Building permits in Merriam are issued by the City’s Community Development Department at Merriam City Hall, 9001 W. 62nd Street (913-322-5520). Residential permits can be filed online and are processed and issued 1 to 2 business days after the application and payment arrive; commercial applications are emailed or brought to City Hall. Under the Schedule of Fees approved on November 10, 2025, a project valued at $200,000 pays a $1,553.75 building permit fee.
What needs a permit in Merriam?
A permit is needed for most renovation and construction work, including changes to a building’s electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems. The City groups its permits like this:
Permit needed
- New houses, attached homes, modular homes and multi-family buildings
- Additions, alterations and remodels
- Re-roofs
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and HVAC work
- Fire repair and foundation repair
- Decks, swimming pools, garages and carports
- Driveways and fences
- Solar panels
- Retaining walls over 4 ft
- Accessory structures larger than 150 sq ft
No building permit
- Accessory structures under 150 sq ft, which still must meet setbacks
- Non-structural interior updates
- Replacing the siding on a home
Commercial building permits are filed on the City’s paper application rather than online. Signs, temporary signs and dumpsters or portable storage units on a site without an active building permit have their own City permits.
Who issues building permits in Merriam?
Community Development runs planning, zoning, plan review, construction inspections, code compliance and rental licensing for the City. The City’s Building Official performs every commercial and residential plan review and inspection.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Merriam City Hall, 9001 W. 62nd Street, Merriam, KS 66202 (front desk on the lower level) |
| Phone | 913-322-5520 |
| ComDev@merriam.org | |
| Online filing | Residential building permits only, through the City’s online portal |
| City Hall main line | 913-322-5500 |
City permits cover only property inside Merriam. Overland Park provides the City’s fire protection, including fire code inspections.
Merriam building permit fees
Merriam’s Schedule of Fees for January 2026, approved on November 10, 2025, prices building permits on the total valuation of the work, materials plus labor, using a table based on the 1997 Uniform Building Code.
| Project valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $500 | $23.50 |
| $501 to $2,000 | $23.50 plus $3.05 for each additional $100 or fraction |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $69.25 plus $14 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $391.95 plus $10.10 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $643.75 plus $7 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $993.75 plus $5.60 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,233.75 plus $4.75 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Over $1,000,000 | $5,608.75 plus $3.65 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
For example, a $200,000 project pays $993.75 plus 100 × $5.60, a $1,553.75 building permit fee. The schedule sets no separate plan review fee for houses. Multi-family, office, commercial and industrial projects reviewed by City staff pay 35% of the expected building permit fee for plan review, so the same $200,000 valuation on an office project adds $543.81; review by outside consultants is billed at actual cost.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Fence | $30 residential, $50 commercial |
| Driveway replacement | $40 |
| Floodplain development permit | $100 |
| Permanent sign | $25 plus 5% of the sign’s valuation |
| Temporary sign | $25 |
| Reinspection | $47 an hour |
| Inspection outside normal hours | $47 an hour, two-hour minimum |
| Extra plan review after changes to approved plans | $47 an hour, half-hour minimum, or actual cost |
| Permit renewal | 50% of the original permit fee |
Starting work before the permit is issued brings an extra fee set by the Building Official. If no work has been done, up to 80% of a permit fee can be refunded on a written request made within 180 days of payment.
Trade work and contractor licences
Residential electrical, plumbing, mechanical and HVAC work is filed under the residential alterations permit type, and the application lists the general, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, framing and roofing contractors on the job.
Every contractor working in Merriam must be licensed through the Johnson County Contractor Licensing Program and hold a current Merriam Occupational License; the 2026 occupational licence fee for out-of-town building contractors, plumbers and electricians is $90. Fence and driveway contractors do not need the Johnson County licence. Roofers also give their State of Kansas roofing registration number on the application.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →What to submit
Every application needs a site plan and a construction plan for the proposed work, the valuation of the work (materials plus labor) and each contractor’s Johnson County and Merriam licence numbers. Use the property address, not the property ID, when applying online. The City’s project brochures add:
- Decks: a drawing of the deck’s structural members and a site plan showing the deck’s position to the property lines and the house.
- Fences: a plot plan or survey showing the fence location, with the finished side facing out.
- Accessory buildings: a plot plan with the size and location; for a shed of 150 sq ft or less, staff initial and date the plot plan instead of issuing a permit.
- Pools and hot tubs: a site plan with the pool or tub, its equipment, its size and its distance to property lines; a hot tub on a deck needs engineered plans for the weight.
A permit becomes void if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days.
How to get a Merriam building permit
Hire contractors with Johnson County and Merriam licences, or confirm you live in the home if you plan to do the work yourself.
Show the work, its dimensions and its distance to property lines, and work out the full valuation.
File residential permits online by property address; email or bring commercial applications to City Hall. Owner-builders apply in person.
Permits are issued only once approved and paid in full; online residential filings take 1 to 2 business days.
Call Community Development at 913-322-5520 when each stage is ready.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Merriam
Inspections are requested through Community Development at 913-322-5520, and the Building Official carries them out. A pool, for example, gets an electrical rough-in and bonding inspection and a final inspection. A reinspection is billed at $47 an hour, and inspections outside normal hours have a two-hour minimum at the same rate. The City publishes a monthly map of open building permits.
Local Merriam details
Codes: Merriam adopted the 2018 building and fire codes, which took effect on January 1, 2021.
Homeowners: an owner may do the work only on a home they occupy. They sign an Owner Occupant Affidavit and apply in person at City Hall; for a property the owner does not live in, a licensed contractor must do the work.
Residential setbacks: in the R-1 to R-4 districts decks keep 30 ft from the front property line, 25 ft from the rear and 7 ft from the sides. Detached accessory buildings need a 7 ft side setback, must stand behind the rear building line of the house, at least 60 ft from the front lot line and 10 ft from the home.
Dumpsters and storage pods: they may stay up to 15 days with a Community Development permit, on a hard surface and never in the street or right-of-way; no separate permit is needed while a building permit is active.
Grants: the City offers exterior home improvement and residential sustainability grants that can help pay for permitted projects such as roofs, decks, windows and solar.
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 Merriam permit resources
- Merriam building permits: permit types, licensing and online filing
- Merriam Community Development: codes, forms and brochures
- Merriam building permit application (PDF)
- Merriam Schedule of Fees, January 2026, approved November 10, 2025 (PDF)
- Merriam residential decks brochure (PDF)
- Merriam residential accessory structures brochure (PDF)
- Merriam swimming pools and hot tubs brochure (PDF)
- Merriam occupational license application (PDF)
- Merriam City Council packet, October 12, 2026 (2024 codes, first reading)
- Johnson County Contractor Licensing
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Merriam permit FAQs
How much is a building permit in Merriam?
It is based on valuation. A $200,000 project pays $1,553.75 under the 2026 schedule. Houses pay no separate plan review fee; commercial, office, industrial and multi-family projects add 35% of the permit fee for plan review.
How long does it take to get a permit?
Online residential permits are processed and issued 1 to 2 business days after the application and payment are submitted.
Do I need a permit for a shed or fence in Merriam?
A fence needs a permit ($30 for a home). A shed under 150 sq ft does not, but bring a plot plan so staff can confirm the location meets setbacks.
Can I pull my own permit as a homeowner?
Only for a home you live in. Sign the Owner Occupant Affidavit and apply in person at City Hall.
Do contractors need a licence to work in Merriam?
Yes: a Johnson County contractor licence and a Merriam Occupational License. Fence and driveway contractors do not need the county licence.
Can commercial permits be filed online?
No. Only residential permits can be filed online; commercial applications are submitted in person or by email to City Hall.
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More Kansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Merriam permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.