Newton, Kansas Building Permit Guide

In Newton, building permits come from the City’s Building Inspection Office at City Hall, 201 E. 6th Street, third floor (316-284-6020, option 4), and you can apply online, by email or at the reception desk. The fee is set by project value under City Code 6-116.1, so a $250,000 house pays $1,539.11, and projects under the International Building Code, such as commercial and apartment buildings, add a separate plan review fee of 60%. Land outside the city is handled by Harvey County.

Who issues building permits in Newton?

Building inspection sits in the Engineering Division of Public Works, headed by City Engineer Chris Ciardella, with the Building & Zoning Administrator in charge of code enforcement. The office licenses building and trade contractors, reviews plans, issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and sewer tap permits and inspects the work. Under contract it also enforces the building codes in Walton and does most inspections in North Newton, which issues its own permits and contractor licences at its City Hall (316-283-7633).

Questions about building outside the city limits go to Harvey County Planning, Zoning and Environmental at 316-284-6940.

What needs a permit in Newton?

City Code 6-113 requires a building permit for any construction, remodeling, demolition, alteration or expansion, except non-structural repairs and remodeling worth less than $1,000, not counting electrical, mechanical and plumbing work. The City’s FAQ adds that do-it-yourself projects need a permit once materials pass $500, and that all new electrical, mechanical or plumbing work needs one.

The FAQ says every shed needs a permit, while the City’s adopted amendment to the 2018 IRC exempts one-story detached accessory buildings of 100 sq ft or less from a permit; the amended code is the adopted rule.

Permit costs and fees in Newton

Building permit fees follow the valuation table in City Code 6-116.1, which also applies to homes under the residential code. The value is the full cost of the work, including labor, finishes, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and the Building Official decides the figure.

For example, a $250,000 house pays $865.61 plus 150 × $4.49, or $1,539.11. Where the building code requires submittal documents, a plan review fee of 60% of the permit fee is paid when plans are submitted, on top of the permit fee: a $400,000 commercial building pays $2,212.61 for the permit and 60% of that ($1,327.57) for plan review: $3,540.18 in all. Incomplete or changed plans and deferred submittals are charged a further 75% of the permit fee.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits and licences

Trade permits are priced item by item under the City Code, each with a $20 issuance fee. Electrical permits add $10 for a service of 100 amps or less and $3 each for the first five circuits, with a $20 minimum; plumbing permits add $3 per fixture and $5 for a sewer or a replacement water heater; mechanical permits add $10 for a furnace up to 100,000 Btu.

Every building, electrical, mechanical or plumbing contractor working in Newton needs a City licence. General contractors hold Class A (any building), B (up to three stories), C (homes up to two stories and three units, plus non-structural commercial remodels) or D (repairs and remodels of one- to four-family homes), at $200, $150, $125 and $125 a year, backed by an ICC or other approved testing certificate and liability and workers’ compensation insurance of $500,000 for Classes A and B or $300,000 for C and D. Trade contractors pay $150 a year, masters $40 and journeymen $20, with an approved testing certificate, 12 hours of continuing education every 2 years and $500,000 of liability coverage. The City posts a current list of licensed contractors.

Owner-occupants may work on their own house without a licence, but hired electrical, mechanical or plumbing work must be done by a licensed contractor, and any other residential or commercial project needs a licensed contractor.

What to submit

The building permit application asks for the owner, project address, legal description, type of work, use, square footage, valuation and each contractor, including the state roofing registration number for roofing work. Plans drawn to scale must show the nature of the work, though the inspector can waive them for minor jobs, and a plot plan at a scale no smaller than 1 to 100 must show all new and existing structures, distances from lot lines and street grades. New construction needs a certified boundary survey, and where lot corner elevations are set by a grading plan, a certified elevation certificate is due before the certificate of occupancy.

Plans for public and semi-public buildings, and for any building costing $30,000 or more other than a one- or two-family home, must be prepared by a licensed architect or engineer, as must industrial buildings of 3,500 sq ft or more, which also need fire lanes approved by the Fire Code Official on the plot plan. Pool permits need a plot plan showing the pool’s position against property lines and buildings.

How to get a building permit in Newton

Newton inspections

Call the Engineering Office at 316-284-6020 with the address, the type of inspection and the time you want; inspectors prefer 24 hours’ notice. New buildings and additions get at least four inspections: the stake-out, steel in the footings and walls, framing with the rough electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and the final. Curb cuts and driveway approaches are inspected too.

A permit becomes void if work does not start within 6 months or stops for 6 months. After a passing final inspection, the Building Official issues a certificate of occupancy showing the permit number, address and zoning.

Local Newton rules

Fences: no permit, but fences are limited to 6 ft in side and rear yards and 4 ft in front yards, and electrified and barbed wire fences are not allowed.

Sheds and pools: sheds must be 10 ft from the house and anchored, with property-line setbacks of 3 ft for 100 sq ft or less and 5 or 7 ft above that depending on the subdivision; buildings over 150 sq ft need a permanent foundation 30 inches below grade. Pools must be 7 ft from the house, 10 ft horizontally from overhead power lines and 5 ft from underground lines.

Floodplain: any development in the 100-year floodplain along Sand Creek and Slate Creek, including filling, excavation and fences, needs a Floodplain Development Permit under Chapter 15 of the zoning regulations. Newton takes part in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which discounts flood insurance premiums.

Historic districts: Newton has two downtown commercial historic districts and one residential district, and building or sign permits for listed properties are reviewed first; submit the Certificate of Appropriateness application with the building permit (HP@newtonkansas.com, 316-284-6001).

Zoning changes: rezonings go to the Newton Area Planning Commission and then the City Commission, under the zoning regulations adopted in August 2022.

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 Newton permit resources

• Newton building, zoning and planning
• Newton permit applications and fee schedule
• Newton online permit portal
• Newton building and zoning FAQ
• Newton contractor licences
• Newton building permit application (PDF)
• Newton City Code, Chapter VI Article 1a: building code and fees
• Newton City Code, Chapter VI Article 1e: residential code
• Newton flooding and floodplain permits
• Newton historic preservation
• Harvey County permit fees and applications (land outside the city)

Newton permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Newton?

It is based on project value: $865.61 for the first $100,000 plus $4.49 for each extra $1,000 up to $500,000, so $1,539.11 for a $250,000 house.

Is the plan review fee added to the permit fee?

Yes. When the building code requires submittal documents, the 60% plan review fee is a separate charge on top of the permit fee, not a deposit.

Do I need a permit for a fence or patio?

No permit is needed for a fence, a concrete patio on grade or a wood deck under 30 inches, but fences must meet the height limits and stay within the property lines.

Can I do work on my own house?

Owner-occupants can work on their own house without a contractor’s licence, but they still need permits, and hired electrical, mechanical or plumbing work must be done by a licensed contractor.

Which codes does Newton use?

The 2024 International Building, Mechanical, Existing Building and Fire Codes, the 2018 International Residential Code, the 2011 National Electrical Code and the 2009 plumbing and fuel gas codes.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 316-284-6020 with the address and inspection type; the City prefers 24 hours’ notice.

Who permits North Newton and Walton?

North Newton issues its own permits and contractor licences (316-283-7633), with most inspections done by Newton’s inspectors under contract. Newton’s staff also enforce the building codes in Walton by contract.

Simplify Newton 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 Newton permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.