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🏛️ Missouri⚡ No Statewide Code — Jurisdiction First

Missouri
Solar Permit Plans.
No Statewide Code.
Local AHJ Determines Everything.

Missouri is one of the only large states with no mandatory statewide building code for private residential construction. Kansas City enforces NEC 2020. St. Louis City uses NEC 2017. Suburban municipalities vary. Some rural unincorporated counties have no adopted electrical code at all. The NEC edition, structural code, and permit requirements for a Missouri solar project are determined entirely by the local jurisdiction — there is no statewide baseline to fall back on.

No statewide residential building code Kansas City: NEC 2020 St. Louis City: NEC 2017 (eff. Aug 2018) Easy Connection Act NEM — avoided-cost true-up All 114 Counties
Order MO Plan Set →See the Code Map ↓
No Statewide CodeLocal jurisdiction governs — confirm before building
KC: NEC 2020St. Louis City: NEC 2017
Easy Connection ActNEM required — avoided-cost annual true-up
Ameren + EvergyTwo IOUs + municipals + ~47 co-ops
No State CodeLocal jurisdiction governs
KC: NEC 2020STL City: NEC 2017
Easy Connection ActNEM — all utilities required
Ameren + EvergyTwo IOUs + munis + co-ops
114 CountiesAll covered
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AHJ-ReadyPer local jurisdiction, not a state default
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24–48 HrsTypical residential turnaround
🔄
Free RevisionsFor AHJ-requested corrections
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150+ PartnersSolar installers, EPCs & roofers
Missouri Solar Permits — 2026

The State With No Statewide Code. Every Project Starts With a Local Jurisdiction Lookup.

Permit Design builds Missouri solar permit plan sets for solar installers, EPCs, and roofing companies across all 114 counties. Missouri's defining characteristic for solar permitting is what it lacks: a statewide building code. Under Missouri law, only the General Assembly can enact statewide building construction regulations, and no state agency is currently authorized to promulgate or update construction codes uniformly across the state. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources maintains a list of local code adoptions by city and county, but the most accurate information always comes from the local jurisdiction directly.

What this means in practice: Kansas City has adopted NEC 2020 and the 2021 IBC and IRC. St. Louis City adopted NEC 2017 in August 2018 and has 2018 I-Codes. Most suburban municipalities in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas have adopted 2021 I-Codes with local amendments. Springfield and Columbia enforce current or near-current editions. Rural and unincorporated counties may have no adopted building code at all, meaning no permit may be required — but utility interconnection documentation is still needed for net metering. Permit Design verifies the specific jurisdiction before any plan set documentation is drafted.

Last updated: June 2026 · Local jurisdiction NEC adoptions, Ameren Missouri and Evergy net metering rules, and Easy Connection Act requirements confirmed as of June 2026.

Missouri Code Landscape

No Two Missouri Jurisdictions Are Required to Use the Same Code.

Missouri's code patchwork is the most important thing to know before building a plan set for any Missouri project. The NEC edition in force at a given address is set entirely by the local city or county — and some addresses have no adopted electrical code at all.

Major Metro Jurisdictions — Active Building Departments
NEC 2020 (KC) · NEC 2017 (STL City) · Varies by Suburb
Kansas City enforces NEC 2020 alongside the 2021 IBC and IRC with local amendments. Kansas City's online permit system processes most residential solar submittals in 3–4 weeks. St. Louis City adopted NEC 2017 effective August 1, 2018 and enforces the 2018 I-Codes with St. Louis amendments; permit review is 4–6 weeks as the city transitions from paper-based to digital systems. Suburban municipalities in St. Louis County, Jackson County, and St. Charles County have generally adopted 2021 I-Codes with local amendments. Springfield, Columbia, and Independence each operate their own code adoption cycles — Springfield and Columbia have adopted 2018 or 2021 I-Codes. Every metro-area plan set confirms the specific municipality's adopted edition before any NEC documentation is written.
Rural and Unincorporated Areas — Variable Enforcement
May Have No Adopted Code — Utility Still Requires Documentation
Many rural Missouri counties and unincorporated areas outside Missouri's six-year building code adoption cycle have no adopted building code and no formal permit requirement for residential solar installations. This does not mean the installation is exempt from documentation: Ameren Missouri and Evergy both require a wiring diagram, equipment spec sheets, and a certification from a licensed electrician or engineer as part of the interconnection application under the Easy Connection Act, even when no local building permit is required. Permit Design produces the interconnection-ready documentation package for rural Missouri projects regardless of local permit requirements.
For modular construction, NEC 2020 applies statewide. Missouri's 20 CSR 4240-123.080 specifies that modular units are governed by the 2020 NEC (among other 2021 I-Codes). This is the closest thing Missouri has to a statewide electrical code baseline, and it applies specifically to modular and manufactured construction — not to conventional stick-built residential construction. Conventional residential solar is governed by the local jurisdiction's adopted edition, not by the modular code.
Missouri Net Metering

Easy Connection Act: Net Metering Required. Annual True-Up at Avoided Cost, Not Retail.

Missouri's Easy Connection Act (RSMo §386.890) requires all investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives to offer net metering for systems up to 100 kW. What the law doesn't mandate is a specific compensation rate for annual excess credits.

During the Year — Monthly Roll Forward
Monthly Net Excess Credited at Retail Rate
When a Missouri IOU solar customer produces more energy than they consume in a given month, the excess kilowatt-hours are credited at the retail rate and carried forward to reduce future bills. For Ameren Missouri customers, this functions like traditional net metering within the annual billing cycle — monthly excess credits stack up during the spring and summer months and draw down during winter. The same basic structure applies at Evergy.
At Year-End — The Annual True-Up
Remaining Annual Excess at Avoided Cost
At the annual true-up, any remaining credit balance that wasn't consumed during the year is paid out by the utility at the avoided-cost rate — approximately 2.5 to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour, versus a Missouri average retail rate of about 14 cents. The avoided-cost rate is materially lower than retail. Missouri solar proposals should be sized to maximize within-year self-consumption rather than producing annual surpluses that will be settled at the lower rate.
Easy Connection Act interconnection requirements. For systems 10 kW and under, the application must use a simplified all-in-one document and the utility must respond within 30 days. For systems 11–100 kW, the 90-day response clock applies. Ameren Missouri and Evergy both require a wiring diagram and equipment specification sheets; Ameren also requires a certification from a licensed electrician or engineer confirming the installation meets interconnection requirements. An AC disconnect lockable and visible from the utility meter is required by both utilities.
Missouri Utilities

Two IOUs, Several Major Municipals, Forty-Seven Cooperatives

Missouri's utility map is dense. Identifying the correct utility by project address — and knowing whether it's a cooperative with its own board-governed solar rules — determines the interconnection documentation format.

UtilityTerritoryNet MeteringNotes
Ameren MissouriSt. Louis and eastern/central Missouri — ~1.2M customersRetail monthly credit; avoided-cost annual true-up; Rider NM tariffRequires wiring diagram + equipment specs + licensed electrician certification; 30-day response ≤10 kW; $226 (single phase) bidirectional meter charge
Evergy (MO Metro + MO West)Kansas City metro and southwest Missouri — ~310,000 MO customersRetail monthly credit; avoided-cost annual true-up; similar to Ameren structureFiled for 14.9% rate increase with January 2027 effective date pending PSC; process similar to Ameren; online portal for application
Liberty Utilities (Empire District)Southwest Missouri — Joplin, Neosho, Webb CityNet metering per Easy Connection ActEmpire District subsidiary; serves Joplin metro and surrounding communities
City Utilities of SpringfieldSpringfield and surrounding Greene County communitiesNet metering per Easy Connection ActMunicipal utility; own solar program and interconnection process; not MoPSC regulated
Independence Power & LightCity of Independence (eastern KC metro)Net metering per Easy Connection ActMunicipal utility; own building code adoption; Jackson County adjacent
~47 Rural Electric CooperativesRural counties statewideRequired by Easy Connection Act; terms vary by co-opEach co-op sets its own board-approved policies; some offer net metering at near-retail rates, others at avoided cost; verify directly with the specific co-op
Missouri's Renewable Energy Standard (Proposition C, 2008). Voters approved a 15% renewable portfolio standard for Missouri IOUs in 2008 — codified in RSMo §393.1020. Ameren Missouri and Evergy must obtain at least 15% of their electricity sales from eligible renewables. Missouri's RES is achieved and doesn't create active customer incentives, but it has driven significant utility-scale solar procurement that is reshaping Missouri's grid faster than residential rooftop adoption alone. See DSIRE Missouri for the full current incentive and policy listing.
What's Included

Missouri Solar Permit Plan Set Contents

Every Missouri plan set opens with a jurisdiction-specific code lookup — confirming the NEC edition and structural codes adopted by the specific city or county — before any documentation is drafted. There is no Missouri default to fall back on.

Sheet 01
Cover Sheet
Jurisdiction-confirmed NEC edition citation — Kansas City (NEC 2020), St. Louis City (NEC 2017), or the specific municipality's adopted edition verified from the local AHJ. Structural code reference confirmed per jurisdiction. Utility identified — Ameren Missouri (Rider NM), Evergy, Liberty Utilities, City Utilities, Independence Power and Light, or the specific co-op. Missouri-licensed electrical contractor credential noted.
Sheet 02
Site Plan
Scaled property drawing showing lot boundaries, the confirmed utility's meter and service point, fire access routes, and conductor path from array through inverter to panel. For Ameren Missouri and Evergy projects: AC disconnect location shown adjacent to the utility meter per interconnection requirements. County and jurisdiction noted for ASCE 7 wind and snow lookup — Missouri's western plains carry different wind exposure than the Ozark highland terrain of the south-central counties.
Sheet 03
Roof Layout
Array layout diagram with module placement, roof pitch, orientation, and attachment spacing referenced to the jurisdiction's adopted structural code. Fire setback pathways documented per local AHJ requirements — Kansas City and St. Louis have specific fire setback standards in their local amendments. ASCE 7 wind and snow exposure applied per county for structural calculations.
Sheet 04
Single-Line Diagram
NEC Article 690 wiring schematic built to the jurisdiction's confirmed edition. For Kansas City and most suburban projects (NEC 2020): single rapid shutdown initiator, §690.12(D) labeling, UL 3741 PVHCS path available. For St. Louis City projects (NEC 2017): up to six initiators, §690.56(C) format. Bidirectional meter shown per Ameren Missouri Rider NM or the confirmed utility's tariff format. AC disconnect placement confirmed per utility interconnection requirements.
Sheet 05
Structural Calculations
Missouri-licensed PE stamp covering roof or racking structural adequacy. Structural code confirmed per jurisdiction — 2021 IBC for most metro commercial, 2021 or 2018 IRC for residential per the local adoption. ASCE 7 wind and snow values applied per county. Western Missouri plains carry higher wind design values than the Ozarks; northern Missouri counties carry more significant snow loads than the Bootheel.
Sheet 06
Rapid Shutdown
Rapid shutdown documentation built to the jurisdiction's confirmed NEC edition. Kansas City and NEC 2020 jurisdictions: single initiation device, one-foot array boundary, §690.12(D) label. St. Louis City and NEC 2017 jurisdictions: up to six devices, one-foot boundary, §690.56(C) label. Rural areas with no adopted code: shutdown documentation formatted to the utility's interconnection technical requirements, typically based on a current NEC edition.
Sheet 07
Equipment Datasheets
Manufacturer cut sheets for modules, inverter, racking, and MLPE — organized per the local AHJ's documentation standards and the utility's interconnection application requirements. For Ameren Missouri: wiring diagram and equipment spec sheets formatted per Ameren's Net Metering Application/Agreement checklist. For Evergy: formatted per Evergy's online portal submission requirements. For rural co-ops: formatted per the specific cooperative's interconnection procedures. Electrician or engineer certification reference included as required by the Easy Connection Act.
🏗️ Commercial Solar in Missouri

Also doing commercial rooftop, carport, or ground-mount in Missouri?

Missouri commercial solar documentation is jurisdiction-confirmed before any sheet is drafted — Kansas City's 2021 IBC, St. Louis City's 2018 IBC, or the specific municipality's adopted edition. NEC edition matched to the jurisdiction. Ameren Missouri or Evergy interconnection documentation formatted for the project's kW-AC size tier. Systems ≤10 kW: 30-day utility response. Systems 11–100 kW: 90-day review. Engineering covers mechanically attached and ballasted membrane rooftops, carport canopy structures, and ground-mount fixed-tilt or tracker systems. Custom scope and turnaround quoted per project.

Jurisdiction-Confirmed NEC Ameren + Evergy Easy Connection Act Local IBC Structural
Commercial Quote →
Scope + turnaround quoted per project
Process

How Missouri Solar Permit Plan Sets Work

01

Submit Your Missouri Project

Give us the city or county and street address. We confirm the local jurisdiction's adopted NEC edition and building code from the AHJ directly — not from a generic state default. We identify the correct utility for interconnection documentation and check whether a local building permit is required or if rural interconnection documentation applies.

02

Built to the Confirmed Local Code

Plan set drafted to the specific jurisdiction's NEC edition — NEC 2020 for Kansas City, NEC 2017 for St. Louis City, or the confirmed edition for the specific municipality. Structural code per the local adoption. Interconnection documentation for Ameren Missouri (Rider NM), Evergy, or the confirmed co-op or municipal utility. Missouri-licensed PE stamp on structural sheets.

03

Delivered in 24–48 Hours

The complete 7-sheet Missouri package ships in 24–48 hours. Built for the specific local AHJ, not a Missouri template. Interconnection documentation formatted for the confirmed utility's application requirements. Free revisions until the Missouri local AHJ approves — or until utility interconnection approval for rural projects without local permit requirements.

First-Time Missouri Clients

Try Us on Your First Missouri Project. Free.

New to Permit Design? Hand us your first Missouri residential project and we will build the complete 7-sheet package at no charge — jurisdiction-confirmed NEC edition and structural code, ASCE 7 county-specific loads, and interconnection documentation formatted for Ameren Missouri, Evergy, or the specific municipal utility or cooperative serving the address.

⚠️ For licensed solar installers, EPCs, and roofing companies only. Individual homeowners and residential end customers are not eligible. One free residential plan set per company.

Claim Your Free MO Plan Set →
✓ NEC edition confirmed per local AHJ
✓ Structural code per jurisdiction
✓ ASCE 7 county wind + snow
✓ Ameren / Evergy / co-op documented
✓ Free revisions until AHJ approval
FAQ

Missouri Solar Permit Design — Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the jurisdiction. Missouri has no statewide electrical code for private residential construction — each city and county independently adopts codes. Kansas City enforces NEC 2020. St. Louis City adopted NEC 2017 in August 2018. Most suburban municipalities in the metro areas have adopted 2021 I-Codes with NEC 2020 or later. Some rural unincorporated counties have no adopted electrical code. Every Missouri plan set starts with a local code verification for the specific jurisdiction.
No. Missouri is one of only a handful of large states without a mandatory statewide building code for private residential construction. Each of Missouri's 114 counties and hundreds of municipalities independently decides whether to adopt building and electrical codes and which editions to enforce. Major metro jurisdictions have active building departments; many rural and unincorporated areas have no formal building code.
Yes. Missouri's Easy Connection Act (RSMo §386.890) requires all investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives to offer net metering for systems up to 100 kW. Monthly excess generation credits roll forward at the retail rate. At the annual true-up, any remaining credit balance is paid at the utility's avoided-cost rate — approximately 2.5 to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour — rather than the full retail rate of about 14 cents per kilowatt-hour for Ameren Missouri customers.
Ameren Missouri credits monthly net excess at the retail rate, which rolls forward and offsets future bills throughout the year. At the annual true-up, any remaining unused credit balance is paid at Ameren's avoided-cost rate — roughly 2.5 to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour, versus the ~14 cent retail rate. This means Missouri solar proposals should be sized for maximum within-year self-consumption rather than producing large annual surpluses that will be settled at the lower rate.
Missouri has two major IOUs: Ameren Missouri (~1.2 million customers, St. Louis and eastern/central MO) and Evergy (KC metro, ~310,000 MO customers). Liberty Utilities (Empire District) serves the Joplin area. City Utilities of Springfield and Independence Power and Light are major municipal utilities with their own programs. Approximately 47 rural electric cooperatives serve rural areas with locally governed policies under the Easy Connection Act.
It varies by jurisdiction. Kansas City: NEC 2020, 2021 IBC and IRC. St. Louis City: NEC 2017, 2018 IBC. St. Louis County and most KC suburbs: 2021 I-Codes with local amendments. Springfield and Columbia: near-current I-Code editions. Rural and unincorporated areas: may have no adopted code. For modular construction statewide, 20 CSR 4240-123.080 applies NEC 2020 and 2021 I-Codes. For conventional residential construction, only the local jurisdiction's adopted edition applies.
Missouri's Easy Connection Act simplifies interconnection for small solar systems. For systems 10 kW and under, a simplified all-in-one application document is required and utilities must respond within 30 days. Systems 11–100 kW have a 90-day response window. The law prohibits utilities from charging solar-specific fees not applicable to non-solar customers. Ameren Missouri and Evergy both require a wiring diagram, equipment spec sheets, and a certification from a licensed electrician or engineer with the interconnection application.
Missouri offers a property tax exemption for solar energy systems used for on-site electricity generation. No Missouri state income tax credit for solar exists. The federal Section 25D residential clean energy credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Missouri's Renewable Energy Standard (Proposition C) is achieved and does not create active customer incentives. Some utilities offer efficiency rebates, but no direct residential solar installation incentives are available from Ameren or Evergy as of June 2026.
It means every plan set must be built to the specific jurisdiction's adopted code — there is no statewide default. A Kansas City project needs NEC 2020 documentation; a St. Louis City project needs NEC 2017. A rural unincorporated project may need only interconnection documentation and no local building permit. Permit Design confirms the specific municipality or county's adopted code before drafting any Missouri plan set — the concept of a generic Missouri plan set doesn't exist.
Permit Design delivers Missouri solar permit plan sets within 24-48 hours. Every plan set starts with a jurisdiction-specific code verification before any documentation is drafted. Interconnection paperwork is formatted for the confirmed utility — Ameren Missouri, Evergy, a municipal utility, or a rural electric cooperative. Free revisions until the Missouri local AHJ approves.
Missouri Solar Market — 2026

Missouri Solar by the Numbers

~14¢/kWh
Average Residential Rate — 22% Below National
Missouri's average residential electricity rate runs about 14 cents per kilowatt-hour — 22% below the national average of roughly 18 cents. Lower baseline rates extend solar payback periods compared to higher-rate states, making accurate self-consumption sizing and the avoided-cost annual true-up particularly important for Missouri solar proposals.
2× Utility-Scale
Large Systems Now Exceed Rooftop
Beginning in January 2025, large utility-scale solar systems in Missouri began producing more electricity than small-scale systems for the first time. Utility-scale solar now makes more than twice as much electricity as distributed systems. Ameren Missouri's Reform Renewable Energy Center project incorporates storage alongside solar generation — signaling the direction of Missouri's grid transformation.
~47 Co-ops
Rural Cooperatives — Independent Policies
Missouri has approximately 47 rural electric cooperatives serving rural counties statewide. All are required to offer net metering under the Easy Connection Act, but the specific terms — credit rates, system size limits, application processes — are set by each co-op's board independently. A project in Cuivre River Electric territory has different paperwork than one in Ozarks Electric territory. Permit Design identifies the specific co-op and its current filed policies before building rural Missouri interconnection documentation.
Proposition C
15% RES — Voter-Approved in 2008
Missouri voters approved Proposition C in 2008 with roughly 66% support, establishing a 15% renewable portfolio standard for investor-owned utilities. Codified in RSMo §393.1020, the RES is achieved and doesn't create direct customer incentives, but it has driven significant utility-scale solar procurement by Ameren and Evergy — a key driver of Missouri's rapid utility-scale growth.
Evergy +14.9%
Rate Increase Filed — Jan 2027 Proposed
Evergy has filed for a 14.9% residential rate increase with a proposed January 2027 effective date, pending MoPSC review. If approved, Evergy customers in the Kansas City metro would see materially higher electricity rates, improving the economics of self-consumed solar in Evergy territory. Ameren Missouri is separately managing rate cases tied to the retirement of the Rush Island coal plant and stranded-cost recovery.
114 Counties
Patchwork Code Landscape — Local First
Missouri's 114 counties and hundreds of municipalities each set their own code adoption independently. Some urban counties have adopted current International Codes; many rural counties have adopted older editions or nothing at all. This makes Missouri one of the most complex states for multi-county solar installers — a different NEC edition may be in force on either side of a county line.
Missouri AHJ Rejections

Top 3 Reasons Missouri Solar Permits Get Rejected

Three issues account for most Missouri plan set corrections — all of them trace back to applying a single-state assumption to a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction state.

01
Wrong NEC Edition — Kansas City vs St. Louis Format Mismatch
Using NEC 2020 rapid shutdown formatting (single initiator, §690.12(D) label) for a St. Louis City project that enforces NEC 2017 — or using NEC 2017 formatting (up to six initiators, §690.56(C) label) for a Kansas City project on NEC 2020 — is one of the most common Missouri corrections. Installers working across both metro areas without jurisdiction-specific plan sets consistently trigger this.
Local NEC adoption · KC 2020 vs STL 2017
How we prevent it: We verify the specific jurisdiction's adopted NEC edition before any electrical documentation is drafted — the city's or county's current adopted edition, not an assumed Missouri standard.
02
Generic Missouri Template — Fails Specific Jurisdiction Requirements
A plan set built to a generic "Missouri" standard doesn't reflect the specific local AHJ's adopted edition, structural code, fire setback standard, or title block requirements. Kansas City and St. Louis each have local amendments that differ from the base published IBC/IRC. Suburban municipalities often add their own title block and documentation requirements. Rural areas may need only utility interconnection documentation with no local permit at all.
Local AHJ requirements · jurisdiction-specific docs
How we prevent it: Every Missouri plan set is built for the specific jurisdiction's documented requirements, confirmed from the local AHJ — not adapted from a prior-jurisdiction template.
03
Missing AC Disconnect — Ameren/Evergy Interconnection Requirement
Both Ameren Missouri and Evergy require a lockable, visible AC disconnect adjacent to the utility meter as a condition of interconnection approval. Plan sets that don't show the AC disconnect location, or that show it in an inaccessible location, are flagged during utility engineering review. Some installers familiar with other utility territories skip this element on Missouri projects.
Easy Connection Act · Ameren Rider NM · Evergy
How we prevent it: The AC disconnect is shown on the site plan and single-line diagram for every Ameren and Evergy project, positioned adjacent to the utility meter as required by both utilities' interconnection standards.
More on permit plan requirements → Residential Solar Permit Design →
🛡️

The Permit Design Commitment

What every solar installer, EPC, and roofing company can expect on every project.

✅ 24–48 Hour Turnaround on Standard Residential Solar Projects
✅ No-Cost Revisions for AHJ Corrections Related to Our Design
✅ Code-Compliant Plans Built to Current NEC, Utility & Local Requirements
✅ Support Through Permit Approval — We Don't Disappear After Delivery
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Reviewed & Verified By PE-stamped plan sets spanning all 50 states · Missouri local jurisdiction NEC editions confirmed per AHJ · Ameren Missouri and Evergy Easy Connection Act requirements verified from published utility tariffs
AHJ-ReadyPer jurisdiction
150+Installer partners
50US states covered
114 CountiesAll MO jurisdictions
Permit SupportThrough AHJ approval
Last reviewed: June 2026·About Permit Design →
No Statewide CodeLocal AHJ GovernsEasy Connection ActAmeren + Evergy NEM
Neighbouring States

Solar Permit Plan Sets — Midwest & South-Central States

🌽IllinoisNEC 2023 🌾KansasNEC 2023 💎ArkansasNEC 2017 🎸TennesseeNEC 2017 🌾IowaNEC 2020

Missouri Solar Permits —
Jurisdiction-First. Utility-Matched.

Local Code Confirmed · Easy Connection Act · Ameren + Evergy
114 Counties · No Generic Templates · 24–48 Hours

Order MO Plan Set →Contact Us
First-time Missouri client? Your first residential plan set is on us. Mention "free trial" in your order notes.