Finney County, Kansas Building Permit Guide

Under the interlocal agreement Garden City and Finney County signed on November 5, 2024, Garden City’s Building Inspections Division (620-276-1120) handles building permits and inspections in all of unincorporated Finney County, as well as in Garden City and Holcomb. Septic permits stay with the County. Most rural building permit applications need an approved site plan first, which typically takes 7 to 14 days, and farm buildings on agricultural land are exempt from the building codes.

Who issues building permits in Finney County?

The agreement, which runs from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027, splits the rural county in two for planning and zoning. Inside the Immediate Urban Growth Area around Garden City, the City handles planning, zoning, site plan review and floodplain administration and applies its own building codes, development standards, subdivision and zoning regulations. In the rest of the unincorporated county, the County’s Division of Planning and Development handles those services and County regulations apply. On December 8, 2025 the County Commission approved adding land northeast of Garden City, along Highway 156 and East Kansas Avenue, to the growth area and directed staff to prepare a joint resolution with the City, effective January 1, 2026.

Mackenzie Phillips is the County’s Director of Planning and Development (ficoplanning@finneycountyks.gov). Applications, zoning regulations and plans for the county are posted on the City of Garden City’s Planning and Zoning page, and the City serves as secretary for the regional Holcomb–Garden City–Finney County Planning Commission.

What needs a permit in rural Finney County?

Section 1.070 of the county zoning regulations says no residential building or structure may be built or altered, and no land use changed, until the Building Inspection Department issues a permit; the same section records that the County adopted Chapter 18 of the Garden City code as its building code.

Large energy and technology projects outside the growth area need a County special use permit first. In 2026 the County Commission approved new application forms for commercial solar systems and battery storage (February 24) and for commercial wind, natural gas generation and data centers (April 20). A special use permit does not authorize construction; building permits and other approvals are still required.

Permit fees for Finney County projects

The interlocal agreement lets Garden City charge and keep the fees for the work it does, including mileage fees, whether the City or the County set them. Chapter 18 of the Garden City code adds a mileage fee for any structure outside the city limits, paid with the building permit to cover the required inspections. In the Neighborhood & Development Services schedule effective January 1, 2026, the mileage fee is $15, extra plan review is $100 an hour, and residential permits over $50,000 in value cost $522 plus $5 for each additional $1,000 or fraction.

On those figures, a rural house valued at $300,000 would carry a $1,772 building permit ($522 plus 250 × $5) and the $15 mileage fee. Zoning, special use and septic applications are priced separately.

Site plan required before a building permit

Under the county zoning regulations, building permit applications must come with an approved site plan, submitted as three hard copies and one electronic set; agricultural properties over 40 acres are exempt. Site plan review is coordinated by Garden City inside the growth area and by the County elsewhere. The site plan must show:

• The legal description and site address, with a title block, north arrow, scale and vicinity map
• Lot dimensions, setbacks and every existing and proposed building, with building elevations and a code footprint where applicable
• Parking, including accessible spaces and calculations, and the driveways in and out
• Signs, accessory buildings and any required landscaping
• Utility easements, service lines and meter sizes, and solid waste pickup points with screening
• Drainage, reviewed by the County Engineer, with stormwater pollution prevention documents where County or KDHE standards require them

Commercial, industrial and multifamily site plans (larger than a duplex) must be stamped by a Kansas-registered architect or engineer, and staff may send them to the planning commission. Review typically takes 7 to 14 days, and an approved site plan expires if no building permit is obtained within a year.

Trade permits, septic systems and wells

Electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical work in the unincorporated county is permitted and inspected by Garden City’s Building Inspections Division, using the same applications and Citizenserve portal as in the city; the forms carry a Finney County location box.

Septic systems are a County permit. Finney County approves or denies septic permits and inspects new septic tanks and systems under its Environmental Code (Resolution 34-92), throughout the unincorporated county including the growth area. Garden City Neighborhood & Development Services can take a septic application and the County’s application fee, but only forwards it to the County for a decision. Right-of-way and utility permits follow the same route.

In the Rural Residential district, the zoning regulations tie septic systems and wells to KDHE requirements and the County Building Official. If a septic system fails on a lot under 2 acres with no public sewer within 400 feet, it must be replaced by an aerated on-site sewage system with a treatment tank of at least 1,000 gallons per day, and new lots of 5 acres or less must connect to public sewer when it is within 400 feet.

How to get a building permit in rural Finney County

Inspections in the county

Garden City’s building inspectors inspect county projects. Chapter 18 charges the mileage fee with each permit for a structure outside the city limits to cover the required inspections, and bills any additional inspections separately at the rate in the fee schedule. Requests need at least 24 hours’ notice, and a permit becomes void if work does not start within 180 days or stops for more than 180 days. New septic tanks and systems are inspected by the County.

Local Finney County details

Roads: the County Road and Bridge Division (201 W. Maple, 620-272-3690) maintains about 234 miles of paved and 992 miles of gravel county roads.

Floodplain: inside the growth area Garden City administers the floodplain rules, with County engineering review; elsewhere the County administers them. The floodplain development permit and FEMA elevation certificate forms are on Garden City’s Planning and Zoning page.

Planning commission: rezonings, plats and special use permits go to the regional Holcomb–Garden City–Finney County Planning Commission, and the County Commission keeps the final decision on county rezonings, conditional uses and variances.

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 Finney County permitting resources

• Finney County Planning and Development
• Garden City–Finney County interlocal agreement, in the December 8, 2025 County Commission packet (PDF)
• Finney County special use permit applications (2026)
• Finney County Zoning Regulations (PDF)
• Garden City Building Permits & Inspections (serves Finney County)
• Citizenserve permit portal
• Site plan review application (PDF)
• Neighborhood & Development Services fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026 (PDF)
• Floodplain development permit application (PDF)
• Finney County GIS: FEMA flood zones
• Garden City Planning & Zoning: county and Holcomb regulations
• Finney County Road and Bridge Division

Finney County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in unincorporated Finney County?

Garden City’s Building Inspections Division, at 301 N. 8th Street (620-276-1120), under the interlocal agreement with the County.

Who issues septic permits in rural Finney County?

Finney County. It approves septic permits and inspects new systems under its Environmental Code; Garden City only accepts and forwards applications.

Which zoning rules apply to my rural lot?

Inside the Immediate Urban Growth Area around Garden City, the City’s zoning and building codes apply and Garden City handles zoning; elsewhere the County’s regulations apply and County Planning and Development handles zoning.

Do farm buildings need a building permit?

People and businesses engaged in agriculture on land designated agricultural are exempt from the building codes, and agricultural properties over 40 acres are exempt from site plan review.

Is there an extra fee for building outside Garden City?

Yes. A mileage fee, $15 in the 2026 schedule, is paid with the building permit for a structure outside the city limits.

Does a special use permit let me start building?

No. The County says a special use permit does not authorize construction; the building permit and other approvals still have to be obtained.

Simplify Finney 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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Finney County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.