Inside Gardner city limits, building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas permits come from the City’s Building & Inspections office at City Hall, 120 E. Main Street (913-856-0913, buildingpermits@gardnerkansas.gov). Applicants file the City’s building permit application, with sealed PDF plans for new buildings, and every hired contractor except fence and irrigation installers needs a Johnson County contractor’s licence. Fees follow the City’s July 1, 2023 Schedule of Fees: a house valued at $300,000 pays a $1,270 permit fee plus $127 for plan review.
What needs a permit in Gardner?
Gardner’s residential code requires a permit before anyone builds, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes a building, changes its use, or installs or replaces regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing or concrete work. The City lists these common projects:
Permit needed
- New homes, commercial buildings and tenant finishes
- Basement finishes, additions and remodels
- Re-roofing
- Outdoor sheds and other accessory buildings
- Lawn sprinkler systems
- Swimming pools and decks
- Fences and retaining walls
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas work
- Demolition, house moving and foundation repair
- New wall and freestanding signs
No building permit
- One-story detached sheds, playhouses and similar buildings of 120 sq ft or less
- Retaining walls not over 4 ft from the bottom of the footing, unless they hold back a surcharge
- Prefabricated pools less than 42 in deep
- Swings and playground equipment
- Painting, papering, tiling, carpet, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work
- Window signs, and temporary signs according to the City’s permit page (the fee schedule lists a $50 temporary sign fee)
The City’s permit page lists outdoor sheds among projects that need a permit, while its residential code exempts one-story detached sheds of 120 sq ft or less. Gardner’s amendments to the International Building Code also remove that code’s permit exemptions for fences up to 7 ft and for low sidewalks and driveways.
Who issues building permits in Gardner?
The Community Development Department’s Building & Inspections office reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction inside the city. Planning and Zoning, in the same department, handles site plans, home occupations and temporary uses. Some fire inspections are carried out by Johnson County Fire District No. 1.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | City Hall, 120 E. Main Street, Gardner, KS 66030 |
| Permits | 913-856-0913, buildingpermits@gardnerkansas.gov |
| Inspection hotline | 913-856-0989 (recorded line) |
| Planning and Zoning | 913-856-0913, planning@gardnerkansas.gov |
| City Hall main line | 913-856-7535 |
Land outside the city limits is unincorporated Johnson County, where the County’s Building Codes Division (111 S. Cherry St., Suite 2000, Olathe; 913-715-2200, option 1) issues permits.
Gardner building permit fees
The City’s current published Schedule of Fees is dated July 1, 2023, and most construction fees in it were set by Resolution 2113. A new building is valued at the greater of its square footage times the City’s Building Valuation Data rate (updated each January 1 to the latest International Code Council figures) or the estimated actual cost. Remodels, additions, tenant finishes, accessory structures and demolitions use the cost the applicant gives.
| Project valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $2,000 | $15 |
| $2,001 to $5,000 | $15 plus $10 for each additional $100 or fraction |
| $5,001 to $25,000 | $60 plus $8 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $25,001 to $100,000 | $220 plus $6 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $1,000,000 | $670 plus $3 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Over $1,000,000 | $3,370 plus $2 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Project valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $2,000 | $30 |
| $2,001 to $5,000 | $30 plus $25 for each additional $100 or fraction |
| $5,001 to $25,000 | $130 plus $12.50 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $25,001 to $100,000 | $380 plus $6 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $830 plus $4 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $5,000,000 | $2,430 plus $3 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Over $5,000,000 | $15,930 plus $2 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Plan review is charged on top of the permit fee: 10% for residential work ($15 minimum) and 60% for commercial work ($30 minimum). For example, a house valued at $300,000 pays $670 plus 200 × $3, a $1,270 permit, and $127 for plan review, $1,397 in all before trade permits. A $500,000 commercial project pays $830 plus 400 × $4, or $2,430, plus $1,458 for plan review.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Re-roofing | Residential: Table B1, $50 minimum; commercial: Table B2, $100 minimum. The same schedule also lists flat roofing permits of $50 residential and $75 commercial |
| Fence | $30 residential, $100 commercial |
| Deck, residential | $50 uncovered; $1 per sq ft covered |
| Swimming pool | $50 residential, $100 commercial |
| Retaining wall | $50 residential, $100 commercial |
| Foundation repair | $50 residential, $75 commercial |
| Demolition | $100 per building |
| Temporary certificate of occupancy | $100 per unit residential, $250 commercial |
| Permanent sign | $100 up to 50 sq ft, $150 up to 100 sq ft, $200 above |
| Land disturbance permit | $150 per acre, plus a bond to cover abatement |
A $100 re-inspection fee can be charged when a contractor interferes, earlier corrections were not made, the work was not ready or no address was posted. New water and sewer connections also carry system development fees; for a 5/8- or 3/4-inch meter they are $4,000 for water and $5,800 for wastewater. If no work has been done, the Code Official can refund up to 75% of a permit fee on a written request filed within 60 days of payment.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits
Building & Inspections issues separate electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas permits. Each costs $50 for residential work and $100 for commercial work under the 2023 schedule. Electrical work follows the 2017 National Electrical Code; plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas work follow the 2018 International codes as amended by the City.
Contractor licensing: anyone seeking a Gardner permit for building, electrical, fire, fuel gas, mechanical, plumbing or residential work needs a current Johnson County contractor’s licence. The City code exempts fence work, owner-occupants of one- and two-family homes and other ancillary structures the Building Official names; the City’s permit page also lets irrigation contractors work without the county licence. Johnson County Contractor Licensing (913-715-2233) issues the licences.
What to submit
New home
- Completed Building Permit Application
- One complete set of sealed digital construction plans in PDF
- One stamped and signed digital plot plan in PDF
- Johnson County licence details for each contractor and subcontractor
Commercial
- Completed Building Permit Application
- One complete set of sealed digital construction plans in PDF
- A site plan approved by, or submitted to, the Planning and Zoning Division
- For a tenant finish: the application and a sealed digital plan set
For smaller home projects the application is the starting point, and the City’s Building Resources & Guides page lists what else to attach for fences, accessory buildings, pools, decks, basement finishes, windows, foundations, roofs, garage doors and solar. A homeowner doing the work also submits the Statement of Homeowner Installation.
How to get a Gardner building permit
Unincorporated land around the city is permitted by Johnson County Building Codes instead.
Commercial projects need a site plan approved by or submitted to Planning and Zoning before the building permit.
Hired contractors need a Johnson County licence, except fence and irrigation installers; owner-occupants use the homeowner statement.
Fill in the City’s Building Permit Application and attach the sealed plans, plot plan or project guide items.
Send the package to buildingpermits@gardnerkansas.gov or bring it to City Hall; the permit fee and plan review fee are set from the valuation tables.
Request each inspection at 913-856-0989 and keep the site clean and erosion controls working so inspections are not held.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Gardner
The contractor or owner must request every inspection on the permit by calling the recorded Building Inspection Hotline at 913-856-0989. Leave the job address, permit number, type of inspection and whether you want a morning or afternoon visit; requests missing any of these are not scheduled. Calls made before 8:00 a.m. can be inspected the same day, and later calls are booked for the next day. Concrete pours are the exception: book the inspection the normal way, then call on the day to set a time that matches the delivery. To speak to staff, call 913-856-0913 rather than the hotline.
Inspections on a site stop until erosion controls required by Public Works Engineering are back in place, and until mud or debris tracked onto the public right-of-way is cleaned up. On new home sites a portable toilet must be within 500 ft from the footing inspection onward, with one unit for every five homes under construction.
Commercial special inspections: soils and earthwork, concrete and masonry, steel erection and welding, special fasteners, sprayed fire-resistant materials and stucco or EIFS need special inspections under IBC Chapter 17, and the agencies and inspectors must be identified to the City before construction starts. Using a third-party inspector needs written approval from the Plans Examiner at least one full business day before the inspection; the agency’s report is due within three business days, and the City reviews it within two business days.
Local Gardner details
Codes: Ordinance 2674, adopted September 8, 2020 and effective November 1, 2020, put the 2018 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire and Fuel Gas Codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code in place. Copies are kept for viewing at City Hall. The City’s residential code amendments, last revised by Ordinance 2882 on June 15, 2026, include rules for home energy storage systems and send pool, hot tub and spa design to the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Storm shelter for new homes: every house built under the residential code needs a secure basement area away from windows and doors, an interior safe room, or a detached shelter within 50 ft, built to ICC/NSSA-500 and sized for two people for the first bedroom plus one for each additional bedroom. Foundations must reach the 36 in frost line.
Owner-builders: the owner-occupant of a one- or two-family home may do the work without a county licence. A single-family homeowner doing their own work must live in the home as a primary residence for 12 consecutive months after the final inspection.
Other permits: land disturbance, right-of-way and sign permits are separate City applications; for solar permits the City refers applicants to 913-856-0980.
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 Gardner permit resources
- Gardner Building & Inspections: codes, submittals and contacts
- Gardner inspection requests and third-party inspections
- Gardner building resources and project guides
- Gardner Building Permit Application (PDF)
- Gardner Schedule of Fees, July 1, 2023 (PDF)
- Gardner licenses and permits directory
- Gardner Municipal Code, Title 15: buildings and construction
- Gardner ordinances, including Ordinance 2882 (2026 residential code revisions)
- Johnson County Contractor Licensing
- Johnson County Building Codes (unincorporated land)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Gardner permit FAQs
How much is a building permit for a new house in Gardner?
It depends on the valuation. A house valued at $300,000 pays a $1,270 permit fee plus a 10% plan review fee of $127, before trade permits and utility system development fees.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Gardner?
Yes. A residential re-roof is priced on the residential valuation table with a $50 minimum (the same schedule also lists a flat $50 roofing permit), and the roofer needs a Johnson County contractor’s licence.
Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?
A fence needs a permit ($30 for a home). The City’s permit page lists sheds among projects needing a permit, and its residential code exempts one-story detached sheds of 120 sq ft or less, so ask Building & Inspections (913-856-0913) about a small shed.
Can a homeowner pull a permit in Gardner?
Yes, for a one- or two-family home the owner occupies. File the Statement of Homeowner Installation with the application; a single-family homeowner doing their own work must live there for 12 months after the final inspection. Any contractor you hire still needs a Johnson County licence, except fence and irrigation contractors.
How do I schedule a building inspection?
Call the hotline at 913-856-0989 and leave the address, permit number, inspection type and preferred morning or afternoon. Requests made before 8:00 a.m. can be inspected the same day.
Which building codes does Gardner use?
The 2018 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire and Fuel Gas Codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code, as amended by the City.
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More Kansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Gardner permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.