Kansas City building department

Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County share one consolidated government, the Unified Government (UG). Its Building Inspection Division, based at the Neighborhood Resource Center at 4953 State Avenue, issues building, trade and demolition permits and performs construction inspections. This is a different jurisdiction from Kansas City, Missouri. The division says staff work remotely for most functions during business hours (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.) and in-person submissions are not accepted until further notice.

Who needs a permit

You need a permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, remove or demolish a building or structure, or to change its occupancy. You also need one to replace any electrical, mechanical or plumbing system. Depending on the project, you apply either to Building Inspection or to the Development Review Committee (DRC).

How to apply

Applications go to Building Inspection by email at [email protected]. That includes homeowner and contractor applications, commercial interior remodels, safe-to-restore electric service, gas pressure tests and window replacements. Split attachments into emails of 25 MB or less. Send one email or voicemail at (913) 573-8620 per request, and follow up only if you haven’t heard back in 24 hours.

Permit	What to submit
Residential building	Residential Building Permit Application plus scaled drawings. New homes, room additions, pools and accessory structures also need a sealed plot plan. No plot plan is needed for interior-only work that doesn’t change the footprint
Commercial (non-DRC)	Commercial Building Permit Application for repairs, remodels and tenant finishes that don’t change the footprint or occupancy
Electrical, mechanical, plumbing	Combined trade permit application. Trade permits can also be obtained by fax or phone for an extra $5 each
Demolition	Demolition application (Part D). Fee is $100 for up to 3,000 sq ft, plus $3 per additional 1,000 sq ft
Fire sprinkler	Fire Sprinkler Permit Application

After the documents are received, staff review the plans, issue the permits, and then perform inspections and collect any required third-party inspection reports.

Commercial projects and the DRC

The DRC includes representatives from:

• Building Inspection
• Planning & Urban Design
• Board of Public Utilities (BPU)
• Fire Prevention
• Planning Engineering
• Public Works
• Health Department

The DRC reviews these commercial projects:

• New buildings and additions
• Occupancy or use changes
• Pools
• Exterior renovations
• Grading and site work
• Apartment buildings with 3 or more units

Pre-application meetings are optional and advisory. The committee meets Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and meetings need 24 hours’ notice.

Submit the DRC application with one combined PDF plan set by email or on a flash drive. Hard copies aren’t accepted, and every sheet must be sealed by a Kansas-licensed design professional. Plan review fees must be paid before review starts. The UG targets comments within 10 business days and does not offer expedited review.

A separate footing and foundation permit costs an extra $200. A land disturbance permit is required before site work if more than one acre is disturbed or a 1,000 sq ft roof structure is being built. The general contractor must hold a current Wyandotte County license before the permit is issued.

Fees

Building permit fees are based on project valuation and are paid to the Unified Treasury.

Project valuation	Fee
$0–$30,000	$30 + $0.75 per $100 of value
$30,001–$1,000,000	$255 + $0.50 per $100 over $30,000
Over $1,000,000	$5,105 + $0.40 per $100 over $1,000,000

For example, a $50,000 remodel costs $255 + (200 × $0.50) = $355. DRC projects use a separate DRC fee schedule, but trade permits do not.

Adopted codes

As of June 30, 2022, the UG enforces these codes along with its own ordinances:

• 2018 IRC, IBC, IMC and IFC
• 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code (not the IPC)
• 2018 IECC and 2018 IPMC
• 2018 NFPA Life Safety Code
• 2017 National Electrical Code

The UG code of ordinances is on Municode.

Inspections

Schedule inspections by phone at (913) 573-8620, Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., with 24 hours’ notice and your permit number. The stamped approved plans, survey, trade permits and permit card must be on site, and the address must be visible from the street.

• Footing and foundation: The UG tries to respond within one hour of the request.
• Rough-in: One all-trades rough-in covers framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and fireplace. On new homes it also covers the electrical service and gas piping. If those aren’t ready, each one costs an extra $100.
• Sewer: Building Inspection checks the line from the building to the property line. Work in the right-of-way needs a separate permit from Water Pollution Control, (913) 573-5400.
• Water service: The Board of Public Utilities inspects the water line, (913) 573-9622. BPU also supplies standard temporary power. A temporary service of 220 volts or more needs a permit.
• Final: No building may be occupied, or its occupancy classification changed, until the final inspection is approved.

Re-inspection fees apply when work from the first inspection isn’t finished or corrected. They are $100 for the first, $150 for the second, $225 for the third and $337.50 for the fourth.

On DRC projects, each department does its own final inspection. A Certificate of Occupancy is issued for new buildings and expansions once all departments approve. A temporary CO is available if no life-safety comments remain open.

Contractor licensing

General contractors and subcontractors working in Wyandotte County need a UG occupational tax (business) license, through Business License at (913) 573-8780. Trade masters must also hold a master’s license with Building Inspection. The UG Accela Citizen Access site lets you search building permits by address, permit number or contractor. There, the contractor number is the same as the company’s occupational tax number.