Mo. Rev. Stat. § 66.140

Unless in conflict with the provisions of this chapter, all provisions of law relating to proceedings before associate circuit judges in circuit courts in misdemeanors shall apply to actions before such courts involving the violation of county ordinances; except that a judgment establishing that an individual has violated a county ordinance shall not be deemed to be a conviction for a misdemeanor within the meaning of section 556.040 *. Such cases involving the violation of county ordinances shall be heard before associate circuit judges in the same manner as other misdemeanor cases unless such cases are assigned to a circuit judge for hearing. The same provisions relative to application for trial de novo or appeal shall apply in county ordinance violation cases as in other misdemeanor cases.