In unincorporated Riley County, a building permit from the Planning and Development Department is required before you build, rebuild, remodel, move, add to or change the use of any building or structure of 49 square feet or more. The department is on the second floor of 110 Courthouse Plaza in Manhattan, Room B212 (785-537-6332). A house permit costs $150 and a commercial building $225, and the fee doubles if work starts before the permit is issued.
The permit checks zoning, setbacks and Sanitary Code compliance. Riley County has adopted no building codes, and its inspector looks at whether the building sits the right distance from property lines, not at how it is built; the county notes that the State Fire Marshal may require compliance with the 2006 International Building Code. The same office houses Environmental Health, which permits septic systems and lagoons. Structures on land owned by the United States government and buildings owned by Kansas State University or the State of Kansas need no county permit.
Unincorporated Riley County. Manhattan, Ogden and Riley issue permits inside their limits; the town list is in the next section.
A permit, but no construction inspection. Riley County requires a building permit in every zoning district but has adopted no building code, so the inspection covers setbacks and zoning only. Commercial, industrial, multi-family, assembly and agritourism projects must first obtain code compliance approval from Riley County Fire District #1 before the permit application is processed.
What requires a building permit in Riley County?
Each category of structure needs its own permit. When a principal and an accessory structure are built at the same time, the combined fee is $50 above the principal structure’s fee.
Permit required
- Homes, including site-built, modular and shop-house dwellings
- Manufactured homes outside a mobile home park, which must sit on a permanent foundation
- Garages, accessory and agricultural accessory buildings, grain bins, storage containers and portable structures
- Additions, remodels, decks, porches and in-ground swimming pools
- Commercial and industrial buildings
- Floodplain development, on a separate floodplain permit
No permit
- Buildings or structures under 49 square feet
- Driveways, sidewalks and fences, unless a fence would block vision at a street intersection
- Structures on land owned by the United States government
- Buildings owned by Kansas State University or the State of Kansas
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →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
Riley County building department: who handles permitting
Planning and Development issues building, floodplain and sign permits and assigns addresses; its Environmental Health Division handles septic systems, lagoons and private wells. The Director is Amanda Webb. Riley County Fire District #1 (785-537-6333) reviews fire code compliance for commercial and other non-residential projects before the county processes the permit.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 110 Courthouse Plaza, second floor, Room B212, Manhattan, KS 66502 |
| Phone | 785-537-6332; fax 785-537-6331 |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday 7:30 am to 5:00 pm; Friday 7:30 am to noon |
| Fire code review | Riley County Fire District #1, 785-537-6333 |
| City (2025 pop.) | Who issues building permits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan (Riley County part, 54,672) | Risk Reduction, Manhattan Fire Department | 2000 Denison Avenue, 785-587-4506 |
| Ogden (1,655) | City of Ogden Code Services | 785-539-0311 |
| Riley (956) | City of Riley | City building permit application on the permits, licenses and forms page |
| Leonardville (442), Randolph (159) | Not stated in published sources | Ask the city before building; the county FAQ notes that city building code rules vary |
In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Riley County authorized 20 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
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Get a free quote →Permit types
Residential permits
Riley County publishes separate applications for a site-built, modular or shop-house dwelling, a manufactured home, an accessory or agricultural accessory building, and additions, remodels, pools, decks and porches. Before adding plumbing or bedrooms, or anything else that raises the wastewater load, owners are asked to have Environmental Health check that the septic system is sized for it. The property address is assigned when the house permit is issued. Buildings generally sit at least 25 feet back from all right-of-way lines, with different setbacks along major and minor trafficways and side and rear setbacks that vary by zoning district.
Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit filing, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.
Commercial permits
Commercial, industrial, multi-family, places of assembly and agritourism facilities start with Riley County Fire District #1, which reviews fire code compliance; its approval documents must accompany the commercial-industrial building permit application. The county itself does no construction plan review.
For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.
Floodplain and signs
Development in a mapped floodplain needs a floodplain development permit, and signs have their own permit.
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
Riley County permit costs and fees
Planning and Development fees are set by Resolution 100724-46, adopted on October 7, 2024.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee | If work starts first |
|---|---|---|
| Residential principal structure | $150 | $300 |
| Residential principal and accessory structure together (separate permits) | $200 | — |
| Residential addition or accessory structure | $150 | $300 |
| Commercial or industrial principal structure | $225 | $450 |
| Commercial principal and accessory structure together | $275 | — |
| Commercial or industrial addition or accessory structure | $225 | $450 |
| Floodplain development permit | $75; $100 with a base flood elevation | — |
| Sign | $50 | — |
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Site evaluation without profile; with soil profile | $50; $150 |
| New private septic permit | $150 |
| Lagoon permit; alternative system permit | $300 each |
| Water well permit | $75 |
| Inspection of an alternative system (re-inspection) | $100 ($75) |
| Repair permit, minor or major | $50 or $100 |
| Environmental systems evaluation for a property sale (revisit) | $100 ($50) |
| Standard or alternative installer licence; septic hauler licence | $150 initial, $50 renewal |
Rather not deal with the Riley County building department?
Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
County requirements
- Septic applications are submitted by the property owner or a county-licensed standard or alternative system installer
- The owner or installer hires the backhoe operator for the soil profile, which the Environmental Health Specialist evaluates on site
- Septic tanks must be pumped and inspected by a licensed hauler at least every five years, and the hauler files a pumping report
Not issued by the county
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits or inspections, since no building code is adopted
- The county advises using a qualified contractor for electrical, plumbing and HVAC installations
Trade work is permitted separately under the codes the jurisdiction has adopted. Kansas rules
How to apply for a Riley County building permit
Make sure the land is outside Manhattan, Ogden and Riley, and call Planning and Development for the setbacks of its zoning district.
The owner or a licensed installer submits the profile and site evaluation application and fee; a backhoe operator digs holes 5 feet deep and 3 feet wide for the county specialist.
A standard system needs its own application and fee; if the soil fails, a lagoon is required and its permit issues only after the lagoon, fence, locked gate and seeded berms pass.
Commercial, industrial, multi-family, assembly and agritourism projects need Fire District #1 approval documents.
Use the county form for the building type and pay the fee before any work starts.
The county inspection checks the building’s position against property lines; the address is assigned with the permit.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Starting work before the permit doubles the fee. On unsewered land the building permit waits on the Sanitary Code review, and commercial files wait on the fire district’s code compliance approval.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Riley County
The county building permit inspection checks that the building is set back the proper distance from all property lines; the inspector does not examine how the building is constructed. Environmental Health inspects soil profiles and septic and lagoon installations. Inside Manhattan, inspections are done by Risk Reduction.
Riley County permit search and official resources
- Riley County Planning and Development — the department, its zoning and its permitting
- Building Division — when a permit is needed, applications and fees
- Planning and Development fees, Resolution 100724-46 — building, floodplain, land use, licence and environmental health fees
- Wastewater disposal systems — soil profile, standard, lagoon and alternative system steps
- Guide to building — the county’s building permit guide
- Building setback requirements — setbacks by zoning district
- Building FAQs — codes, fences, setbacks and addresses
- Kansas Department of Administration, Facilities and Property Management — the codes applying to construction on state-owned property
- 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 in Riley County?
$150 for a house, addition or residential accessory building and $225 for commercial or industrial work, doubled if construction starts first (Resolution 100724-46).
Does Riley County have a building code?
No. The permit checks zoning, setbacks and the Sanitary Code, and the inspector does not examine construction; the county notes that the State Fire Marshal may require the 2006 International Building Code.
Do I need a permit for a fence or driveway?
No, unless a fence would block vision at a street intersection. Structures under 49 square feet are also exempt.
Do Fort Riley and Kansas State University need county permits?
No. Structures on United States government land and buildings owned by Kansas State University or the State of Kansas are exempt from the county permit.
Who permits septic systems?
The Environmental Health Division in the same office: a soil profile evaluation ($150) comes first, then the $150 septic permit or a $300 lagoon or alternative system permit.
Does the county permit inside Manhattan or Ogden?
No. Manhattan, Ogden and Riley issue their own permits; for Leonardville and Randolph the published sources do not say.
Simplify Riley County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Riley County's map has four authorities and its ground has shallow soil. We establish the jurisdiction and the soil evaluation before a line is drawn.
Ready to break ground in Riley County sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Riley County Planning and Development Department, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Kansas permitting guides
More Kansas permitting guides
Manhattan
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Read guide →Saline County Building Permit Guide
Read guide →Sedgwick County Building Permit Guide
Read guide →This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Riley County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.