Springfield MO rent increase 2026 Springfield, Missouri has no rent control of any kind in 2026. RSMo §441.043 (signed September 28, 2021 as an emergency measure) bars every Missouri political subdivision from limiting residential rents. No Missouri deposit cap (unique nationally); RSMo §535.300: 30-day return; 2× wrongful-withholding; RSMo §535.050: 3-day demand; Greene County Circuit Court (940 Boonville Ave). Bass Pro Shops (HQ Springfield; $7B+ revenue; Johnny Morris; acquired Cabela’s 2017 for $5.5B). O’Reilly Auto Parts (HQ Springfield since 1957; NYSE: ORLY; ~$17B revenue; #1 US auto parts by market cap). Missouri State University: ~26,000 students; ~6,000 employees. CoxHealth: Level I Trauma; ~8,500 employees; Springfield’s largest employer.

Missouri rent control status: why no Springfield ordinance can cap rents

RSMo §441.043, enacted as Missouri Senate Bill 26 in the 101st General Assembly and signed by Governor Mike Parson on September 28, 2021 under the emergency legislative procedure of Article III §29 of the Missouri Constitution, took effect immediately on the governor’s signature. The statute prohibits every Missouri political subdivision from enacting or enforcing “any ordinance or other measure to limit or control the amount of rent charged for private residential real property.”

The statute was enacted in direct response to COVID-era rent-control proposals advanced by Kansas City and St. Louis city councils in 2020–2021. The Missouri General Assembly moved first, preempting all Missouri municipalities before any local ordinance reached a vote. Springfield — as the third-largest city in Missouri, governed by a City Council under its charter — is fully subject to this preemption. No Springfield ordinance, no Greene County measure, and no Missouri statute restricts the amount of rent a landlord may charge or the percentage by which rent may increase at lease renewal.

Missouri also has never adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), making it one of the few populous states (alongside California, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York) that relies on piecemeal landlord-tenant statutes rather than a comprehensive code. Unlike some of those states, Missouri has no URLTA-equivalent state code either — RSMo Chapters 441 and 535 address specific areas (rent preemption, deposits, demand notices, month-to-month tenancies) without creating a unified landlord-tenant framework. Missouri’s implied warranty of habitability is common law, not statutory — established in Detling v. Edelbrock, 671 S.W.2d 265 (Mo. banc 1984).

Missouri landlord-tenant law: key statutes for Springfield landlords

Security deposit: no cap and 30-day return with 2× wrongful-withholding (RSMo §535.300)

Missouri is unusual nationally in imposing NO STATUTORY MAXIMUM on residential security deposits. RSMo §535.300 governs deposit return and wrongful-withholding penalties but sets no ceiling on the amount collected. A Springfield landlord may require 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, or any agreed amount as a security deposit.

This absence of a cap is unique among major states: Michigan caps deposits at 1.5 months’ rent; Tennessee URLTA cities at 2 months; Arizona at 1.5 months unfurnished; California at 1 month unfurnished (AB 12, effective July 1, 2024); Nevada at 3 months. Missouri and Idaho are among the very few states with no cap for residential tenancies. Wisconsin similarly has no statutory cap, though ATCP 134.06 limits deposits to anticipated actual damages. Missouri has no equivalent ATCP-style administrative limit.

30-day return deadline (RSMo §535.300): After the tenant vacates, the Springfield landlord must return the deposit balance plus a written itemized statement of deductions within 30 days, delivered by first-class mail to the tenant’s last known address. This is a single-trigger, 30-day deadline — unlike Indiana’s dual-trigger (45-day clock that starts only when tenant both vacates AND provides a written forwarding address). Missouri’s 30-day period is faster than Virginia (45-day), Indiana (45-day), and Alabama (35-day), but comparable to Michigan (30-day) and slower than Arizona and Alaska (14-day, tied fastest in US).

2× wrongful-withholding damages (RSMo §535.300): If the landlord fails to return the deposit within 30 days, or makes wrongful deductions, the tenant may recover double the amount wrongfully withheld plus court costs. Missouri’s 2× exposure compares to California (2×), Oregon (2×), Washington (2×), and Nevada (up to $2,500 additional). Idaho’s 3× damages is more punitive. Maintain time-stamped move-in and move-out condition photographs and itemized contractor invoices for all claimed deductions. Normal wear and tear is not deductible in Missouri.

Non-payment eviction: 3-day demand (RSMo §535.050)

RSMo §535.050 governs the preliminary notice required before an unlawful detainer action in Missouri. For non-payment of rent, the Springfield landlord serves a written demand for rent or possession specifying the exact amount owed, giving the tenant THREE DAYS to pay or vacate.

Missouri’s 3-day demand is one of the shortest non-payment notice periods in the Midwest, matching California (CCP §1161) and Texas (Prop. Code §24.005). It is significantly shorter than Wisconsin (5-day), Illinois (5-day, 735 ILCS 5/9-209), Indiana (10-day), Michigan (7-day), and Minnesota (14-day, Minn. Stat. §504B.285). After 3 days without full payment or surrender, the landlord files for unlawful detainer in Greene County Circuit Court, 940 Boonville Avenue, Springfield, MO 65802 (31st Judicial Circuit).

Month-to-month termination: RSMo §441.060 requires 1 month’s advance written notice to terminate a month-to-month tenancy by either the landlord or the tenant.

Missouri common law prohibits self-help eviction. Changing locks, shutting off utilities, or removing a tenant’s property without a court order may subject the Springfield landlord to actual damages and equitable remedies. Always proceed through Greene County Circuit Court.

Springfield MO rental market history and 2026 outlook

Year	Metro avg 2BR/mo	South Springfield / MSU 2BR	Battlefield Rd / East 2BR	Market notes
2019	$650–$850	$650–$900	$750–$1,000	Stable pre-pandemic market; MSU enrollment ~23,000; O’Reilly HQ hiring steady; Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s integration (2017 acquisition) stabilizing; CoxHealth Level I Trauma volumes steady; new South Springfield apartments absorbing MSU overflow demand; affordable Ozarks market well below national average
2020	$670–$880	$650–$900	$770–$1,020	COVID-19 minimal market disruption; essential worker industries (healthcare, retail auto parts, outdoor retail) remain fully operational; CoxHealth and Mercy surge staffing for COVID; MSU moves online spring semester; brief student move-out softens South Springfield supply; O’Reilly e-commerce surge as auto parts demand rises; Bass Pro outdoor recreation boom begins
2021	$730–$1,000	$700–$980	$850–$1,100	+8–15%; in-migration from St. Louis and Kansas City suburbs; remote workers seeking Ozarks affordability; MSU returns in-person; O’Reilly record revenue (~$13.3B FY2021) drives HQ expansion; Bass Pro + Cabela’s pandemic boom; new apartment completions limited; vacancy falls to 3–4%
2022	$800–$1,100	$800–$1,050	$900–$1,200	+12–20% from 2019 baseline; Springfield among Missouri’s fastest-growing rental markets 2021–2022; FORVIS formed by BKD and DHG merger (June 2022); O’Reilly revenue ~$14.8B FY2022 (largest single-year in company history at that time); new Republic and Nixa suburban apartments under construction; Bass Pro visitor center renovation complete
2023	$820–$1,100	$780–$1,050	$900–$1,200	Market stabilization; new supply deliveries (Republic, south Battlefield corridor) soften peak; MSU enrollment recovers to 24,000+; O’Reilly revenue ~$15.8B FY2023 (new record); CoxHealth Ozarks Health expansion; FORVIS Mazars global merger announced 2023; Greene County population steady growth ~2% annually
2024	$830–$1,120	$790–$1,060	$920–$1,230	Stable affordable growth; O’Reilly revenue ~$16.7B FY2024; FORVIS Mazars global firm fully operational post-merger; Bass Pro / Big Cedar Ozarks expansion; CoxHealth multi-year capital plan underway; new downtown redevelopment projects (Commercial Street phase III) deliver mixed-use units; vacancy 5–6%
2026F	$850–$1,150	$800–$1,050	$930–$1,250	+2–4%; Ozarks in-migration sustains above-trend growth; O’Reilly HQ presence stable; MSU enrollment growth; CoxHealth Level I Trauma expansion; no rent control; fully market-rate; Springfield remains one of most affordable mid-size US metros; strong landlord market vs. Kansas City and St. Louis; Republic and Nixa new supply partially offsets metro demand

Springfield’s anchor employers and their rental market impact

Bass Pro Shops: $7B+ globally headquartered outdoor retail powerhouse

Bass Pro Shops (2500 E. Kearney St., Springfield, MO 65898; privately held by Johnny Morris) was founded in Springfield in 1972 when 18-year-old John L. “Johnny” Morris began selling fishing tackle from an 8-foot section of his father’s Brown Derby liquor store on Campbell Avenue in Springfield. The company has grown into the largest privately held outdoor retail company in the United States, with estimated revenues exceeding $7 billion annually and approximately 42,000+ employees across Bass Pro Shops stores, Cabela’s (acquired September 2017 for $5.5B), and Big Cedar Lodge hospitality properties.

The Springfield corporate campus employs approximately 3,000–5,000 headquarters professionals in merchandising, information technology, supply chain, marketing, legal, and human resources. The flagship Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store on Sunshine Street (built at the site of White River, one of the most famous trout fishing rivers in the Ozarks) is a 500,000+ square foot retail, aquarium, and entertainment destination drawing more than 4 million visitors per year — more than the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Morris also developed Big Cedar Lodge (~50 miles south of Springfield at Table Rock Lake), a Forbes Five-Star resort that drives significant seasonal hospitality employment.

Bass Pro Shops HQ employment drives demand for professional 1BR and 2BR apartments in north Springfield along and around the Kearney Street corridor.

O’Reilly Auto Parts: Springfield’s Fortune 500 HQ since 1957

O’Reilly Automotive (233 S. Patterson Ave., Springfield, MO 65802; NYSE: ORLY; founded Springfield 1957 by Charles F. O’Reilly and his son Charles H. O’Reilly Sr.) is one of the most financially significant corporate headquarters in Missouri, with revenues of approximately $17 billion in fiscal year 2024, approximately 91,000 employees across North America, and a market capitalization that has regularly exceeded $50–$60 billion — making O’Reilly the #1 US auto parts retailer by market capitalization.

O’Reilly operates more than 6,200 stores across the United States and Mexico under the O’Reilly Auto Parts banner. The Springfield corporate campus employs approximately 5,000–6,000 headquarters personnel in IT, supply chain management, finance, real estate, legal, and store operations support. O’Reilly also operates a major distribution center in Springfield, with warehouse and logistics workers adding blue-collar rental demand in north and west Springfield.

The O’Reilly HQ campus is located on the south side of Springfield, near the Trafficway corridor, driving white-collar professional demand in the Battlefield Road and south Springfield neighborhoods. O’Reilly’s multi-decade Springfield presence has been a stabilizing force: the company has never moved its headquarters despite growth to Fortune 500 status, a rare instance of a Fortune-class company remaining in its founding mid-size city.

Missouri State University, CoxHealth, Mercy Springfield, and FORVIS Mazars

Missouri State University (901 S. National Ave.; public; ~15,000–16,000 on-campus students in Springfield; additional online and off-campus enrollment to approximately 26,000 total; ~6,000 employees; Bears — Missouri Valley Conference; master’s and doctoral programs in business, education, health, and the sciences) is the second-largest public university in Missouri and the dominant institutional presence in South Springfield. MSU’s student rental demand — concentrated in the National Avenue and Walnut Street corridors within half a mile of campus — is supplemented by faculty and graduate student demand extending into the Rountree neighborhood and the downtown arts district.

CoxHealth (1423 N. Jefferson Ave.; Level I Trauma; ~8,500+ employees; the largest employer in Springfield and the largest nonprofit health system in southwest Missouri) is the healthcare anchor of north and west Springfield. CoxHealth’s Level I Trauma designation means it receives the most critically injured patients from a multi-county southwest Missouri region 24 hours per day, requiring the staffing of trauma surgeons, intensivists, trauma nurses, anesthesiologists, and specialized technicians on a continuous basis. Healthcare workers across all disciplines and income tiers represent Springfield’s most stable and diverse rental demographic.

Mercy Springfield (1235 E. Cherokee St.; Level II Trauma; ~3,500–4,000 employees; part of Mercy Health, the largest Catholic health system HQ in Missouri) adds secondary healthcare employment demand on the east side of Springfield. Mercy Tower, a 12-story medical office and hospital tower on the Mercy campus, is a landmark of the east Springfield skyline.

FORVIS Mazars (910 E. St. Louis St., Springfield, MO 65806; formed by the June 2022 merger of BKD LLP — founded in Springfield in 1923 as Baird, Kurtz & Dobson — and Dixon Hughes Goodman; subsequently merged with the global Mazars network in 2024 to form FORVIS Mazars, one of the largest global accounting networks; approximately 7,500–9,000 US professionals; Top 10 US accounting firm by revenue) is one of the most distinctive aspects of Springfield’s economy: a Top 10 national accounting firm headquartered in a mid-size Midwest city (rather than New York, Chicago, Dallas, or Atlanta) represents a concentration of high-income professional employment unusual for a city of 170,000. FORVIS Springfield employees — CPAs, tax professionals, audit partners — demand premium 1BR and 2BR units in the downtown and south Springfield submarkets.

Springfield MO rental neighborhoods 2026

Neighborhood	2026F 2BR/mo	Primary demand drivers
Downtown / Commercial Street (C-Street) arts district	$950–$1,400	O’Reilly HQ; FORVIS Mazars; young professional renters; walkable mixed-use
South Springfield / MSU campus zone	$700–$1,050	Missouri State University students; graduate students; faculty; Hammons Field
Rountree / Woodland Heights (near MSU)	$850–$1,200	Faculty; graduate students; older charming housing stock; walkable to campus
Battlefield Road corridor / East Springfield	$900–$1,250	Mercy Springfield employees; O’Reilly auto parts commuters; new apartments
North Springfield / Kearney St (Bass Pro corridor)	$750–$1,050	Bass Pro Shops HQ employees; trades workers; most affordable Springfield zone
Republic MO (southwest suburb)	$800–$1,150	Growing suburb; new construction; CoxHealth and O’Reilly commuters
Nixa MO (southeast suburb)	$800–$1,100	Fast-growing suburb; Mercy / CoxHealth commuters; Christian County government

Missouri landlord compliance checklist for Springfield 2026

1. No rent increase cap (RSMo §441.043): raise rent by any amount at lease renewal. No registration, no rent board, no hearing. Provide advance notice per lease terms and RSMo §441.060 (1-month for MTM).
2. No deposit cap: collect any amount agreed in the lease. Document deposit amount in writing. Springfield market norms: 1–2 months’ rent.
3. Return deposit within 30 days with itemized statement (RSMo §535.300): calendar move-out date; mail itemized statement and deposit balance by first-class mail to tenant’s last known address within 30 days.
4. 2× wrongful-withholding exposure (RSMo §535.300): maintain time-stamped photographs and itemized repair receipts. Normal wear and tear is not deductible.
5. Serve 3-day demand for non-payment (RSMo §535.050): specify exact amount owed. Serve properly. After 3 days, file in Greene County Circuit Court (940 Boonville Ave, Springfield, MO 65802).
6. 1-month MTM termination notice (RSMo §441.060): provide at least one month’s advance written notice.
7. Implied warranty of habitability (Detling v. Edelbrock): maintain habitable conditions; respond to material repair requests promptly. Common law — not URLTA codified.
8. No self-help eviction: proceed exclusively through Greene County Circuit Court. Unauthorized lock-outs or utility shutoffs may result in liability for actual damages and equitable relief.

Further reading

• Kansas City MO rent increase 2026 — RSMo §441.043; Hallmark Cards; H&R Block; Chiefs
• St. Louis MO rent increase 2026 — RSMo §441.043; Boeing Phantom Works; Centene Fortune 24
• Columbia MO rent increase 2026 — University of Missouri; MU Health Level I; Shelter Insurance
• Missouri rent control law 2026 — RSMo §441.043; Kansas City; St. Louis
• Wichita KS rent increase 2026 — K.S.A. §12-16,130; Spirit AeroSystems; Koch Industries
• Oklahoma City OK rent increase 2026 — no rent control; Tinker AFB; energy sector
• Springfield IL rent increase 2026 — 765 ILCS 720; Illinois state capital; Lincoln heritage