Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Girard, Kansas

Girard’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction, alteration and occupancy of buildings inside Girard city limits

  • Adopts the International Building Code and International Residential Code (one- and two-family dwellings), both 2006 editions, plus the 2006 Existing Building Code and the 2003 Accessibility and Usable Buildings code.
  • Adoption is under K.S.A. 12-3009 through 12-3012 with any amendments; the amendments and the state-adopted edition were not checked.

  edition, International Building Code and International Residential Code: 2006 edition

  “the international building code, 2006 edition as recommended by the international conference of building officials”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Girard city's incorporated limits. The Girard Zoning Regulations (Code Chapter XVI, Article 2) are the city's own zoning ordinance.

  • Applies only inside the city's incorporated limits; the article does not regulate unincorporated county land.
  • Use rights depend on the district (A-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, B-1 to B-3, I-1 to I-3 are listed in 16-203).
  • The code text opened is shown as current through Ordinance 2025-01 adopted June 30, 2025; later amendments were not checked.
  • The code pages do not name Crawford County; county identity is not confirmed on an opened page.

  “the following zones and regulations are imposed within the incorporated limits of the city.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Girard city's incorporated limits

  • The zoning map is kept and maintained by the city planning commission; the map itself was not opened.
  • District list: agricultural A-1; residential R-1, R-2, R-3; business B-1, B-2, B-3; industrial I-1, I-2, I-3 (16-203).
  • The A-1 district rules were not opened in this research pass.

  “residential (1) single family district r-1 (2) two family district r-2 (3) multiple family district r-3”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings in the R-1 single family residential district inside Girard city limits

  • Figure is from Table 1 in 16-221(a). The table row also reads 8,800 for the R-3 column, which looks inconsistent and was not relied on.

  minimum floor area, R-1: >= 1100 sq ft (R-2 value 800 sq ft is a separate claim not made here)

  “minimum floor area (sq. ft.) 1,100 800 8,800”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single family residential district inside Girard city limits

  • Table 1 in section 16-221(a) lists this value for R-1; R-2 and R-3 have their own values (5,500 and 5,000).

  minimum lot area per dwelling, R-1: >= 7000 sq ft (table in 16-221(a) is flattened in the source; read as R-1 column)

  “minimum lot area (sq.ft.) per dwelling 7,000 5,500 5,000”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single family residential district inside Girard city limits (lot width)

    “minimum lot width (feet) per dwelling 65 50 50”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 single family residential district inside Girard city limits

  • Principal building maximum 35 ft; accessory building maximum 15 ft (Table 1, 16-221(a)).

  maximum height, principal building, R-1: <= 35 ft · maximum height, accessory building, R-1: <= 15 ft

  “maximum height of buildings (feet) 35 35 45 principal building accessory building 15 15 15”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and lot-split approval for land inside Girard city limits

  • Article 3 subdivision regulations (section 16-301) and Appendix C subdivision regulations exist; their approval procedure and lot-split rules were not opened.
  • Subdivision text is covered in the code index; standards not checked.

  “article 3. subdivision regulations section 16-301 · 1 section”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Girard or Crawford County directly.

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Girard city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Girard city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Girard city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Girard city limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Girard city limits

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.