Rural Nemaha County has no building permit: the Land Development Code the County Commission adopted on July 6, 2026 (Resolution 2026-5) states the commission’s intent that no building permit requirement be added to it. Homes, farm buildings and most other uses are allowed by right; a conditional use permit is needed only for listed large-scale uses, and a new septic system needs a $325 permit from NEK Environmental Services. Seneca, Sabetha and Centralia issue their own building permits.
What needs a county permit in Nemaha County?
The whole county is in one “AG” Agricultural District, except the areas around Seneca and Sabetha that those cities zone. In the AG district every use is allowed by right unless the code lists it as needing a conditional use permit. The code also applies inside any city that has not adopted its own zoning.
Conditional use permit needed
- Data centers, server farms, cryptocurrency mining and similar high-demand power or water uses
- Wind farms, solar farms, ethanol plants, power plants, electricity transfer stations, electrical and battery storage, transmission lines over 115 kV, oil and gas storage
- Commercial slaughterhouses over 25,000 sq ft
- Landfills, hazardous waste and waste tire sites, and disposal of wind turbine blades
- Airports and landing fields, commercial mining and rock quarries
- Correction or detention centers and sexually-oriented businesses
- Broadcast or microwave towers and any tower 100 feet or taller (grain storage is not counted)
No county building permit
- Houses, additions and accessory buildings
- Barns, grain bins and other farm buildings
- Other uses not on the conditional use list
A septic system or lagoon still needs a wastewater permit from NEK Environmental Services, and a new water well needs a well permit.
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Get a free quote →Who issues permits in Nemaha County?
The county has no building department. Applications for a conditional use permit or a rezoning go in writing to the county’s Zoning Administrator, and the Nemaha County Planning Commission holds the hearing. The County Clerk’s office at 607 Nemaha St., Seneca (785-336-2170) keeps a copy of the zoning maps and handles county permits and licences.
Septic systems, lagoons and wells are permitted and inspected by NEK Environmental Services (NEKES), an office shared by Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Jackson and Nemaha counties: 201 S. Main St., Troy, phone 785-985-2778. Inside the cities:
| Town | Who issues building permits |
|---|---|
| Sabetha (2,467 residents in Nemaha County) | City of Sabetha: the City Clerk issues the permit after the Chief Building Official approves it, under the 2009 International Building Code. The city code sets the fee at $100 for a house or other building, $50 for a fence or detached accessory building and $25 for a sign. City office, 805 Main St., 785-284-2158. Sabetha zones the area around the city, and part of the city lies in Brown County. |
| Seneca (pop. 2,139) | City of Seneca: the Development Administrator issues building, demolition and sign permits. The Seneca Zoning Ordinance covers the city and a 3-mile radius around it. City Hall, 531 Main St., 785-336-2747. |
| Centralia (pop. 485) | City of Centralia: the City Council must approve a building permit before any project starts in city limits, and a lot in a floodplain needs a state permit first. Demolition also needs a city permit. City Hall, 517 4th St., 785-857-3764. |
| Wetmore (338), Corning (206), Bern (161), Goff (107), Oneida (58) | The published sources do not say; ask the city clerk. If a city has not adopted zoning, the county Land Development Code applies inside it. |
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Get a free quote →Septic systems, lagoons and wells
To build a new private wastewater system, fill in the NEKES permit application, sign the front and back, and add a drawing of the site showing the house, driveway, nearby creeks or ponds, and existing and planned utilities. Hand it in with the $325 fee at the NEKES office or the Nemaha County Clerk’s office. NEKES then visits for a site evaluation and sends the results, which you give to your installer.
Only installers licensed by NEKES may build the system. When the work is finished the homeowner must tell NEKES, which makes a final inspection and sends a final use permit. Lagoons must be fenced to the county’s Environmental Health Code, and septic systems need a final drawing, before that permit is issued.
New water wells need a NEKES permit before drilling and must be drilled by a driller licensed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; NEKES then inspects the well and screens the water. The county code also calls for NEKES evaluations of onsite systems on properties being sold, leased, rented or used after the code took effect.
The county does not issue electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits.
Nemaha County permit fees
Under the code, the County Commission sets the application fee for conditional uses and rezonings; ask the County Clerk for the current amount. Septic and well fees come from the NEKES fee schedule effective February 1, 2024:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| New wastewater system, residential or new construction (up to 3 trips) | $325 |
| Small commercial wastewater permit | $500 |
| Alteration or major repair of a system | $325 |
| Minor repair (tees, sewer pipe, risers, same-size tank) | $100 |
| New water well permit, with basic water screening | $125 |
| Soil profile | $125 |
| Sale or refinance septic evaluation, more than 10 working days’ notice | $325 |
| Sale or refinance septic evaluation, less than 10 working days | $425 |
| Property owner consultation (one trip) | $125 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →NEKES adds 4% to card payments.
What a conditional use application needs
A conditional use application is not complete, and will not be set for a hearing, until it includes a development plan. The plan must be approved before any construction and shows:
- A topographic survey at contour intervals of no more than 2 feet, at a scale of at least 1 inch to 100 feet, with the legal description, boundaries, utilities, easements and natural features
- Existing and proposed contours
- The location of every existing and proposed building and structure
- Parking areas, with the number and layout of spaces
- Screening and planting
- Pedestrian and vehicle circulation and its link to public roads
The applicant also supplies a certified list of the owners of land within 1,000 feet and proof of ownership or the owner’s written consent.
How a conditional use permit is approved
Confirm the land is outside city limits and outside the Seneca and Sabetha zoning areas shown on the county maps.
If the project is not on the conditional use list, no county zoning approval is needed.
Submit the written application, development plan and owner list, and pay the application fee.
Within 48 hours of filing, put up the “Conditional Use Permit Pending” sign, approved by the Zoning Administrator, at your own cost.
The hearing is held within 60 days of a complete application, after newspaper notice at least 20 days ahead and mailed notice to neighbors within 1,000 feet at least 10 days ahead.
Construction may start only once the development plan is approved.
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Get a free quote →Inspections in Nemaha County
The county does not inspect buildings. NEKES carries out the site evaluation before a septic system is installed and the final inspection before the final use permit, and inspects new wells. Building inspections happen only inside the cities that permit construction.
Local details for Nemaha County
Seneca and Sabetha zones: land in the two cities’ extraterritorial zoning areas is left out of the county code; Seneca’s zoning covers a 3-mile radius around the city.
Wind farms: the existing Soldier Creek Wind Project is not limited by the code, but any expansion of its scope needs a conditional use permit.
When the code took effect: Resolution 2026-5 took effect on publication in the official county newspaper after its adoption on July 6, 2026, by a 2–1 vote of the commission.
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 Nemaha County permitting resources
- Nemaha County Land Development Code (Resolution 2026-5, July 6, 2026)
- Resolution 2026-5 adopting the Land Development Code
- Nemaha County Planning Commission (minutes, maps and code)
- Nemaha County Clerk
- NEK Environmental Services: Nemaha County wastewater permits
- NEKES forms (septic, well and repair permit applications)
- NEKES fee schedule (effective February 1, 2024)
- City of Seneca planning and zoning
- City of Sabetha building permit applications
- City of Sabetha code, Chapter 4: buildings and construction
- City of Centralia building and demolition permits
Nemaha County permit FAQs
Do I need a building permit to build a house in rural Nemaha County?
No. The county issues no building permits, and a house is allowed by right in the AG district. You still need a NEKES septic permit if the house needs a private system.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a septic permit in Nemaha County?
$325 for a new residential system under the NEKES fee schedule effective February 1, 2024. You can hand in the application at the NEKES office or the County Clerk’s office.
What needs a conditional use permit?
Uses such as data centers, wind and solar farms, power plants, battery storage, large transmission lines, landfills, quarries, airports, large slaughterhouses and towers of 100 feet or more.
When was the Land Development Code adopted?
On July 6, 2026, by Resolution 2026-5. It took effect when it was published in the official county newspaper.
Who issues permits in Seneca and Sabetha?
The cities do: Seneca’s Development Administrator (City Hall, 785-336-2747) and the Sabetha City Clerk after the Chief Building Official approves the plans (785-284-2158).
Who do I call about wells?
NEK Environmental Services in Troy, 785-985-2778. A new water well permit costs $125 and includes a basic water screening.
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More Kansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Nemaha County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.