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

Rules another office applies inside Valley Township

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

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Valley township, Miami County, Kansas, to the extent it is unincorporated (outside any city limits), under the Miami County zoning regulations

  • Valley township is recorded as unincorporated territory for the county rule because the county geography enum has no township-specific option; the county regulation applies inside Valley township by its own terms.
  • The regulations name these districts in their table of contents: agricultural district (ag), rural residential district (r-1), countryside district (cs), planned development district (pd), low intensity commercial district (c-1), commercial district (c-2), business park district (bp), light industrial district (i-1), and heavy industrial district (i-2).
  • Agricultural land and buildings used only for agricultural purposes are exempt (see agricultural-exemption claim).
  • The PDF's amendment or revision date was not seen on the page opened; confirm it is the current version with the county planning office.
  • Property inside a city's limits is governed by that city's zoning, not this county regulation.

  “1-4.01 these zoning regulations shall apply to the unincorporated territory of miami county, kansas.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Published (with conditions) — Agricultural district (AG) land inside Valley township, Miami County, Kansas, if the parcel is zoned AG on the county district map

    “6-2.01 in the agricultural district, no building, structure, land or premises shall be used and no building or structure shall be hereafter erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved or altered, unless otherwise provided for in these regulations, except for the following uses: 1. agricultural purposes. 2. grain storage structures.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings on land inside Valley township zoned rural residential (R-1)

  • Applies to each single-family dwelling per legal lot or parcel in the rural residential district.
  • The same 950 square foot minimum appears in the countryside district (cs) single-family dwelling text, which was not confirmed as mapped inside Valley township.

  minimum floor area: >= 950 square feet (single-family dwellings in the rural residential district (R-1))

  “any single-family dwelling shall have a permanent foundation and perimeter enclosure as required by these regulations, and shall have a minimum floor area of nine hundred fifty (950) square feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes as single-family dwellings on land inside Valley township zoned rural residential (R-1)

  • The regulation lists residential-design manufactured homes and mobile homes among single-family dwellings in the rural residential district.
  • Every single-family dwelling must have a permanent foundation and perimeter enclosure as required by the regulations, and a minimum floor area of 950 square feet (see minimum-dwelling-size-r1).
  • Not verified for the agricultural district, whose use text does not name manufactured homes in the portion read.

  “single-family dwellings shall include residential-design manufactured homes, modular homes, group homes for the disabled, and mobile homes.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable

  Land inside Valley township used for agricultural purposes, and buildings used only for agricultural purposes, are exempt from the county zoning regulations

  • Exemption lasts only so long as the land and buildings stay in agricultural use.
  • New agricultural buildings fronting designated collectors and arterials remain subject to setback requirements, per the zoning regulations' agricultural district text.
  • Change to nonagricultural use is subject to the zoning regulations.

  “1-4.02 these zoning regulations shall not apply to the use of land for agricultural purposes, nor for the erection or maintenance of buildings so long as such land and buildings are used for agricultural purposes and not otherwise.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into new subdivisions or resubdivisions inside Valley township, Miami County, Kansas (unincorporated territory)

  • Subdivision regulations are county rules adopted for unincorporated territory; they are not a township ordinance.
  • Regulations set design requirements and uniform approval procedures and require that public facilities be available with sufficient capacity.
  • Subdivision regulations are cross-referenced to the county zoning regulations for land uses.

  “1-1.01 these regulations, entitled the subdivision regulations of miami county, kansas, prescribe minimum design requirements and uniform approval procedures for the division of property, and the development of new subdivisions and resubdivisions of land in the unincorporated territory of miami county, kansas.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Whether a building permit is required for a new home inside Valley township
• Owner-builder exemption — Whether an owner may build their own home inside Valley township without a licensed contractor
• Building code adopted — Which building code, if any, applies to construction inside Valley township
• Inspections — Whether building inspections are required for construction inside Valley township
• Certificate of occupancy — Whether a certificate of occupancy is required before occupying a new home inside Valley 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.