Window and siding replacement in Brentwood
What the code and the permit desk actually require here — and what the houses in Brentwood tend to be hiding behind the siding.
- People
- 8,144
- Homes
- 4,442
- Size
- 2.0 square miles
- From downtown
- About 8 miles southwest
- ZIP codes
- 63144
- Founded or incorporated
- 1919
Originally called Maddenville, the area incorporated as a village in 1919 -- largely to avoid annexation by Maplewood -- and became a city in 1929; it is one of the most densely populated inner-ring suburbs in St. Louis County, with a median housing construction year of 1956.
Brentwood
The housing here is predominantly built during the 1950s postwar boom (about 36% of homes).
What that vintage turns up
The original units are single-pane — wood double-hungs on the frame houses, and steel casements on a good number of the brick ones. Steel casements rust along the bottom of the sash and frame first, the exterior putty fails, and the sash goes out of true until there is a visible gap along the closing edge. They are worth knowing about because they are a real decision rather than an obvious one: the National Park Service documented a job repairing sixty-five of them at roughly $360 a window, which was about what replacing them would have cost, and the replacements could not match the narrow original sightlines and cut the glass area by a fifth.
This is asbestos-cement shingle country. The grey or pastel shingles with the wavy bottom edge on so many houses of this age are a Category II non-friable asbestos material, and they are perfectly inert until somebody breaks, saws, sands or power-washes them, at which point the work practice itself is what makes them regulated. Missouri exempts a single house of four units or fewer from the inspection and notification requirements, which makes the paperwork disappear and does nothing at all to the material. Get it tested before anyone touches it.
The one to watch on a house of this age
Low-slope porch roofs tying into a wall are the classic leak on this vintage, and the tie-in is exactly where a kickout flashing belongs and usually is not. Whatever is going on behind that wall has been going on for a while.
Lead paint. Near certain. These houses predate 1978 by a wide margin. 69.2% of the homes in St. Louis County were built before 1980, and on anything pre-1978 the EPA renovation rule applies to both of these trades. Window replacement is never exempt from it, at any size — a single window triggers it. A whole-house re-side clears the twenty square foot exterior threshold on the first wall. What the rule actually requires of a contractor.
Next door
Brentwood shares a boundary with Richmond Heights. Where we have a page for a neighbour it is linked; where we do not, the rules there are still different from the rules here.
The rules in Brentwood
Siding replacement Permit required
The Building & Occupancy Permits page states: 'Examples of projects that require a permit include fences, driveways, garages, pools and interior and exterior remodeling.' Re-siding is exterior remodeling. The same page adds a review step that confirms siding is permitted work: 'Exterior alterations to homes, except for decks, window replacements, fences and roof shingles, must be reviewed by the Architectural Review Board prior to issuance of a permit.' Re-siding is an exterior alteration and is not one of the four carve-outs, so it needs ARB approval before the permit issues. Brentwood's codified amendment to Section R105.2 'Work exempt from permit' lists only: one-story detached accessory structures not over 120 square feet; retaining walls not over four feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall; water tanks on grade not over 5,000 gallons; 'Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work'; prefabricated swimming pools less than 24 inches deep; window awnings on an exterior wall not projecting more than 54 inches; and decks not exceeding 200 square feet and not more than 30 inches above grade. Siding is not exempt.
Window replacement, same opening Not published Enlarging or cutting an opening Not published
Brentwood does not publish a direct answer for window replacement. Its amended Section R105.2 exempt list contains NO window or door replacement exemption (unlike neighbouring Creve Coeur) — the only window item is 'Window awnings supported by an exterior wall that do not project more than fifty-four (54) inches.' The one published sentence that mentions window replacement is about design review, not permits: 'Exterior alterations to homes, except for decks, window replacements, fences and roof shingles, must be reviewed by the Architectural Review Board prior to issuance of a permit.' That exempts window replacement from ARB review only; it does not state whether a permit itself is required, and it draws no distinction between same-opening and enlarged-opening work.
A replacement window here has to be U-0.28 or lower
City Code Section 500.820(A) adopts 'The International Energy Conservation Code, 2024 Edition, including Appendices RA, RB, RC, RD, RE, RF, RG, RH, RI, RJ, RK, and RL'. Ordinance No. 5204, December 15, 2025. This is the newest energy code edition found in this metro and is consistent with Brentwood's 2024 IRC and 2024 IBC adoptions.
That figure comes from the 2024 edition this jurisdiction has adopted.
For comparison, ENERGY STAR asks for U-0.25 or lower with an SHGC of 0.40 or lower everywhere in this metro, which is stricter than every code edition in force here. And the code only bites when the sash and the glazing are replaced together — replace the glass alone in an existing sash, or add a storm window over the top, and it does not apply.
Contractor registration Yes
Contractors must be registered in the City's MyGov permitting portal before a permit can be pulled. The Building & Occupancy Permits page instructs applicants to 'Register as a Collaborator' and then 'Request to be a Contractor. This is required for all permits applied for through MyGov, including Occupancy.' The page states 'Registration takes 24-48 hours and Review takes up to 10 business days.' No registration fee, bond or insurance requirement is published.
What the permit costs
Not published. The Building & Occupancy Permits page lists 'Pay Permit Fees' as a workflow step but gives no amounts or fee basis, and no fee schedule was found on the City site or in Chapter 500.
Local quirks
Brentwood also runs the newest code stack in this dataset — 2024 IRC (with a long appendix list), 2024 IBC and 2024 IECC.
Who to call
- Building dept
- 314-963-8602
- Official
- John Benisch, Chief Building Official (314-963-8607)
- Permits
- Department page
How Brentwood compares with the rest of St. Louis County
Same county, same climate, same houses. Not the same rules.
| Place | Permit to re-side | Permit for a window | Window must meet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood | Yes | Not published | U-0.28 |
| Affton | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Ballwin | Yes | Yes | — |
| Chesterfield | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Clayton | Yes | Yes | U-0.30 |
| Creve Coeur | Not published | No | U-0.35 |
| Des Peres | Yes | Yes | U-0.32 |
| Ellisville | Not published | Not published | — |
| Eureka | Depends | Depends | — |
| Florissant | Depends | Yes | U-0.30 |
| Kirkwood | Not published | Not published | U-0.30 |
| Manchester | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Maryland Heights | Not published | Yes | U-0.35 |
| Mehlville | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Oakville | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Richmond Heights | Not published | Not published | U-0.28 |
| Town and Country | Depends | No | — |
| Unincorporated St. Louis County | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| University City | Depends | Yes | U-0.32 |
| Webster Groves | Yes | Yes | U-0.35 |
| Wildwood | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
Work we have done in Brentwood
None logged in Brentwood yet. When there is one it goes here, with the address block and what was actually done to it. An empty section is better than a number you cannot check.
Where these facts came from
Everything on this page about Brentwood was read off a published source. Where a question has no published answer we have said so rather than filling the gap.
Sources: brentwoodmo.org · brentwoodmo.org · brentwoodmo.org · ecode360.com · ecode360.com · ecode360.com
Windows or siding in Brentwood?
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