About the Rehabilitation Credits
How Much Are They Worth?
Missouri's credit is 25 percent of qualified rehabilitation expenditures on a certified historic structure in St. Louis. The federal adds 20 percent on income-producing property, bringing the combined figure to 45 percent where both apply.
Does It Cover a House I Live In?
The state credit does, which is the key difference between the two programmes. The federal credit has been limited to income-producing property since 1984, so a private residence receives the state credit only.
How Does a Building Qualify?
By being listed individually on the National Register, by contributing to a listed historic district, or by being part of a certified local historic district. The contributing route is the one owners most often overlook.
What If I Do Not Owe Enough Missouri Tax?
Missouri allows the credits to be sold or transferred, and they can be carried back three years or forward ten. An accountant familiar with the programme is the right person to ask about what that realises.
What Can Forfeit Them?
Starting demolition or construction before the scope of work has signed approval. The rehabilitation must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, and the review exists to establish that in advance.
About the Brick
Is Brick Theft Really a Thing?
It is well documented over two decades. City building inspectors have described vacant buildings being set alight so that fire hose pressure loosens mortar and brings walls down, with clean brick collected afterwards. Buildings left with walls peeled away are called dollhouses locally.
Why Is St. Louis Brick Worth Stealing?
It carries a strong national resale market for its colour and quality. After the fire of 1849 the city required brick construction and the local clay beds supplied it, so there is an enormous stock of it.
What Stops It?
Anyone selling brick to a dealer is expected to produce a city-issued demolition permit showing a legitimate source. Enforcement has been criticised, and the practical protection remains securing the building properly.
Does My Insurance Cover It?
That depends on your policy and on how it treats a vacant property, and vacancy provisions are where policies tend to get restrictive. Ask your carrier directly rather than assuming.
About the Building
The Inside Is Gutted but the Walls Are Standing.
On a structural masonry building that is frequently the recoverable case rather than the hopeless one. The walls remove the demolition, carry the structure and hold the historic eligibility.
Is My Brick House Structural or Veneer?
City housing is usually structural masonry; suburban post-war housing is usually frame with a brick skin that carries nothing. Wall thickness at a window reveal is the quick check and the assessor's record gives the construction type.
Who Should Look at the Walls?
A mason or a structural engineer. Mortar condition, parapets, party walls and bowing all matter and none of them can be judged from a photograph.
Should I Board It Up?
On a masonry building in a neighbourhood where theft occurs, yes, and quickly. Securing is not rehabilitation, so it does not compromise a credit application.
About the Jurisdiction
Is the City Part of the County?
No. The City of St. Louis is an independent city with its own government, records and building department, entirely separate from St. Louis County.
My Address Says St. Louis. Which Am I In?
The postal address does not settle it. The assessor's parcel record names the jurisdiction, free, and it should be the first thing you check.
Within the County, Does the Municipality Matter?
Yes. The county contains many separate municipalities, a good number of which run their own building departments and ordinances, alongside unincorporated territory administered by the county.
About the Sale
Can I Sell Before the Claim Resolves?
Yes. The proceeds and the property are separable, and who keeps the claim goes in the contract. Raise it in the first conversation; a buyer proposing to keep your carrier in the dark has told you what you need to know.
Is There a Charge for a Figure?
None. No fee, no commission, no spend from you, and declining costs nothing.
Can the City Demolish My Building?
Where a fire causes significant structural damage the Building Division can begin emergency condemnation proceedings under its emergency provisions. That is a reason to reach a decision rather than drift.
The Owner on the Deed Has Died.
The estate has to be able to convey. It is a common cause of delay, and meanwhile the building still needs securing.
If your question is specific to your building — and the good ones usually are — send the address. The answer often turns on the shell and the historic position, and our service area index sets out what changes across the city and the county.