Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Sublette, Kansas

Sublette’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Sublette city limits (Haskell County, Kansas). The city administers its own zoning and subdivision regulations and zoning maps adopted under K.S.A. 12-741 et seq.

  • The zoning regulations are dated March 1, 2013 (Planning Commission book dated March 8, 2013) and were later amended by the ordinances listed in the history of Code section 16-201; this claim relies on the 2013 text and has not verified later amended text.
  • The 25 square miles outside city limits are under the city's unilateral extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction; that area is not inside city limits and is not covered by this claim.

  “zoning and subdivision regulations and zoning maps are hereby approved, pursuant to k.s.a. 12-741 et seq., which govern the use of land within the corporate limits of the city of sublette”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Sublette city limits, as listed in the 2013 zoning regulations table of contents.

  • Only the table of contents was read. It lists A Agricultural (4-1, 5), R-1 Low Density Residential (4-2, 6), R-2 Medium to High Density Residential (4-3), MHS Manufactured Home Subdivision (4-4, 11), CS Countryside (4-5, 7), P Public Use (8), C-1 to C-3 Commercial (9-10), MP Manufactured Home Park (12), and I-1 and I-2 Industrial (15).
  • District boundaries are shown on the official zoning map (Ordinance 449 and others change parcels) and were not opened.

  “4-2 r-1, low density residential district 4-3 r-2, medium to high density residential district 4-4 mhs manufactured home subdivision district”

• Well permitRequired

  Digging, drilling or constructing a water well inside Sublette city limits.

  • Well must be registered with the city building official before work begins, with the registration fee in the city fee schedule (15-501(a)).
  • Drillers must be licensed by the state under K.S.A. 82a-1206 and registered with the city (15-502(a)).
  • Domestic wells are prohibited where a municipal water connection is readily available (15-510). Wells existing before Ordinance 432 are grandfathered from certain sections, not from 15-510 (15-509).
  • Violations are a misdemeanor in municipal court, up to 30 days jail and $500 fine, each day a separate offense (15-511).

  driller surety bond: 5000 USD (per driller bond under 15-502(b))

  “it shall be unlawful for any person, organization, company, corporation or other entity to dig, drill or construct a water well within the corporate city limits without first having registered said well with the city building official”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Parcels inside Sublette city limits that can readily reach the city water main. The rule limits domestic wells; it does not by itself require a home to connect.

  • A domestic well may not be drilled where a municipal water connection is readily available (15-510).
  • Existing private wells inside city limits before Ordinance 432 are grandfathered from sections 15-502, 15-503, 15-507(a), 15-507(b) and 15-510 (15-509).
  • The code's sewer article (15-301 to 15-304) regulates connection work on city sewer mains; no rule requiring a new home to connect to city sewer or water was located or verified, so sewer connection is unknown.
  • Water service is charged at city rates (15-201), with a higher rate outside city limits.

  “due to the health concerns of the public water supply as discussed herein, a domestic water well shall not be drilled on any property in the city limits of sublette, kansas, when a municipal water connection is readily available to said property”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Platting, lot splits and vacations of land inside Sublette city limits under the city's subdivision regulations.

  • The subdivision regulations table of contents lists pre-application, minor plats, preliminary and final plats, administrative plat approval (section 6), lot splits (section 11), improvements and guarantees (sections 7 to 9), and vacations (section 12).
  • Plat and lot-split fees are listed in Code section 16-206 (see permit_fees).

  “the following fees are hereby established for the purpose of wholly or partially defraying the costs of proceedings under the subdivision regulations for applications pertaining to platting, lot splits and vacancies”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning, board of zoning appeals and subdivision application fees for land inside Sublette city limits.

  • Fees are as enacted in the code (Chapter XVI, 2020 code reference). Engineering, publication and inspection costs are billed in addition (16-206(b)).
  • No fee is charged when a plat or lot split is submitted by the city, Haskell County, the state or the federal government (16-206(c)).
  • Well registration fee is set in the city fee schedule, which was not opened (15-501(a)).

  application for rezoning: 150 USD · application for conditional use permit: 150 USD · board of zoning appeals appeal, variance or exception: 20 USD · preliminary plat: 50 USD · final plat for minor subdivisions: 50 USD · final plat: 25 USD · lot split: 20 USD

  “preliminary plat $50.00 final plat for minor subdivisions $50.00 final plat $25.00 lot split $20.00 correction of platting error $20.00”

• Permit processPartial

  Private water well registration inside Sublette city limits only. General building, zoning or sewer permit steps were not located.

  • Registration form must state well location, depth, casing, pump, driller, a statement that any state permit has been approved, and a copy of the drilling and construction plan (15-501(b)).
  • Drillers must be state-licensed, registered with the city, and file a $5,000 surety bond and $100,000/$100,000 liability insurance (15-502).
  • Drillers must contact the city building official at least 48 hours before site work (15-503).

  driller surety bond: 5000 USD

  “registration forms for private water wells shall be obtained from the city building official's office and shall set forth”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — General building permits for new homes inside Sublette city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Sublette city limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Sublette city limits
• Inspections — General building inspections inside Sublette city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Sublette 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.