In unincorporated Barton County, building permits come from the Environmental Management/Zoning office, Room 208 of the courthouse at 1400 Main, Great Bend (620-796-4300). The $25 county permit checks the project against the Barton County Zoning Regulations; the same office issues $100 septic permits and $60 water well permits. Great Bend, Hoisington, Claflin, Ellinwood and Pawnee Rock issue their own building permits; the first four also zone land around them.
What needs a Barton County permit?
Under Article XI of the county zoning regulations, no building permit is issued until the Zoning Administrator has approved it as complying with the regulations. The county form covers the erection, repair and alteration of buildings outside the cities, and it must be posted on the site.
County permit or approval
- Houses, garages and other non-farm buildings ($25 building permit)
- New or modified septic systems ($100), countywide, inside the cities too
- Water wells ($60)
- Any building or addition in a Special Flood Hazard Area: floodplain development permit from the County Engineer
- Culverts and entrances on county roads: entrance permit from the County Engineer
- Rezoning, conditional uses, variances and special uses ($150 each)
Exempt from zoning
- Land used for agriculture and the buildings on it, while they stay in agricultural use
- Farm buildings are not exempt from the floodplain regulations
Who issues permits in Barton County?
The Environmental Manager/Zoning Administrator, Judy Goreham, runs the Environmental Management/Zoning office, which administers the zoning regulations and the Barton County Environmental & Sanitary Code. The office has moved into the courthouse and closes during scheduled field work, so call before driving over. Floodplain permits and road entrances go through the County Engineer.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Environmental Management/Zoning | Barton County Courthouse, 1400 Main, Room 208, Great Bend, KS 67530; 620-796-4300 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (closed during field work) |
| County Engineer (floodplain) | 620-793-1808 |
| Road and Bridge (entrance permits) | 620-793-1936 |
The zoning regulations apply to the unincorporated county except where Great Bend, Claflin, Ellinwood and Hoisington have adopted extraterritorial zoning. Great Bend enforces its own zoning and subdivision rules in a three-mile area, where building permits are handled jointly by the City and the County on the City’s three-mile application.
Who issues building permits in each Barton County city
| City (2025 pop.) | Who issues building permits | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Great Bend (14,266) | City of Great Bend Building Inspections; 2018 International Codes | 1217 Williams Street; 620-793-4106 |
| Hoisington (2,598) | City of Hoisington; building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, sign and moving permit applications | Forms on the City of Hoisington website |
| Ellinwood (1,969) | City of Ellinwood City Office (building permits and zoning) | 104 East Second Street; 620-564-3161 |
| Claflin (542) | City of Claflin; building permit reviewed by the City Superintendent and Building Inspector | Forms on the City of Claflin website |
| Pawnee Rock (185) | City of Pawnee Rock; city building permit application under the 2018 IBC and IRC (Ordinance 348); new buildings $0.03 per sq ft of ground floor, remodels from $10 | 508 Centre Street; 620-982-4386 |
| Albert (123), Olmitz (91), Galatia (43), Susank (29) | The published sources do not say | Ask the city clerk before building |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Septic systems, wells and trade work
The Environmental Management Division permits private wastewater systems throughout the county, in rural areas and inside Albert, Claflin, Ellinwood, Galatia, Great Bend, Hoisington, Pawnee Rock and Susank. The application asks for the percolation rate, bedrooms and baths, distance to public sewer, site acreage, water supply and soil type, and commits the owner to build to KDHE Bulletin 4-2 and the county Environmental Code. An approved permit lasts one year, and the county must inspect the system before it is covered and put into use. Water wells, well variances and lender evaluations of wells and septic systems go through the same office.
The county issues no electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits for rural land. In Great Bend and Hoisington, trade permits come from the city.
Barton County permit fees
County fees come from Resolutions 2015-18 and 2015-19, adopted on August 17, 2015 and effective January 1, 2016, which updated the fees in the Environmental Sanitary Code and the Zoning Regulations.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building permit | $25 |
| Septic system permit | $100 |
| Water well permit | $60 |
| Water test (bacteria and nitrate) | $35 |
| Lender evaluation, well and septic | $140 ($70 septic only, $110 well only) |
| Zoning amendment, conditional use, variance or special use | $150 |
| Planned community district | $150 for 5 or fewer lots; $300 for more |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →The planned community district fees in Article XI of the 2013 regulations ($50 and $200) were replaced by the 2015 resolutions. In Great Bend’s three-mile area, the City’s joint application costs $25.
What to submit
Building permit
- Address and legal description, with quarter, section, township and range
- CAMA parcel number from the Appraiser’s office
- Whether the applicant owns the land
- A description, square footage or dimensions, estimated completion date and cost including labor
- A plot plan (required)
- The contractor’s name, or self
Zoning applications
- Conditional use, special use, variance or exception forms
- A list of all owners of record within 1,000 feet of the property
- A site plan for conditional and special uses
- A building permit application filed with it, where one is needed
How to get a Barton County building permit
Inside a city, or in an area where Great Bend, Hoisington, Claflin or Ellinwood enforces extraterritorial zoning, apply to that city.
Use the county’s 2025 zoning maps and the Kansas or FEMA flood viewers; floodplain compliance must be settled before a building permit is issued.
File the wastewater and well applications with Environmental Management on unsewered land.
A new culvert or entrance needs the County Engineer’s approval of plans before it is installed.
Submit the form with the plot plan and the $25 fee; call first, as the office closes for field work.
Post the permit on the site; it expires after six months unless renewed once for 90 days, and annexation voids it.
Rather not deal with the Barton County building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections
The Zoning Administrator may inspect buildings and land uses to confirm they comply with the zoning regulations, and Environmental Management must inspect every septic system before it is covered. The county has not adopted one of the national building codes; the City of Great Bend’s three-mile form notes this and tells builders there to meet the Kansas fire prevention code minimums. Inside Great Bend and the other permitting cities, city inspectors check building and trade work.
Local Barton County rules
Zoning: the county adopted Version II of its zoning regulations on January 28, 2013. On December 2, 2025 the County Commission adopted new district regulations (Resolution 2025-18), wind energy regulations (2025-19) and new official zoning maps (2025-20); commercial solar rules (Article VIII-B) were adopted on March 29, 2024 after a 2023 moratorium. A dam breach article is listed as pending adoption by the County Commission.
Unincorporated communities: Beaver, Hitschmann, Odin, Redwing, Heizer and Dundee are zoned as a separate Unincorporated Community district for homes and businesses.
Floodplain: building or adding on in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a county floodplain development permit under Resolution 2018-18, through the County Engineer.
Approvals that lapse: variances, conditional uses and special uses expire after 180 days unless a building permit is obtained and work starts, or the use begins.
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
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Official Barton County permitting resources
- Barton County Environmental Management/Zoning contacts and hours
- Barton County permit applications, including the building permit form
- Barton County Environmental Management fee schedule (2016)
- Barton County Zoning Regulations Version II and 2025 amendments
- Barton County floodplain regulations and permit application
- Barton County entrance (culvert) permit
- Barton County wastewater facility application
- City of Great Bend three-mile extra-territorial zoning
- City of Hoisington permit forms
- City of Claflin forms
- City of Pawnee Rock documents: building and floodplain permit forms, Ordinance 348, city code
- City of Ellinwood Planning & Zoning
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Barton County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in rural Barton County?
The Environmental Management/Zoning office, Room 208 of the courthouse at 1400 Main in Great Bend, 620-796-4300.
How much is a county building permit?
$25. A septic permit is $100 and a water well permit is $60.
Do farm buildings need a permit?
Agricultural land and buildings used for agriculture are exempt from the zoning regulations, but not from the floodplain regulations.
Does Barton County enforce a building code?
No national building code has been adopted by the county. Its permit checks zoning, and builders in Great Bend’s three-mile area are told to meet the Kansas fire prevention code minimums.
Who issues septic permits inside Great Bend or Hoisington?
Barton County Environmental Management. Its wastewater application covers rural land and the cities it lists, including Great Bend and Hoisington.
How long is a county building permit good for?
Six months. It can be renewed once, for 90 days, if renewed before it expires.
Simplify Barton County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Kansas. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
Ready to break ground in Barton County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Barton County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Kansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Barton County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.