insurance, lawn care, and the repairs on the notice itself come on top, and they vary too much from house to house to put in a table.
How does the Florissant exterior inspection work?
Florissant inspects the outside of every house in the city, sends the owner a form listing what needs fixing, and gives the owner 30 days to make the repairs, according to the city's Exterior Program page.
"Items are noted on the inspection form and sent to the homeowner. The owner is given 30 days to make all repairs and contact the Public Works office to schedule a re-inspection."
City of Florissant Exterior Program page, the city's official description of its exterior inspection program
The drive-by inspections happen monthly on predesignated streets, taken in alphabetical order by street name. A written or verbal complaint can also bring an inspector to a house.
Extensions and empty houses
The page says extensions "are given on a case-by-case basis if approved by the Building Commissioner." For an owner who cannot finish in 30 days, that is the formal route to more time.
An empty house is easy to miss in this cycle. The notice goes to the owner, and an owner who lives elsewhere may see it late. A vacant house that already carries open items can also fall under the in-violation fee once it passes six months.
How does the clock run on an empty Florissant house?
The city's rules start to cost money at the six-month mark, and the 30-day exterior repair window can open at any point along the way. The timeline below puts the pieces in order, from the day the house empties to the sale.
- Month 0The house empties; the city page asks for registration if it is expected to stay empty 6 months or more
- Any monthAn exterior inspection notice arrives; 30 days to repair, then a re-inspection
- After month 6Registration required under 505.090; $200 a year
- After month 6, with violations$200 every six months plus $45 inspections under 505.080
- 30 days unpaidA lien may be recorded or the fee added to the tax bill
- SaleThe house can sell as-is; the buyer gets the occupancy permit before anyone moves in
Sources: Florissant City Code Sections 505.080 and 505.090, and the city's Vacant Property, Exterior Program, and Occupancy Inspection pages.
Repair, rent, or sell as-is: how do the paths compare?
Owners of a vacant Florissant house usually choose between paying the fees and repairing to sell later, renting the house out, or selling it as-is to a cash buyer. Each one handles the fees and the exterior notice differently.
Pay the fees and repair
Clearing the exterior items and keeping the registration current stops the extra in-violation charges and opens the house to buyers with mortgages. That market moves fairly quickly. The Redfin Data Center shows a median of 23 days on market in Florissant and 209 houses sold in the three months ending September 2026, with a median sale price of $188,610.
Those figures describe houses people can move into. A house with open repairs sits outside them until the work is done, and the registration fee keeps running while it stays empty. For a sense of what bigger repairs involve on older housing, our guide to selling a St. Louis area house that needs major repairs walks through the common systems.
Rent it out
A tenant ends the vacancy, but renting brings its own city rules. Florissant requires an annual rental license, a Crime Free housing certificate, and a local contact within 50 miles, and a tenant cannot move in before an occupancy permit. Our guide to selling a rental house in Florissant covers the license in detail.
Sell as-is
A cash buyer can take the house with the exterior items open and the occupancy permit still to come. Recorded city liens and back fees are usually paid from the proceeds at closing, so they come off the land before the buyer takes title.
Propcash is a direct cash buyer that buys houses as-is and signs the purchase contract as the buyer. We make one written, data-backed cash offer with the math shown, and sellers pay no fees or commissions to Propcash. A sale can close in as few as 7 days after the contract is signed, when the title work allows.
You do not need to finish the exterior list or clear out the house to get a cash offer on your Florissant house. Our page on selling a Florissant house fast explains how the process runs, and if repairing and listing looks like the better fit, Propcash can say so.
If the house was inherited
Many empty houses are empty because the owner died. Only someone with legal authority, such as a personal representative, can sign a registration or a deed for an estate. Our guide to selling an inherited Florissant house explains probate in St. Louis County.
Common questions about vacant houses in Florissant
Does a Florissant house that is only expected to sit empty need to be registered?
It can. City Code Section 505.090 ties registration to residential buildings vacant for more than six months. The city's Vacant Property page goes a step further and asks owners to file the form for a property that has been vacant or is expected to be vacant for six months or more. The Public Works office at 314-839-7648 can say which applies to a given house.
Who owes Florissant's vacant registration if the owner never got a notice?
The owner does. Section 505.090 of the Florissant code says the obligation to register rests solely with the owner, whether or not the owner received notice. An owner who lives out of town or an heir who has not yet seen the mail is still the person the code holds responsible.
Can unpaid Florissant vacant fees end up on the tax bill?
Yes. Under Section 505.080, if the fee for a vacant house in violation goes unpaid for 30 days, the city may record a lien with the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds or add the fee to the property tax bill. Recorded liens and tax bill charges are usually paid from the seller's proceeds at closing.
How long do you have to fix items on a Florissant exterior inspection notice?
The city's Exterior Program page gives the owner 30 days to make all repairs and then contact Public Works to schedule a re-inspection. Extensions are given case by case if the Building Commissioner approves them. The notice lists each item the inspector found.
Can the buyer of a vacant Florissant house move in right away?
Not until the city issues an occupancy permit. The city's Occupancy Inspection page says a house can be sold as-is, but the buyer is then responsible for the inspection and the permit before anyone moves in or occupies it. A cash buyer who plans to repair first often handles that step after closing.
Is a house listed for sale exempt from Florissant vacant property registration?
Possibly, but only under conditions. The Florissant code lists an exemption for a vacant property that is actively listed for sale and/or rent and has a current approved municipal housing inspection. The city's Vacant Property page does not mention any exemption, so a written answer from the city is the safest record.
Reviewed by the Propcash Editorial Team under our editorial standards. Published by Propcash, a direct cash buyer of houses. This guide is general information. Laws, fees, and market figures change, so check the current rules for your state.
