The City of Arkansas City’s Community Development Division issues building, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing and demolition permits for property inside the city limits, from its Neighborhood Services office at City Hall, 118 W. Central Ave. (620-441-4420). Fees follow Resolution No. 2025-12-3782, in force since January 1, 2026: a house valued over $125,000 pays 0.2% of its value, and inspections must be booked at least 24 hours ahead.
What needs a permit in Arkansas City?
The City requires a permit for any construction activity unless the building code exempts it. Building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing (gas, water and sewer), structure demolition and interior demolition permits cover:
Building work
- New structures, additions, alterations, remodeling and demolition
- Accessory buildings, including carports, garages and sheds over 200 sq ft
- Most decks, fences and swimming pools
- Changing a building’s code use or occupancy, even with little construction
- Some excavation, grading and fill
Systems and equipment
- New or replaced wiring, circuits and electrical panels
- Water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners
- Water, gas, drain and sewer piping and service lines
- Fire sprinkler, detection and alarm systems
- Elevators, lifts and escalators
Excavation, fill or building in a federal or locally designated floodplain or floodway also needs a Flood Plain Development Permit.
Who issues building permits in Arkansas City?
The Community Development Division handles contractor licensing, building and trade permits, building inspections, code and property maintenance enforcement, land use review and the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. Josh White is the Community Development Director (620-441-4427).
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Community Development Division (Neighborhood Services), City Hall second floor |
| Address | 118 W. Central Ave., Arkansas City, KS 67005 |
| Phone | 620-441-4420 (fax 620-441-4403) |
| permits@arkansascityks.gov | |
| Director | Josh White, 620-441-4427 |
Applications can be brought to the office, emailed or faxed. The City’s zoning regulations apply only to land inside the corporate limits; rural land around the city is in unincorporated Cowley County.
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The City posts separate forms for a general building permit, a residential building permit, roofing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and driveway approaches, with handouts for setbacks, decks and porches, fences, foundations, re-roofing, swimming pools and water line installation.
- Licensed contractors: every contractor must be licensed with the City before getting a permit, which means being tested, licensed, bonded and insured with Arkansas City (Municipal Code Sections 14-196 and 14-197).
- Homeowners: an owner who lives in a single-family house may get permits for all parts of a project on that home, including plumbing, electrical and mechanical work, but the inspector may ask for a basic plan and a general knowledge of the codes first, and some work still needs a licensed contractor. The residential form asks owner-builders to confirm the house is their primary residence.
- Landlords: residential landlords may pull permits for their properties, but roofing, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work must be done by licensed contractors.
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits
Each trade normally pulls its own permit, and the building permit’s job cost should leave out the subcontractors’ share. Trade inspection fees are based on the value of the work. A plumbing permit for a new septic system is $100, and a new saddle on an existing sewer line with tap is $110.
Trade contractors need a City business licence ($200, renewing at $100), and each electrician, plumber or mechanical worker needs a master certificate ($200, renewing at $60) or journeyman certificate ($100, renewing at $30). General contractor licences cost $400 (Class A), $300 (Class B building) or $200 (Class C residential), with renewals at half those amounts; limited licences are $150, renewing at $80.
Arkansas City permit fees (2026)
Building permits are priced on the project’s value under the Comprehensive Fee Schedule adopted by Resolution No. 2025-12-3782, effective January 1, 2026.
| Project value | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1–$10,000 | $25 |
| $10,001–$20,000 | $30 |
| $20,001–$30,000 | $50 |
| $30,001–$40,000 | $70 |
| $40,001–$50,000 | $90 |
| $50,001–$70,000 | $110 |
| $70,001–$95,000 | $155 |
| $95,001–$125,000 | $220 |
| $125,001 and over | Value × 0.002 |
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|---|---|
| $1–$10,000 | $30 |
| $10,001–$20,000 | $45 |
| $20,001–$30,000 | $75 |
| $30,001–$40,000 | $100 |
| $40,001–$50,000 | $130 |
| $50,001–$60,000 | $160 |
| $60,001–$70,000 | $190 |
| $70,001–$80,000 | $220 |
| $80,001–$90,000 | $250 |
| $90,000–$100,000 | $275 |
| $100,001–$125,000 | $375 |
| $125,001 and over | Value × 0.003 |
For example, a house valued at $200,000 has a building permit fee of $400 ($200,000 × 0.002). The schedule adds a plan review charge listed as “permit value × $0.65”, and trade permits are separate.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Demolition, value $1–$2,000 / $2,001–$10,000 / $10,001–$100,000 / over $100,000 | $30 / $60 / $100 / $150 |
| Moving a structure | $250 |
| Driveway permit | $35 |
| Re-inspection | $50 |
| Investigation fee | $100 |
| After-hours inspection | $70 per hour |
| Work started without applying | Twice the permit fee |
| Variance, appeal or exception (Board of Zoning Appeals) | $150 |
| Conditional use or rezoning | $200 |
| Right-of-way permit | $150 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →When one developer builds multi-family dwellings in a single project, the building and trade permit fees are charged in full for up to 9 units, at half price for 10 to 25 units and waived from 26 units, provided the discounted units are ready to move into within 24 months; Neighborhood Revitalization Program fees are not waived.
Plans and documents
One- and two-family
- A scale site plan first; a design professional is not needed if you know where the property corners are
- Address, date, north arrow, lot lines, easements and rights-of-way, zoning district
- Every building with dimensions and distances to property lines and other buildings
- Driveways, parking, sidewalks and fences
- Water, sewer or septic, electric and storm drainage, with the general stormwater flow
- Any floodplain area on the lot
- At least a scaled floor plan for all new homes; some projects need architectural plans or a code footprint
Commercial and multi-family
- Three full sets of stamped plans (structural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, site, landscape, civil, utility and drainage), at least 18 by 24 inches, plus one PDF
- Trash enclosure plan, elevations and a photometric lighting plan
- Two copies of the stormwater study
- A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan and approved KDHE Notice of Intent when 1 acre or more is disturbed
- For an interior remodel: one stamped set and a code footprint of the existing building
Most commercial projects go before the Technical Advisory Committee, which brings together the utilities, police and fire departments, Public Works and the City Manager to comment on the plans. Review takes from under a day to 10 working days for large commercial projects.
How to get a permit in Arkansas City
Use the City’s public webmap to check the zoning district and floodplain, and call 620-441-4420 for an optional pre-development review.
Contractors register with the City first; owner-occupants confirm the house is their primary residence on the form.
Use the residential, general, roofing or trade application, or the commercial route for anything other than a one- or two-family home.
Bring, email or fax the application with the site plan and drawings; commercial jobs add the stamped sets and stormwater documents.
Staff review the plans, with the Technical Advisory Committee for most commercial work; the permit is issued once reviews are complete and fees are paid.
Call at least 24 hours ahead for each inspection, then request the final inspection or certificate of occupancy before using the building.
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Call 620-441-4420 at least 24 hours before each inspection. The permit holder schedules its own inspections, and the general contractor should not call them in for subcontractors. Work must stay exposed until it is approved. The City’s inspection sheet lists:
- Footing, once the footing excavation is complete and any reinforcing steel is in place
- Foundation (basement or stem wall), with forms and steel in place
- Slab or under-floor, before concrete or floor sheathing covers the services
- Frame, after roof sheathing, framing, fire blocking and bracing, with rough electrical, plumbing and heating approved
- Gypsum board, before plastering or taping
- Fire-resistant penetrations, before they are concealed
- Final inspection when the permitted work is complete
The Building Official can issue a stop work order for unpermitted work, a major change in scope not shown on the plans, or no substantial progress for 180 days. After the final inspection, the Building Official issues a certificate of occupancy where one is required.
Local details for Arkansas City
2026 code update: Ordinance No. 2026-07-4656, published July 11, 2026, adopted the 2024 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, Property Maintenance and Private Sewage Disposal Codes and the 2023 NEC with new local amendments, repealing the ordinance of November 2024. The fire code remains the 2015 International Fire Code. The staff report says the amendments are generally aligned with Winfield’s and settle roof sheathing requirements for houses after questions raised by the 2025 hailstorm.
By-right housing: to comply with the Kansas By-Right Housing Development Act of 2026, homes that meet the Act’s definition of by-right housing may be built to the 2018 International Residential Code; all other homes follow the 2024 IRC.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Floodplain: the City adopted its floodplain management ordinance on September 6, 2022. Any development in the 100-year floodplain needs a floodplain permit, including substantial improvements costing 50% or more of a building’s market value, placing a manufactured home, or leaving a travel trailer for more than 180 days. Arkansas City is in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which gives policyholders a 10% flood insurance discount.
Historic properties: the City’s commercial project page includes a Historic Review Application, and Chapter 38 of the Municipal Code holds the historic preservation ordinance.
Kansas building code
Kansas has no general statewide building code: each city and county adopts and amends its own. A few state rules apply everywhere, led by the Kansas Fire Prevention Code. Kansas rules
Official Arkansas City permit resources
- Arkansas City permit application procedures
- Arkansas City building and trade permit applications
- Arkansas City residential projects and handouts
- Arkansas City commercial projects
- Arkansas City building plan submittal requirements
- Arkansas City residential site plan requirements
- Arkansas City inspection requirements
- Arkansas City Comprehensive Fee Schedule 2026 (Resolution No. 2025-12-3782)
- Arkansas City adopted codes
- Ordinance No. 2026-07-4656 adopting the 2024 ICC codes and 2023 NEC
- Arkansas City contractor licensing
- Arkansas City floodplain information
- Arkansas City Community Development Division
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Arkansas City permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Arkansas City?
The City’s Community Development Division, through its Neighborhood Services office on the second floor of City Hall, 118 W. Central Ave. (620-441-4420).
How much is a building permit for a new house?
For a house valued over $125,000 the permit is 0.2% of the value, so $400 for a $200,000 house. Lower values pay a flat band fee, from $25 up to $220, and plan review and trade permits are extra.
Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?
Sheds over 200 sq ft need a permit, and so do most fences, decks and swimming pools.
Can I do my own electrical or plumbing work?
Yes, if you own and live in the single-family house. The inspector may ask for a basic plan first. Landlords must hire licensed contractors for roofing, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work.
Which building codes apply?
Since July 11, 2026, the 2024 International Codes and 2023 NEC with local amendments, plus the 2015 International Fire Code. Homes that qualify as by-right housing under the 2026 state act may use the 2018 IRC.
How long does plan review take?
From under one day to up to 10 working days for large commercial projects, which usually go through the Technical Advisory Committee.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call 620-441-4420 at least 24 hours ahead. Each trade contractor books its own inspections.
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More Kansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Arkansas City permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.