Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Marion Township, Kansas

Rules another office applies inside Marion Township

Marion Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  New residential construction and accessory buildings inside Marion township, issued by Douglas County Zoning and Codes

  • Permit issued only after the listed approvals (health department septic and water, road entrance, plot plan and recorded survey) are provided.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit is issued.

  “the following requirements must be provided to the douglas county zoning and codes, prior to obtaining a building permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New residential construction inside Marion township (unincorporated Douglas County, KS) as administered by Douglas County Zoning and Codes

  • Applies to unincorporated Douglas County, not within any city limits; Marion township is treated as unincorporated (Wikipedia, not used as evidence).

  “all construction shall be built in accordance with standards set forth in the 2018 international building code (ibc), the 2018 international residential code (irc), 2018 international fuel gas code (ifgc), 2018 international mechanical code (imc), 2018 international plumbing code (ipc), and 2017 national electrical code (nec).”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction inspections for residential projects inside Marion township, performed by Douglas County Zoning and Codes

  • Inspections are scheduled by calling the county office; owner or agent coordinates all inspections on the form.

  “the building codes team reviews residential and commercial building applications, plans, issues building permits, and performs all construction inspections.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts applying to unincorporated Douglas County land, including Marion township

  • The district list is published; the district map for Marion township was not checked.

  “ag-1 ag-2 cp ls lb rt gb li gi v bsc ewp aso zoning districts agricultural district transitional agricultural district”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Parcels inside Marion township zoned ag-1 (agricultural) under Douglas County zoning; Marion township's own district map was not checked

  • Footnote 2: parcels with less area may be created when maximum density is maintained with an agricultural preservation easement.
  • Unit is inferred as acres from the density entry '1 du/20 acres'; the chart column is garbled in the extraction.

  minimum parcel area: >= 20 acres (smaller parcels allowed with an agricultural preservation easement that keeps maximum density)

  “minimum parcel area 20[2] 20[2] 20[2] 20[2] 20[2]”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Parcels inside Marion township under 20 acres (ag-2 transitional agricultural district rezoning threshold)

    “rezoning to the ag-2 district is required prior to the development of parcels with less than 20 acres that do not meet the exemption from the dimensional standards in the ag-1 district, section 12-301.2 or section 11-101(c)(vii) of the subdivision regulations.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures on ag-1 (agricultural) parcels inside Marion township

  • Front and exterior side setbacks are measured from a base setback from road centerline that varies by road classification; the chart column layout was not fully resolved.

  rear setback: 30 ft

  “rear setback 30’ 30’ 30’ 30’ 30’ minimum parcel area 20[2] 20[2] 20[2] 20[2] 20[2]”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures on ag-1 (agricultural) parcels inside Marion township

  • Height limit shown in the ag-1 chart; ag-2 height was not read.

  maximum height: <= 35 ft

  “maximum height 35’ 35’ 35’ 35’ 35’ maximum density 1 du/20 acres 1 du/20 acres 1 du/20 acres 1 du/20 acres 1 du/20 acres”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal for a new home inside Marion township; the Douglas County Health Department (Lawrence) gives the sewage approval

  • Approval must be secured before the county building permit issues.
  • The form names the Douglas County Health Department; the agency's legal form (county or joint city-county) was not verified.

  “approval of sewage disposal system and water supply must be secured from the douglas county health department, located at 200 maine street, suite b, lawrence, ks.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Sewage disposal system for a new home inside Marion township

  • Septic approval is a precondition to the county building permit.
  • Permit fees, forms and the OWTS standards were not found on an official Kansas page; see followup.

  “approval of sewage disposal system and water supply must be secured from the douglas county health department, located at 200 maine street, suite b, lawrence, ks.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Sewage disposal system for a new home inside Marion township

  • Final septic system approval by the health department is listed as a required inspection before the building permit closes.

  “final septic system approval (douglas county health department)”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Structures used strictly for agricultural purposes inside Marion township

  • The zoning and codes director determines whether an agricultural use exists, based on IRS forms or an inspection.
  • Agricultural exempt buildings still face the road setback and floodplain rules.

  “the zoning regulations shall not apply to land or structures determined by the zoning and codes director to be exempt due to their being used strictly for agricultural purposes in compliance with (k.s.a. 19-2908) except:”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New residential driveway or road entrance serving a home inside Marion township; approver depends on road ownership

  • Approval comes from the county public works department, KDOT, or the township board, as appropriate.

  “approval of the road access entrance from the douglas county public works department, kansas department of transportation, and/or township board, as appropriate.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Structures in the floodplain inside Marion township, including agricultural exempt buildings

  • Floodplain regulations (section 12-312) apply to agricultural exempt buildings; section 12-312 was not opened.

  “floodplain regulations (section 12-312) shall apply to agricultural exempt buildings, (k.s.a. 19-2921)”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning and building permit fees for projects inside Marion township

  • Building permit fee is set by a published schedule; amounts were not read.

  “view the fee schedule for various zoning and building permits.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Residential building permit process for projects inside Marion township

  • Requires septic and water approvals, road entrance approval, two copies of construction drawings, recorded deed, and a licensed-surveyor site plan.

  “the following requirements must be provided to the douglas county zoning and codes, prior to obtaining a building permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Marion Township or Douglas County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside Marion township
• Local zoning — Land inside Marion township, Douglas County, KS: whether the township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Marion township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage for development inside Marion township
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Marion township

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.