Gladstone, Missouri Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Gladstone come from the City’s Community Development Department, not Clay County. Applications are made on the City’s forms with plans sent by email or on a flash drive, and fees are paid by mail or in person. The building permit fee follows the City’s valuation table ($2,299.75 for a $250,000 project), a new house adds a $50 plan review fee, and residential review typically takes 3 to 5 days.

What requires a building permit in Gladstone?

Gladstone’s amendments to the 2021 residential code keep only a short list of exemptions, and unlike the model code they do not exempt small sheds. The City’s permit brochure and code list these:

Separate City permits cover demolition and relocation, dumpsters, portable storage containers, excavation and grading, land disturbance, signs, public improvements and utility work in the right-of-way.

Gladstone building department: who handles permitting

The Building and Construction Division of Community Development handles new homes, additions, remodels, accessory buildings, decks, pools, roofing, solar and commercial construction; the Planning and Zoning Division reviews subdivisions and site plans alongside it.

Gladstone applications and licences

The City’s online application system is listed as unavailable, so use the PDF forms on the Permit Applications page: building, demolition and relocation, a combined electrical, mechanical and plumbing (and excavation) application, excavating and grading, land disturbance, construction and operational fire permits, signs, solar photovoltaic systems (with a checklist), sump pumps, public improvements, utility work and reinspection requests.

Who can apply: a homeowner who lives in the house, or a contractor with a Gladstone business licence and a workers’ compensation certificate. A buyer who has just purchased the home brings the closing papers.

Trade licences: electrical permits are issued only to holders of a Gladstone master electrician licence and business licence, and plumbing work needs a master plumber licence. Licences are granted after an approved examination or on an equivalent county or city licence accepted by the City’s board of examiners, and run from July 1 to June 30. A homeowner who lives in the dwelling may take out an electrical permit for work on it.

Gladstone permit fees

Building permit fees follow the City’s Permit Fee Schedule, a table of fees by project valuation that is also printed on the building permit application (revised September 9, 2020). Some of its values:

The printed $500,000 figure is $14 less than continuing $7 per $1,000 from the last table row would give, so the table does not settle fees for projects between $376,000 and $500,000.

The building permit application also has lines for a park fund fee and a double fee for work started without a permit, with no amounts printed. The permit fee is due when the permit is issued, by check, cash or card in person, or by mail.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Gladstone

Trade work goes on the City’s combined electrical, mechanical and plumbing application, which asks for the valuation of each trade’s work. Electrical permits are needed for new construction, service upgrades and new or replaced circuits and wiring; mechanical permits for new systems and furnace or A/C replacement; plumbing permits for new work, water heaters, waste and vent piping, water and sewer service lines, lawn irrigation (with a backflow test) and sump pumps. Work in the right-of-way needs an excavation permit with a surety bond posted by a City-licensed plumber.

Gladstone enforces the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2021 plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas and energy conservation codes with local amendments. Gladstone Fire/EMS is a City department, and fire construction and operational permits are on the City’s application list.

Alliance handles electrical permits for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

Application documents and review times

Residential review typically takes 3 to 5 days. New commercial buildings, additions and exterior changes need City Council approval, which takes about 3 to 4 weeks including 2 weeks of review; staff recommend meeting before design starts and again when plans are 60 to 80% complete.

How to get a Gladstone building permit

Gladstone inspections

Call 816-423-4111 to schedule. Inspections are usually made within 2 hours of the call, or can be booked for a set time. A new single-family house is typically inspected at the footings or piers, foundation, temporary electric, rebar grounding (Ufer), ground rough, electric and gas utility service, roofing in progress (before it is a quarter done), all-trades rough-in, driveway approach, City sidewalk, water and sewer service lines, and final.

Roofing permits get an in-progress and a final inspection. Homes and commercial buildings may have only one layer of roof covering, with an ice barrier running at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. A reinspection fee can be charged if the inspection card is not posted, approved plans are missing, the inspector cannot get in or the work departs from approved plans. A permit expires 180 days after it is issued unless the building official grants a written extension.

Local Gladstone rules

Floodplain: Gladstone takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective August 3, 2015, and its building code adopts the Clay County Flood Insurance Study maps. The building official decides whether work on an existing building in a flood hazard area is a substantial improvement.

Temporary containers: a dumpster permit lasts 30 days unless it is tied to a building permit, and a portable storage unit permit lasts 14 days, with no more than two units.

Pools: pools and spas must be at least 10 feet from side property lines (15 feet on a corner lot), 10 feet from the rear line, 35 feet from the front line and 20 feet from a neighbor’s house. They may never go in the front yard, a pool in a side yard must be at least 60 feet from the front line, and every pool sits inside a fence at least 4 feet high with a self-closing, latching gate.

Gladstone building codes

Since January 1, 2022 Gladstone has enforced the 2021 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Energy Conservation, Fire, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Property Maintenance and Swimming Pool and Spa codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, each with local amendments in the City’s Building and Construction Ordinance.

Missouri has no mandatory statewide building code for private construction: a county, fire protection district or municipality may adopt one (usually by reference under RSMo 67.280), and in parts of the state none has. Building codes in Missouri

Gladstone building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Gladstone?

The City’s Community Development Department at 7010 N. Holmes (816-423-4111), for property inside Gladstone city limits.

How much is a building permit?

It depends on valuation: $31 up to $500, $1,249.75 at $100,000 and $2,299.75 at $250,000. A new house or addition adds a $50 plan review fee.

Do I need a permit for a shed, fence or roof?

Sheds and roof replacements or repairs need permits. Fences need one only above 6 feet.

How long does plan review take?

Typically 3 to 5 days for residential plans. New commercial buildings take about 3 to 4 weeks because they also need City Council approval.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, if they own and live in the house; otherwise a contractor licensed with the City applies.

Can I apply or pay online?

No. Online applications are listed as unavailable and payments are taken by mail or in person.

Gladstone permit search and official resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Gladstone Community Development
• Gladstone permit applications
• Gladstone permit fee schedule
• Gladstone residential building permit requirements
• Gladstone commercial building permit requirements
• Gladstone residential inspections
• Gladstone adopted building codes
• Gladstone Building and Construction Ordinance chapters
• Gladstone frequently asked questions about permits
• Gladstone electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit application

Simplify Gladstone permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Missouri. 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 Gladstone permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.