Wichita building department

The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) is a joint City of Wichita and Sedgwick County agency. It handles building permits, plan review, inspections, contractor licensing and housing code enforcement for the City of Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County. In-person service at the permitting and licensing office (Suite 101, just south of Wichita City Hall, with free parking off 3rd Street) is by appointment only, booked through MABCD’s TimeTap scheduler. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Plan on about an hour for a visit. All services are also available online. Questions can go to [email protected].

Which office handles your project

Location	Where to start
City of Wichita	MABCD
Unincorporated Sedgwick County	MABCD
Andale, Bentley, Cheney, Clearwater, Colwich, Garden Plain, Goddard, Maize, Mulvane, Valley Center	The city first. MABCD provides some services, such as plan review and inspections.
Bel Aire, Derby, Kechi and other cities	That city, which runs its own permitting process

A Wichita mailing address doesn’t mean the parcel is in Wichita. For the contracted small cities, contractors need an active MABCD license and request inspections through the MABCD portal or IVR. Valley Center also requires its own city license.

Applying for a permit

The MABCD Portal handles new permits, inspection requests and fee payments. MABCD issues building permits and trade permits:

• electrical
• elevator
• mechanical
• plumbing
• wastewater
• well

Projects covered include new one- and two-family homes, commercial buildings, additions, renovations, accessory structures, swimming pools and mobile homes. During intake, staff check zoning and jurisdiction, review the site plan for FEMA flood soils, easements, buffers and rights-of-way, and confirm the scope.

MABCD treats only one- and two-family buildings as residential. Everything else, including industrial, is commercial.

Residential

Residential plans are reviewed in the MABCD office by a permit writer. Plan on about an hour. Bring:

• the property’s legal description
• the PIN (tax key number)
• a site plan

For a new home:

• The Sedgwick County Clerk’s Office (Courthouse, 525 N. Main, 2nd floor) can provide the legal description and tax key number.
• If the lot is unplatted, a copy of the filed deed is needed to apply for a platting exemption.
• Where public sewer isn’t available, a septic tank or lagoon permit is required.
• Floodplain sites may need a floodplain development permit, which can delay issuance.
• If any part of the structure is more than 200 ft from a public or private road, you need road/driveway approval from the Sedgwick County Fire Department, arranged through MABCD.

Commercial

Commercial projects start with a Plan Review Application in the portal. Plans must be prepared by a design professional licensed in Kansas. The process:

1. Submit the plan review application in the MABCD Portal. A preliminary project review is optional; call MABCD to request one.
2. Pay the plan review fee once MABCD emails you that the cursory review is done. The fee is based on project valuation.
3. Upload your plans to the Electronic Plan Review system (ProjectDox) after MABCD emails an invitation. Each drawing must be a single-page file. Paper submittals haven’t been accepted since January 1, 2019.
4. Accept and complete your task in the system so review can start. For corrections, resubmit only the changed sheets and keep the same file names.
5. Download the stamped plans from the Approved folder. MABCD then starts the building permit, and you pay the permit fee. A printed copy of the approved plans must be on the job site.

Commercial projects need a separate permit for each trade, and some need several building and trade permits as work progresses.

Fees

Item	Fee
New home, finished living area	$0.38/sq ft
New home, unfinished basement, attached garage, covered porch or deck	$0.30/sq ft
Detached accessory or agricultural building	$0.20/sq ft
Roofing	$0.05/sq ft ($50 min, $1,500 max)
Sewer	$60
Septic or lagoon / advanced wastewater system	$100 / $200
Well	$50
Wrecking (demolition)	$50
Floodplain permit (unincorporated county only)	$50

Other building permit fees follow Table B of the Unified Building and Trade Code. MABCD also offers an online building plan/permit fee calculator.

Adopted codes

Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County share the Wichita-Sedgwick County Unified Building and Trade Code (UBTC). It adopts these codes with local amendments:

• Building: 2024 IBC and 2024 IEBC, enforced January 1, 2025 (commercial plans are reviewed under them). The 2018 IRC has been enforced since January 1, 2019.
• Electrical: 2023 NEC
• Mechanical: 2024 IMC and 2024 IFGC
• Plumbing: 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code
• Elevator: ASME A17.1 (2022), A18.1 (2017) and A17.3 (2015)

Zoning is governed by the Wichita-Sedgwick County Unified Zoning Code, administered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Department.

Contractor licensing

MABCD licenses contractors for Wichita, unincorporated Sedgwick County and its contracted small cities. It does not accept licenses from other jurisdictions.

• License terms: General contractor licenses (Class A/B/C/D, roofing, siding, pool, wrecking, solar and others) expire December 31 of even-numbered years. Trade licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years.
• New applications: You need a Kansas Standard ICC exam score of at least 75%, at least $300,000 in general liability coverage naming MABCD as certificate holder, workers’ comp and auto insurance (or notarized waivers), and a Kansas certificate of good standing. Review can take up to two weeks.
• Roofers: Roofers must also register with the Kansas Attorney General.

Doing the work yourself

Without a permit, you can repair or replace existing finish work, including paint, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets, countertops and paneling. New construction, additions and changes need a permit. MABCD points to code Sec. 2.4.020 for details on which residential work needs a permit.

A homeowner can pull a permit only for a home they own and live in. An owner who doesn’t live in the home must hire a licensed contractor. Submit the Homeowner Declaration Form, which accepts full responsibility for the work and inspections. Then, for each trade on the project, either name a licensed subcontractor or schedule MABCD’s homeowner exam. If you choose to test, the permit is issued only after you pass every required exam. If you skip or fail an exam, a licensed contractor must do that trade’s work.

Homeowner exam	Format	Fee
Electrical	3 hours, open book (2023 NEC), 50 questions	$50 (includes a plan review)
Plumbing	Untimed, 2012 Uniform Plumbing Code, 30 questions	$25
Water heater	Untimed, 2012 UPC plus handout, 20 questions	$25
Mechanical	Arranged with the Mechanical Chief, (316) 660-1829	Not listed

Each exam must be started before 1 p.m., and you need 75% to pass. MABCD warns homeowners: if a contractor asks you to pull the permit for them, treat it as a red flag and check the contractor’s license and insurance.

Inspections

Schedule inspections in the MABCD Portal or through the IVR line at (316) 660-9550. Building inspectors check that work matches the approved plans and adopted codes, and they also investigate complaints and reported safety issues. Housing and neighborhood (nuisance) complaints in Wichita go through the portal or to (316) 660-9220. That office does not take walk-ins.