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Douglas County

Douglas County Zoning and Codes Department

In short

Douglas County Zoning and Codes Department issues 5 permits we publish for Douglas County, last verified 2026-10-12. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Contractor and Trade License Requirement (unincorporated Douglas County)only if it applies to youDouglas County Zoning and Codes DepartmentCounty Code §13-118 requires a valid license from a Kansas jurisdiction (plumbers: a Kansas or Missouri jurisdiction); the license fee is charged by the jurisdiction that issues the license.as set by the issuing jurisdiction; the license must be valid while the work is done2026-10-12
Building Permit (unincorporated Douglas County)only if it applies to youDouglas County Zoning and Codes DepartmentValuation-based (County Code §13-111(b)): total valuation $1-$500, $23.50; $501-$2,000, $23.50 for the first $500 plus $3.05 for each additional $100 or fraction thereof. Larger projects: valuation is square footage times the Table A cost per square foot for new construction (Type VB examples: A-2 restaurants and bars $153.02, B business $144.35, M mercantile $102.31, I-4 day care $152.25), or the estimated actual cost for remodels, applied to the code's Total Valuation table; contact Zoning and Codes for the amount. Inspections outside business hours (2-hour minimum), re-inspections and inspections with no listed fee (half-hour minimum): $47.00 per hour. Work begun before the permit: an additional fee equal to 100% of the permit fee. Solar PV up to 13.44 kW and solar thermal with no structural change: $115.00, plus $10 per whole kW over 13.44 kW.permit becomes invalid if work does not begin within 180 days of issuance or is suspended or abandoned for 180 days; written extensions of up to 180 days each (§13-107)2026-10-12
Type 2 Home Occupation Registration (unincorporated Douglas County)only if it applies to youDouglas County Zoning and Codes DepartmentA registration and renewal permit fee set by the Board of County Commissioners applies (County Code §12-306-21.03(d), Res. 25-19); the amount is not published in Chapter 12. Contact Zoning and Codes (785-331-1343) for the current amount.biennial: valid 24 months from issuance; renewal notices are sent in the first quarter of each even-numbered year2026-10-12
Floodplain Development Permit (unincorporated Douglas County)only if it applies to youDouglas County Zoning and Codes DepartmentThe permit fee is set by the Board of County Commissioners; the amount is not published in Chapter 12. Contact Zoning and Codes (785-331-1343) for the current amount.per project2026-10-12
Fireworks Stand Permit (unincorporated Douglas County)only if it applies to youDouglas County Zoning and Codes DepartmentAn application fee as determined by the Zoning and Codes fee schedule (County Code §6-204); the amount is not published in the County Code. Contact Zoning and Codes (785-331-1343) for the current amount.seasonal: applications accepted April 1 to June 7 each year; sales allowed July 1-4 only2026-10-12

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Contractor and Trade License Requirement (unincorporated Douglas County)

Douglas County Code §13-118 requires every plumber, electrician and mechanical (HVAC) mechanic practising in the unincorporated area to hold a valid license, plumbers from "a Kansas or Missouri jurisdiction" (K.S.A. 12-1508) and electricians and mechanical mechanics from "a Kansas jurisdiction" (K.S.A. 12-1525 and 12-1540). It defines three contractor classes, each requiring "a valid license from a Kansas jurisdiction": Class A general contractors (any structure), Class B building contractors (structures up to three stories) and Class C residential contractors (single-family or duplex homes and their accessory buildings). Section 13-118 is met by a license issued by a Kansas jurisdiction, such as a city or another county, and the license fee is the one that jurisdiction charges. Property owners may do their own plumbing, electrical and mechanical work, and owner-occupants their own Class C work, but after a second failed inspection a licensed tradesperson must finish it; owners may not do their own Class A or B work. Zoning and Codes enforces the rule through building permits and inspections (785-331-1343).

Building Permit (unincorporated Douglas County)

Building, electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work requiring a permit under the codes adopted in Douglas County Code Chapter 13 needs a permit from the Zoning and Codes Department. The county's Building Code page states: "Regulatory jurisdiction falls only in the unincorporated portions of Douglas County not within any city limits." A business inside Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin City or Lecompton applies to that city instead. Under §13-111(b) (HR-22-6-2, in the Chapter 13 PDF the county published in January 2024) the fee follows the total valuation of the work: $23.50 for $1-$500, and $23.50 for the first $500 plus $3.05 for each additional $100 or fraction thereof up to $2,000. For new construction the valuation is the square footage times the Table A cost per square foot; for Type VB construction the code lists $153.02 for A-2 restaurants, bars and banquet halls, $144.35 for B business, $102.31 for M mercantile and $152.25 for I-4 day care; remodels use the estimated actual cost. Zoning and Codes (785-331-1343) gives the fee for projects above $2,000. Inspections outside business hours (two-hour minimum), re-inspections and inspections with no listed fee (half-hour minimum) cost $47.00 per hour; anyone who starts work before obtaining the permit pays an additional fee equal to 100 percent of the permit fee; third-party plan review is at the applicant's cost; solar PV systems up to 13.44 kW cost $115.00 plus $10 per whole kW above that. The same figures appear on the county's Zoning and Codes Fees page. A permit becomes invalid if work does not begin within 180 days or stops for 180 days (§13-107).

Type 2 Home Occupation Registration (unincorporated Douglas County)

Douglas County Zoning Regulations §12-306-21, as amended by Res. No. 25-19 (2025), divide home occupations in unincorporated Douglas County into two types. Type 1 low-impact uses, including personal services such as barbering and cosmetology, instruction and home offices, are exempt from registration if every Type 1 standard is met. Type 2 higher-impact uses, including contractor's equipment and material storage, equipment and mechanical repair, and Type 1 uses that exceed the Type 1 limits (such as class size), must be registered biennially (every two years) with the Zoning and Codes Office; the registration is valid 24 months. A Type 2 home occupation may have up to four non-resident employees on site. Registration requires a pre-application meeting with Zoning and Codes staff and written notice to all property owners within 1,000 feet at least 14 days before the application. Renewal requires a renewal application form and permit fee; renewal notices go out in the first quarter of each even-numbered year. The Regulations list restaurants and automobile painting, mechanical or body repair among uses deemed not to be a home occupation. The fee amount is not published in Chapter 12; Zoning and Codes (785-331-1343, zoning@dgcoks.gov) gives it.

Floodplain Development Permit (unincorporated Douglas County)

Douglas County Zoning Regulations §12-312-3 (Res. 22-20) state that development within any Special Flood Hazard Area is prohibited without first obtaining a floodplain development permit approved by the Zoning Director. Development includes any man-made change to real estate, such as constructing or modifying a building or structure, grading, excavating, placing fill, paving, stockpiling, or storing equipment or materials; a site outside the mapped floodplain does not need one. The county's Floodplain Management page states that Douglas County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and must ensure that projects in the floodplain comply with FEMA regulations and the county's zoning regulations, and it links the county's interactive floodplain map. The permit fee amount is not published in Chapter 12; Zoning and Codes (785-331-1343) gives it. A business inside a city applies to that city.

Fireworks Stand Permit (unincorporated Douglas County)

Under Douglas County Code §6-203(c), fireworks may not be sold or distributed at a fireworks stand in unincorporated Douglas County without a valid Fireworks Stand permit from the Department of Zoning & Codes. Sales are allowed only on July 1, 2, 3 and 4, are limited to 1.4G (Class C) consumer fireworks (bottle rockets and sky lanterns are prohibited), need a supervisor aged 18 or over at all times, and stands are allowed only in the AG-1, AG-2, GB, LI, GI and BSC zoning districts. Section 6-204 says applications will not be made available or accepted before April 1 and must be received by close of business on June 7 of the same year (the next business day if the office is closed), with an application fee as determined by the Zoning and Codes fee schedule. A pre-application is required. The application includes the distributor's State of Kansas fireworks distribution permit, proof of at least $1,000,000 liability insurance, a detailed site plan and the operator's Kansas retailers' sales tax registration certificate. The fee amount is not published in the County Code; Zoning and Codes (785-331-1343) gives it.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Douglas County
Phone
785-331-1343

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Building Code pageDouglas County, Kansas, Zoning and Codes · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  2. Fireworks Rules and Regulations pageDouglas County, Kansas, Zoning and Codes · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  3. Floodplain Management pageDouglas County, Kansas, Zoning and Codes · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  4. Home Business pageDouglas County, Kansas, Zoning and Codes · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  5. Official County Code of Douglas County, Kansas (compilation), incl. Chapter 6, Article 2, §§6-203 to 6-205 (HR Res. 21-9-2)Douglas County, Kansas · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  6. Official County Code, Chapter 12 (Zoning Regulations), as of May 1, 2025, incl. §§12-306-21 (Res. 25-19), 12-307 and 12-312-3Douglas County, Kansas · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  7. Official County Code, Chapter 13 (Construction Codes), §§13-107, 13-111, 13-118 (HR-22-6-2; HR-23-2-2)Douglas County, Kansas · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  8. Zoning and Codes Fees (building permit valuation fee table)Douglas County, Kansas, Zoning and Codes · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12

Other offices serving Douglas County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

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