Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Westwood Hills, Kansas

Westwood Hills’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction and alterations on private property inside Westwood Hills city limits

  • Minor repairs such as painting, decorating, minor landscaping, patching, and maintenance are excepted.
  • The city's list includes demolition, major landscaping, roof replacement, windows, siding, fences, decks, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work, among others; the page states the list is not all-inclusive.
  • Permit applications are subject to approval by the planning commission and the building official.

  “construction in westwood hills generally requires a building permit unless you are undertaking minor repairs such as painting, decorating, minor landscaping, patching, and maintenance.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Westwood Hills city limits

  • The city page lists the 2003 editions of the IBC, IRC, IMC, IFC, IPC and fuel gas code, and the 2002 NEC; newer editions were not located.

  adopted code edition: 2003 IBC (also 2003 IRC, IMC, IFC, IPC, fuel gas code; 2002 NEC)

  “westwood hills adopted the following codes: chapter 5, article 1 the 2003 edition of the international building code (the "ibc")”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Westwood Hills city limits: the city's own zoning regulations (Chapter 8) divide the city into a residential district and a retail district.

  • Chapter 8 print version is dated July 2012 on the city site; later amendments were not confirmed.
  • Use is conditional on the district rules in Chapter 8 article 2.

  “the city council of westwood hills has established two "use and area districts" designated as (a) residential district, and (b) retail district.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  All land inside Westwood Hills city limits; the city's zoning map divides the city into a residential district and a retail district

  • The official zoning district map is referenced in Chapter 8 section 8-202 but was not opened; boundaries are not verified.

  “the city of westwood hills is divided into said districts, the boundaries of which are shown upon the official city map”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family dwellings and attached or detached garages in the residential district of Westwood Hills city limits, on lots in the plat of Westwood Hills (front setback); Westport Annex plat lots have a 25-foot front setback

  • Front setback is measured to the majority building line where a Westport Annex lot is set back farther than the majority of buildings facing the street.
  • Corner lots have a 20-foot side-street setback, or closer to the side street if the majority of buildings face that street, whichever is greater.
  • Accessory structures must be set back at least 4 feet from side and rear lot lines (section 8-203 accessory provisions).

  front setback (Westwood Hills plat): >= 30 feet (25 feet on Westport Annex plat lots; majority-building line applies) · side setback: >= 4 feet (corner lots: 20 feet to the side street) · rear setback: >= 25 feet

  “30 feet to the front property line on those lots, tracts or parcels of land included as a part of the plat of westwood hills, a subdivision of land in johnson county, kansas”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Primary structure, additions and accessory structures on a residential district lot inside Westwood Hills city limits

  • Drives, decks and patios are excluded from the coverage calculation.
  • The planning commission may grant an exception to allow an addition to a primary residence or an accessory structure if it makes the findings in section 8-203.c.2.

  building lot coverage maximum: <= 25 percent (planning commission exception; drives, decks and patios excluded)

  “the building lot coverage area, defined as the ground area occupied by all structures divided by the total area of the lot, for the primary structure, additions, and accessory structures may not exceed 25 percent exclusive of drives, decks and patios.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings, structures and appurtenances in the residential district of Westwood Hills city limits

  • Height is measured from the grade level at the front elevation of the structure.

  maximum building height: <= 30 feet (or two and one-half stories, whichever is lesser)

  “no building, structure or appurtenance shall be erected on a lot, tract or parcel of land which building, structure or appurtenance exceeds the lesser of two and one-half stories or thirty (30) feet in height”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Retail district buildings used for stores, professional offices, banks, shops, restaurants and the other listed retail uses inside Westwood Hills city limits

    “buildings, structures and appurtenances to be used for any of the purposes enumerated in sub-section (a), (b) and (c) of this section shall not exceed one story in height”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Dwellings and other buildings inside Westwood Hills city limits

  • The city code requires fixtures in any building to connect to a public water and sewer system; it does not state a distance-from-main availability rule in the sections opened.
  • The section sits in the city's interior water and sewer requirements for dwellings, so it applies to dwelling fixtures.
  • The county FAQ says Westwood Hills is in the Johnson County Wastewater service area; water provider not confirmed on an official page.

  “every kitchen sink, lavatory basin, bathtub or shower and toilet installed within any building shall be properly connected to both a public water and sewer system”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications for work on private property inside Westwood Hills city limits

  • Applications go to the planning commission and building official for approval.
  • Required attachments on the city page include adjoining owner property signatures and a building permit checklist; the online application is linked from the page.

  “forms and information building permit online application adjoining owner property signatures building permit checklist building permit workflow”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Westwood Hills or Johnson County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Westwood Hills city limits
• Inspections — Inspections of new construction inside Westwood Hills city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new dwellings inside Westwood Hills city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area of a single-family dwelling inside Westwood Hills city limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot area for single-family lots inside Westwood Hills 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.