Johnson County Building Codes (Planning, Housing and Community Development)

Building Permit and Commercial Plan Review (unincorporated Johnson County)

In unincorporated Johnson County, the county's Building Codes division enforces building codes, issues permits and performs inspections. Its Building Permits FAQ states that for a commercial purpose any structure with a floor area exceeding 120 square feet requires a permit, that a permit is valid six months from the issue date and remains valid as long as there is an inspection within six months, and that all commercial projects must have a licensed general contractor and licensed subcontractors listed. Under the Johnson County Code of Regulations for Buildings and Construction, 2018 Edition (adopted March 12, 2020, effective July 1, 2020), the permit fee is set by project valuation in Table 1-A, starting at $22 for a valuation of $1 to $500, and a plan review fee of 65 percent of the building permit fee is paid when documents are submitted for commercial plan review, in addition to the permit fee. The county's Code of Regulation page carries this note: "On October 22, 2026 the Board of County Commissioners will consider adoption of the 2024 International Codes and the amendments in the Johnson County Code of Regulations for Buildings and Construction, 2024 Edition." A business inside a city applies to that city; the county's Unincorporated Area page states that Johnson County and all cities in the county have enacted building codes.