Leavenworth County Planning and Zoning, Suite 212 of the courthouse at 300 Walnut Street in Leavenworth (913-684-0465, PZ@LeavenworthCounty.gov), issues building permits for the unincorporated county. Applications go in person, by email or through the online form, and are processed in 5 to 10 business days once complete and paid. A new single-family home permit costs a flat $4,600, and since January 1, 2026 new construction must follow the 2012 International Residential and Building Codes.
The same department administers the zoning and subdivision regulations, the county Sanitary Code, floodplain development and entrance reviews. The county does not send its own inspectors to check framing or wiring: under Resolution 2025-37 the building official accepts written inspection reports from approved agencies or individuals, and for commercial buildings an affidavit of code compliance signed by the design professional takes the place of a certificate of occupancy; the residential code’s certificate-of-occupancy section was removed. The cities of Leavenworth, Lansing, Basehor, Tonganoxie and Linwood handle permits inside their own limits.
Unincorporated Leavenworth County, including Easton and Kickapoo townships, which the 2020 code adoption had left out. The cities are listed in the next section.
New codes from January 1, 2026. Resolution 2025-37, adopted on November 12, 2025, applies the 2012 International Residential Code and the 2012 International Building Code to new residential and commercial construction across the whole unincorporated county, replacing the 2020 adoption. The codes cover new buildings and any project that replaces, rebuilds or adds 51% or more of a building, and then only the new portion.
What requires a building permit in Leavenworth County?
Every residential, accessory or commercial structure in the unincorporated county needs a building permit unless it is under 200 square feet, and the structure must be used for the purpose the permit was bought for. A permit is valid for one year from issue.
Permit required
- New homes, secondary dwelling units and home replacements
- Accessory structures such as pole barns and outbuildings
- Building additions
- Pools and ponds
- Commercial buildings, after site plan approval
- Carports
- Ground-mounted solar panels
- New decks
No building permit
- Structures under 200 square feet
- Roofing
- Roof-mounted solar panels
- Deck replacements on the same footprint
- Unenclosed carports
- Interior modifications
Agricultural buildings carry a $0 permit fee once the county approves an agricultural exemption application, and they must still meet the zoning and subdivision regulations. Repairs to less than 51% of a building do not need a permit under the 2026 code resolution.
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
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Get a free quote →Leavenworth County building department: who handles permitting
Planning and Zoning is the building, sanitary and floodplain office for the unincorporated county. Its Director, John Jacobson, is the building official under Resolution 2025-37 and may appoint another building official. Appeals on the building codes go to the Board of Building Codes Appeals, which must meet within five business days of an appeal application. Entrance culverts on county roads are approved and inspected by Public Works (913-727-1800).
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 300 Walnut Street, Suite 212 (second floor of the county courthouse), Leavenworth, KS 66048 |
| Phone and email | 913-684-0465; PZ@LeavenworthCounty.gov |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| Online | Building Permit Online Application on the county website; call if no receipt arrives within 2 business days |
| Payment | Check, cash, or card by phone (the card processor adds a percentage fee) |
| City (2025 pop.) | Who issues building permits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leavenworth (37,012) | City of Leavenworth Inspections and Permits Division | 913-684-0378, permits@leavenworthks.gov |
| Lansing (11,331) | City of Lansing | Building permits through the city’s online applications and permits portal |
| Basehor (8,249) | City of Basehor Planning Department | The department covers planning, engineering and building inspection |
| Tonganoxie (6,208) | City of Tonganoxie | City building inspection and code enforcement |
| Linwood (432) | City of Linwood | Applications go to the city Planning and Zoning Commission (second Tuesday of the month, 7:00 pm) and then to the City Council |
| Easton (209) | Not stated on the city’s website | Ask City Hall, 913-773-8146 |
| Bonner Springs and De Soto (small parts) | Their own cities | Bonner Springs Building Codes and Permits; De Soto permit application forms |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Leavenworth County authorized 93 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
A new house needs the property deed, a scaled site plan, building plans showing square footage, a passing soil profile from a licensed septic installer, and letters from the electric and water providers (or a note that the home will be on a well). The site plan shows every building, the septic system and lateral field, and the driveway centerline measured from the property line; the entrance review is part of the house permit, so no separate entrance permit is needed. The county’s 2012 IRC amendments set a 20 psf ground snow load, 110 mph wind design speed and 36-inch frost depth, require ice and water shield on all new and replacement roof coverings, delete the energy chapter and the sprinkler section, and adopt appendices B, F, H, J and M.
Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.
Commercial permits
Commercial work needs site plan approval under Article 27 of the zoning and subdivision regulations before the building permit, with plans by a licensed architect, engineer, surveyor, landscape architect or another person the Director approves. The minimum commercial permit fee is $4,600, including any traffic impact fees. The county’s IBC points to the fire code adopted by the State of Kansas in place of the International Fire Code, and its energy chapter is deleted. In 2026 the commission paused new applications for data centers (Resolution 2026-16) and battery energy storage facilities (Resolution 2026-17) while it writes regulations for them.
For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.
Setbacks
The permit application lists the common setbacks: at least 105 feet from the road centerline along road frontage (except on K-7 and State Avenue), 40 feet from the property line on internal subdivision roads, 15 feet from side lines, and 40 feet from the rear line for a house or 15 feet for an accessory structure.
Kansas has no state licence for general contractors or the main trades; cities and counties license them under state rules. Roofers register with the Attorney General. Kansas rules
Leavenworth County permit costs and fees
Permit fees are flat amounts from the Planning and Zoning fee schedule adjusted by Resolution 2020-46 on November 25, 2020; the county’s posted resolutions for 2025 and 2026 do not change it.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| New single-family home | $4,600 |
| Home replacement; accessory dwelling unit | $800 each |
| Residential addition | $80 under 500 sq ft; $135 for 500 sq ft or more |
| Deck | $30 |
| Accessory building or addition | $30 under 500 sq ft; $80 for 500 sq ft or more; agricultural $0 with an approved exemption |
| Commercial building | $4,600 minimum, including any traffic impact fees |
| Commercial addition | $250 under 500 sq ft; $275 for 500 sq ft or more |
| Commercial accessory building | $200 under 500 sq ft; $300 for 500 sq ft or more |
| Building permit renewal | $25 |
| Floodplain permit; sign permit; site plan review | $100; $75; $50 |
| New septic permit; percolation test inspection; septic repair | $150; $100; $50 |
| Engineered system compliance | $500 |
| Real estate resale inspection by county staff (when owner and buyer dispute the results) | $150 |
| Entrance permit (Public Works) | $150, of which $100 is a bond refunded after the entrance passes inspection |
Rather not deal with the Leavenworth County building department?
Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
County requirements
- Septic systems are installed by contractors on the county’s approved list of installers, inspectors, haulers and designers; a homeowner may get a one-time installer licence for $75
- Parcels under 2.5 acres need an engineered wastewater system, and poor soils can require one on larger lots
- A lagoon is considered only when a septic or alternative system will not work, on a tract of at least 5 acres with 300 feet of road frontage, and that tract may not be split further
- A real estate resale inspection is required for the septic system or lagoon of every habitable structure (Resolution 2011-12)
- The building permit application names the contractor and the septic installer
Not issued by the county
- The county publishes no separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits or trade licences
- Electrical repair work is listed among the items exempt from a permit in the county’s 2012 IRC and IBC amendments
Trade work is permitted separately under the codes the jurisdiction has adopted. Kansas rules
How to apply for a Leavenworth County building permit
Use the county interactive map for zoning and floodplain, and check that the land is outside the cities; only the owner on the deed may apply unless an Owner Authorization form is attached.
A county-approved installer digs the soil profile; the private sewage permit needs the profile, the number of bedrooms and a site plan with a 5,000 sq ft replacement area (10,000 sq ft set aside in total).
Deed, scaled site plan, building plans with square footage, and electric and water service letters or a well note.
Commercial projects need site plan approval under Article 27 before the building permit can be issued.
Apply in person, by email or through the online form; staff check the file for completeness, then payment is taken and processing takes 5 to 10 business days.
Construction must meet the 2012 IRC or IBC as amended; commercial projects submit the notarized affidavit of code compliance after construction, and the building official may require one on other projects.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Review starts only when every required document is in and the fee is paid, and payment does not guarantee approval. A file missing the deed, the utility letters or a site plan that shows the septic system and the driveway centerline waits until those arrive.
Inspections in Leavenworth County
Resolution 2025-37 removed the county’s duty to inspect permitted work and to issue certificates of occupancy. Instead, the building official may accept written inspection reports certified by approved agencies or individuals, and the IBC certificate of occupancy is replaced by an affidavit of code compliance stamped and signed by the original registered design professional. The county’s affidavit form is signed by the owner and the engineer of record, with a PE licence number, and notarized. County staff still inspect septic systems and percolation tests, and Public Works inspects new entrances after the applicant reports that the culvert is in.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Leavenworth County permit search and official resources
- Leavenworth County Planning and Zoning — the department, its zoning and its permitting
- Building permit information — what needs a permit, how to apply and processing time
- Building permit online application — the county’s online submission form
- Resolution 2025-37, building codes — 2012 IRC and IBC with county amendments, effective January 1, 2026
- Planning and Zoning fee schedule — permit, sanitary and development fees adjusted November 25, 2020
- Building permit application (2026 edition) — required documents, site plan and septic requirements, setbacks
- Affidavit of code compliance — owner and engineer of record certification
- Septic information — Sanitary Code, approved contractors and resale inspections
- Entrance permit information — entrance fee, bond and procedure
- Floodplain information — when a floodplain development permit is needed
- Kansas State Board of Technical Professions — when a licensed architect or engineer must seal the drawings
- Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal — the Kansas Fire Prevention Code, mandatory statewide
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
How much is a building permit for a new house in Leavenworth County?
$4,600 for a new single-family home under the 2020 fee schedule, plus $150 for a new septic permit and $100 for the percolation test inspection where needed.
Which building codes apply in unincorporated Leavenworth County?
The 2012 International Residential Code and 2012 International Building Code with county amendments, adopted by Resolution 2025-37 and in force from January 1, 2026 for new construction.
Do I need a permit for a shed?
Not if it is under 200 square feet. A pole barn or outbuilding of 200 square feet or more needs a permit; the fee is $30 under 500 square feet and $80 for 500 square feet or more, or $0 for an approved agricultural building.
Does the county inspect construction?
Not under the 2026 code resolution. The building official may accept inspection reports from approved agencies or individuals; commercial buildings file an affidavit of code compliance instead of receiving a certificate of occupancy, and houses no longer receive one.
How long does a permit take?
Allow 5 to 10 business days after the application is complete and paid.
Does the county issue permits inside Lansing or Tonganoxie?
No. Leavenworth, Lansing, Basehor, Tonganoxie and Linwood handle permits inside their limits; for Easton the published sources do not say.
Simplify Leavenworth County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Leavenworth County has a federal boundary, a township layer and a growing rural edge. We place the parcel against all three before design rather than after.
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Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Leavenworth County Planning and Zoning Department, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Kansas permitting guides
More Kansas permitting guides
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Read guide →Lenexa Building Permit Guide
Read guide →Liberal Building Permit Guide
Read guide →This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Leavenworth County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.