Lawrence building department

The City of Lawrence Building Safety Division, part of Planning & Development Services (PDS), reviews plans, issues building and trade permits, inspects construction, issues certificates of occupancy, and licenses contractors for work inside Lawrence city limits. PDS is located in City Hall, 6 E. 6th Street. Older city documents still list a Riverfront Plaza address. Unincorporated Douglas County follows the county’s own zoning and land-use regulations, so confirm a parcel is inside the city before applying here.

What needs a permit

A permit is required before work begins on nearly all new construction, additions, remodeling and repair. That includes installing or replacing HVAC equipment such as a furnace or central air unit, electrical work such as a new panel or circuit, and plumbing such as a water heater, water or gas line, or sewer service line. Demolition needs a permit from Building Safety. A permit may also be required when a building’s use changes, for example from office to retail, even with little or no remodeling.

Work exempt from a building permit

The city’s published exemption list includes:

Project	Exempt when
Shed, playhouse or similar	One story, detached, 200 sq ft or less
Fence	6 ft tall or less
Retaining wall	6 ft or less from bottom of footing to top, with no surcharge
Deck, sidewalk, driveway	Uncovered, 30 in. or less above grade, not over a basement or story below, not part of an accessible route
Re-roof	Replacement roof coverings
Above-ground pool	Prefabricated, under 24 in. deep, 5,000 gallons or less, at a one- or two-family home
Window awning	Projects 54 in. or less, on a house or utility building
Interior finishes	Paint, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets, countertops
Plumbing repairs	Stopping leaks, unless 20 ft or more of pipe is replaced
Electrical	Replacing a breaker of the same size in the same place; wiring under 25 volts and 50 watts

Exempt work must still meet code, and zoning rules still apply. Fences are also regulated by the city’s walls and fences ordinance (Chapter 16, Article 6). Work on a public sidewalk, curb or driveway apron in the right-of-way needs approval from Municipal Services and Operations.

Applying through EPL

Enterprise Permitting & Licensing (EPL) went live on February 5, 2024. It handles all city permit and license applications, including building permits, contractor and rental licenses, right-of-way permits and planning submittals. The EPL Civic Access portal runs on Tyler EnerGov. You need an account and an email address to apply. The city posts step-by-step guides for creating an account, applying, paying invoices, resubmitting after review comments, scheduling inspections and searching public records.

Permits fall into two groups: one- and two-family residential, and commercial, which includes apartment buildings with three or more units. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and sewer over-the-counter permits have their own video tutorial. You can check permit status in the EPL portal. Citizen Connect maps permits, planning applications, code cases and licenses across Lawrence and Douglas County and lets you set alerts for your neighborhood.

Who can pull a permit

A permit can be issued to a business holding a current City of Lawrence general or trade contractor license, or to the owner-occupant of a single-family home who will do the work. To qualify, the owner must live in the house, or plan to, and do the work on that house or its accessory structure. Owners submit a completed Owner-Occupant Form with the application.

Fees and review time

Fees for remodels and additions are based on total project valuation, including materials and labor. Fees for new single-family homes and duplexes are based on the home’s square footage. The fee covers plan review, all required inspections and the final certificate of occupancy for new homes. It is due when the permit is issued. The city’s 2019 homeowner FAQ says complete applications are almost always reviewed within five business days.

Adopted codes

Lawrence enforces the 2018 International Codes, effective July 1, 2019, with local amendments: IBC, IRC, IECC, IEBC, IFC, IFGC, IMC and IPC, plus the 2017 National Electrical Code. The amended code chapters, a code interpretations manual and a common residential plan review comments list are posted on the 1 & 2 Family Dwelling Building Permits page. That page also has guides for decks, basements, accessory dwelling units, pools, roofs, foundation repair and grading and drainage for new homes.

Inspections

Item	Details
How to request	Online in Civic Access, 24/7, or text SCHEDULE to SelecTXT at (877) 629-4735
Cutoff	Request before 7 a.m. on the day you want the inspection
Same-day requests	After 7 a.m., call (785) 832-7700, option 7. A same-day fee applies, and the city fits these in only when it can
Standard inspection hours	Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m.–noon and 1:15–4 p.m.
Remote virtual inspections	9–11:30 a.m. and 1:30–4 p.m.
Will-call	Footing, slab, foundation wall and sewer permits. Request online before 7 a.m., then call option 7 when ready. An inspector usually arrives within 25 minutes. Hours: 8:30–11 a.m. and 1:30–4 p.m.

For a recorded video inspection, schedule the inspection before you upload the video. All work must be visible to the inspector. Every permit needs an approved final inspection before it can be closed.

Certificate of occupancy

The Building Official must issue a Certificate of Occupancy (CO), or a Temporary CO, before anyone occupies a new building, addition or new space built under a city permit. That applies to houses and duplexes as well as commercial projects. Commercial spaces also need a CO after major remodeling or a change of occupancy classification. One- and two-family alterations and repairs generally don’t need one.

Contractor licensing

Lawrence licenses general and trade contractors. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fireplace workers must be certified as master or journeyman tradespersons. A Class D roofing contractor license is required to re-roof, even though re-roofing itself needs no permit. To qualify, you need:

• 2 years of roofing experience
• A State of Kansas roofing contractor registration
• An exam, a relevant degree or a reciprocal license
• At least $1,000,000 in general liability coverage

The roofing license costs $150 to start ($75 application plus $75 license) and $75 a year to renew. Contractor qualifying parties need 8 hours of continuing education each year, and tradespersons need 6. HERS raters and other third-party energy inspectors who test new houses and duplexes must also register with the city.