Bolthole Index

Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-11-13

Kansas Counties With No Building Codes and No Zoning

29 of Kansas's 105 counties — 28% — require no residential building permit and have no county-wide zoning in their unincorporated areas. That is the 6th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Bourbon County (68/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.

Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 515 counties nationwide → Kansas: no building codes → Kansas: no zoning → Kansas: owner-builder → Kansas: tiny homes → Kansas: no minimum home size → Full Kansas profile →

From the Kansas guide

Which Kansas counties don't require a building permit?

Kansas has 33 counties with no residential building-permit requirement, 23 that require one only in some cases and 49 that require one; the counts describe unincorporated land, and cities set their own rules.

Kansas has 33 counties with no residential building-permit requirement, 23 that require one only in some cases and 49 that require one; the counts describe unincorporated land, and cities set their own rules1,2. Bourbon County, Chautauqua County, Marshall County and Elk County score highest among the counties with none1. See the Kansas no-building-codes list. Kansas counties may adopt building codes for unincorporated areas by resolution, so ask the county clerk which resolution covers the parcel10. A county with subdivision regulations can also refuse a building or zoning permit on a lot split after those regulations took effect unless the plat was approved11. The state sets no residential building code: its energy standard covers new commercial and industrial buildings, and counties and cities may adopt their own12. The owner-builder roofing exemption concerns contractor registration, not building permits7.

Which Kansas counties have no zoning?

Kansas has 36 counties with no countywide zoning and 61 with county zoning.

Kansas has 36 counties with no countywide zoning and 61 with county zoning2,3. Bourbon County, Neosho County, Atchison County and Chautauqua County score highest among those with none3. Kansas has 29 counties with neither a residential building permit nor countywide zoning; compare the no-zoning list and combined list5. Where zoning exists, the county or city sets lot size, setbacks, lot coverage and building height by zoning district; the state sets no numeric figure for any of them13,14. Zoning cannot exclude manufactured homes from a whole jurisdiction, though aesthetic standards and valid covenants can still apply15. Agricultural-use exemptions do not lift floodplain rules, and a dwelling or garage is not an agricultural building16.

Read the full Kansas guide →

Sources

12 official pages, each quoted and re-checked · written October 13, 2026

  1. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 105 Kansas counties, as of November 6, 2026: Kansas counties that do not require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
  2. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 105 Kansas counties, as of November 6, 2026: Kansas counties that require a residential building permit only in some cases (for example floodplain or certain structures)
  3. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 105 Kansas counties, as of November 6, 2026: Kansas counties with no county-wide zoning
  4. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 105 Kansas counties, as of November 6, 2026: Kansas counties with neither a residential building permit nor county-wide zoning
  5. Kansas: K.S.A. 50-6,129. Exemptions
  6. Kansas: K.S.A. 12-3303 — County adoption by reference of codes
  7. Kansas: K.S.A. 12-752 — Plats; approval; permits; filing
  8. Kansas: 66-1227. Energy efficiency of buildings; standards
  9. Kansas: K.S.A. 12-753 — Zoning regulations; districts; restrictions
  10. Kansas: K.S.A. 12-753 — Zoning regulations; districts; restrictions
  11. Kansas: K.S.A. 75-1218 — Exemption from construction codes; zoning
  12. Kansas: K.S.A. 12-758 — Agricultural land exempted from zoning regulations

From the Kansas guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.

29 of 105 Kansas counties · sorted by Index score

Keep exploring

Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Kansas state page for all 105 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.

Off-grid gear

Building on land in one of these Kansas counties? The kit we'd start with:

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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.