Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Nortonville, Kansas

Nortonville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings inside Nortonville city limits larger than 10 ft x 12 ft

  • Applies to buildings larger than 10'x12'; the page does not state a requirement for smaller structures.
  • New metal or prefabricated buildings of 120 sq ft or less are exempt from planning commission approval in residence zones.

  building size threshold: larger than 10'x12'

  “building permits are required for buildings larger than 10'x12'. the cost for a building permit is $5.00”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Nortonville city limits; the city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance No. 2-107

  • Ordinance divides the city into R-3, R-5, R-9, B-5 and M-2 districts; uses and dimensions differ by district.
  • Zoning administrator is the city clerk or her appointed designee and issues zoning permits.
  • The ordinance page reviewed states no adoption or effective date.

  “this ordinance shall apply to all lands within the city of nortonville.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Nortonville city limits

  • Districts named in section 5: R-3 single family, R-5 general residence, R-9 mobile home, B-5 general business, M-2 industrial.
  • Official zoning maps are kept by the city clerk (section 15); map sheets were not opened.

  “"r-3" - single family residence district "r-5" - general residence district "r-9" - mobile home district "b-5" - general business district "m-2" - industrial district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-3 single family residence district inside Nortonville city limits

  • Figures are from section 6 (R-3).

  minimum lot area: >= 6000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 50 ft

  “minimum lot size shall not be less than 6000 square feet. minimum lot width shall not be less than 50 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-5 general residence district inside Nortonville city limits (per-dwelling-unit area, not a lot minimum)

    “there shall be a requirement of 3500 square feet for each dwelling unit.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  M-2 industrial district inside Nortonville city limits

  • Applies to activities listed in the M-2 section; residence-bordering setback is 50 feet.

  front setback: 20 ft · rear setback: 6 ft · side setback: 6 ft (50 ft where the activity borders a residence)

  “setback limitations shall be 20 feet from front property line, 6 feet from rear property line, and 6 feet from side property line except where such activity borders a residence where the setback shall be 50 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — B-5 general business district inside Nortonville city limits

    “no setbacks shall be required, except that if a setback is utilized at least 5 feet shall be maintained between the structure and the property line.”

• Building heightSpecified

  B-5 general business district inside Nortonville city limits

  • Maximum stated in section 9.

  maximum structure height: <= 95 ft

  “maximum structure height shall be not more than 95 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-3 single family residence district inside Nortonville city limits

    “maximum building height shall not be more than 35 feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes inside Nortonville city limits

  • Excluded from the R-3 and R-5 residential districts (except structures not identifiable as mobile homes).
  • Permitted in the R-9 mobile home district only as mobile home parks with density up to 7 per acre, minimum 35 prepared sites, after site plan approval by the governing body.
  • Bringing in a trailer or used building requires a special request approved by the council.

  mobile home park density: <= 7 per acre (R-9 district only) · minimum prepared sites in mobile home park: >= 35 sites (R-9 district only)

  “permitted uses shall be mobile home parks having a density of not more than 7 mobile homes per acre and having a minimum of 35 prepared site places.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Residences inside Nortonville city limits

  • Page states city water and sewer service and new-construction connection fees; no mandatory-connection rule or distance threshold was found on the page reviewed.
  • Connection to the city mains for new construction carries non-refundable fees: $2,000 water and $1,000 sewer plus material charges.

  new construction water connection fee: 2000 USD (plus additional material charges) · new construction sewer connection fee: 1000 USD (plus additional material charges)

  “construction fees - the following charges are for connecting to the city's water and sewer mains, this is for new construction, these fees are non-refundable. new construction fee for water is $2000.00 plus any additional charges for materials. new construction fee for sewer is $1000.00 plus any additional charges for materials.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning and building permits issued by Nortonville city

  • Section 18 sets a $25.00 fee for zoning change or special-permit applications; the procedure summary on the same page separately lists a $300 fee, so confirm with the city clerk.
  • Fees apply per permit as stated in the quoted sentences.

  zoning permit fee: 25 USD (per zoning permit issued under the ordinance) · building permit fee: 5 USD

  “a fee of $25.00 may be charged for each zoning permit issued in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permits and zoning or special-permit requests inside Nortonville city limits

  • Zoning permits are issued by the zoning administrator (city clerk); rezoning and special requests go to the planning commission and then the governing body.
  • Only the zoning and rezoning steps are published; building permit intake, plan review and inspection steps are not described on the pages reviewed.

  “it shall be the duty of the zoning administrator to issue zoning permits for the location of all construction, modifications, changes, diversion, remodeling, and other development or use of buildings and/or land”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Nortonville city limits
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Nortonville city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Nortonville city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Nortonville city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Nortonville 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.