10 published records
Business licenses and permits in Sedgwick County, Kansas
Sedgwick County, Kansas, seat Wichita; population 536,081 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). Building and contractor regulation in the unincorporated county runs through the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD), a joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department at 271 W. 3rd St. N., Wichita: commercial building permits on MABCD's Table B, the MABCD contractor license, floodplain development permits under County Code Chapter 13 and onsite wastewater (septic) construction permits under County Code Chapter 14. MABCD's Jurisdictions page states that it provides building and housing code enforcement for unincorporated Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita, and that for the small cities it serves (Andale, Bentley, Cheney, Clearwater, Colwich, Garden Plain, Goddard, Maize, Mulvane and Valley Center) "The permitting process will always start with the small city." The Board of County Commissioners licenses enhanced cereal malt beverage retailers outside city limits, and the County Clerk (100 N. Broadway, Suite 620, Wichita) handles the county's drinking establishment license tax, the statutory transient merchant license and business termination sale licenses. Sedgwick County Fire District One enforces the Sedgwick County Fire Code in the unincorporated county and in cities that adopt it by agreement (County Code §12-51). Wichita and the county's other incorporated cities run their own business licensing, permitting and zoning, which stack on the county records here; Wichita's records are listed under the City of Wichita.
What are you opening in Sedgwick County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Sedgwick County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit (new build, remodel or rebuild; unincorporated Sedgwick County)only if it applies to you | Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department) | By total valuation (Table B, paragraph 2): $1-$1,000 $40; $1,000.01-$2,000 $40 plus $3 per additional $100 or fraction; $2,000.01-$40,000 $70 plus $11 per additional $1,000 or fraction; $40,000.01-$100,000 $488 plus $9 per additional $1,000; $100,000.01-$500,000 $1,028 plus $7 per additional $1,000; $500,000.01-$1,000,000 $3,828 plus $5 per additional $1,000; $1,000,000.01-$5,000,000 $6,328 plus $3 per additional $1,000; above $5,000,000 $18,328 plus $2.25 per additional $1,000. Remodels and rebuilds use the same table (paragraph 3). Plan review is charged at 60% of the building permit fee (Table C). | one-time, per project | 2026-10-12 |
| Floodplain Development Permit (special flood hazard areas, unincorporated Sedgwick County)only if it applies to you | Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department) | $50 per application, paid in advance when the application is submitted | one-time, per development | 2026-10-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Sedgwick County?
Commercial Building Permit (new build, remodel or rebuild; unincorporated Sedgwick County)
Commercial construction, remodelling or rebuilding in unincorporated Sedgwick County is permitted by MABCD. The figures are from MABCD's Building Permit Fees – Table B sheet, which MABCD's current Fees page links as the building permit fee table for both residential and commercial work; the sheet carries the revision mark Rev. 5/8/2019 and does not name an adopting resolution. A commercial new build is priced by total valuation, from $40 for up to $1,000 to $18,328 plus $2.25 per additional $1,000 above $5,000,000, and paragraph 3 of the sheet applies the same valuation table to all remodels and rebuilds. Plan review is charged at 60% of the building permit fee, as MABCD's Fee Table C states. Paragraph 4 of Table B lets the MABCD Director make a temporary, discretionary reduction of up to 20% below the published fees to manage the department's operating reserve. MABCD's Jurisdictions page states that MABCD provides building and housing code enforcement for unincorporated Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita, and that for its contracted small cities "The permitting process will always start with the small city." A project inside Wichita is a City of Wichita permit, listed under the City of Wichita.
Floodplain Development Permit (special flood hazard areas, unincorporated Sedgwick County)
Building or other development in a special flood hazard area of unincorporated Sedgwick County needs a floodplain development permit before work begins; a site outside the mapped flood hazard area has no floodplain permit. County Code §13-4 applies the chapter to all areas of special flood hazard within the unincorporated areas of Sedgwick County, §13-37 states that "A floodplain development permit shall be obtained before construction or development begins within any area of hazard", and §13-43 sets a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00), which must be paid in advance at the time the application is submitted. MABCD's current Fees page lists the same amount as "Floodplain Permit Fee - $50.00 (Sedgwick County Only)". The county code text is the source of the figure; the chapter was adopted by Res. No. 14-2007. This is a Sedgwick County record for a business located in unincorporated Sedgwick County; a business inside Wichita or another city applies under that city's own rules, which stack on the county's state-law framework.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Building Permit Fees — Table B: the residential per-square-foot rate and the commercial valuation-banded fee table, both applied to remodels as well as new construction (MABCD Form Rev. 5/8/2019)Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- MABCD Fees pageMetropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (Sedgwick County) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- MABCD Jurisdictions (contracted small cities) pageMetropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (Sedgwick County) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- MABCD Fee Table C (plan review and inspection fees)Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Code of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Chapter 13 – Floodplain ManagementSedgwick County, Kansas (codified by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
Who issues business permits in Sedgwick County?
Permitting in Sedgwick County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Sedgwick County issuing agencies
- Sedgwick County ClerkReceives enhanced cereal malt beverage retailer and special event license applications for places of business outside city limits; the Board of County Commissioners grants the licenses · Collects the class B club / drinking establishment license tax for the unincorporated county · Issues transient merchant licenses under K.S.A. 19-2230 et seq. · Issues business termination or liquidation sale licenses for the unincorporated county5 permits
- Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department)Building permits in unincorporated Sedgwick County (Table B) · MABCD contractor licenses for unincorporated Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita and the small cities in MABCD's jurisdiction · Floodplain development permits in unincorporated special flood hazard areas (County Code Ch. 13) · Onsite wastewater (septic) system construction permits in the unincorporated county (County Code Ch. 14, Art. V)4 permits
- Sedgwick County Fire District One, Fire Prevention DivisionEnforces the Sedgwick County Fire Code (International Fire Code, 2024 Edition, as amended) in unincorporated Sedgwick County and in cities that adopt it by agreement · Fire code operational permits listed in Table 108.2.1, including mobile food preparation vehicles1 permit
Other Kansas jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.