Building permits, zoning and land rules in Reno County, Kansas

Not a building permit in the usual sense. Reno County requires a zoning permit from Planning & Zoning for any structure over 120 square feet, plus a floodplain development permit where your parcel is in a mapped floodplain, but the county enforces no building code and does not run construction inspections¹. Planning & Zoning's own list of services confirms it issues zoning permits for new construction and reviews floodplain development, land division, rezone, conditional-use and variance applications⁴. Kansas has a narrow owner-builder exemption from roofing-contractor registration when an owner personally performs roofing work, or has employees perform it, on the owner's residential or farm property; that is not a general exemption from zoning approval or other local requirements⁶.

Reno County Planning & Zoning Division, at 600 Scott Boulevard, South Hutchinson, KS 67505, phone 620-694-2978, issues the zoning permit for new construction over 120 square feet¹ and handles floodplain development review⁴. The division traces back to Resolution 87-40, which established it on December 16, 1987, and the county's zoning regulations were most recently revised April 26, 2016 under Resolution 2016-09⁴. Onsite wastewater and private-well questions go to the Environmental Division at the same address, phone 620-259-2105 and email eh@renocountyks.gov^5,9.

Yes. Reno County Zoning Regulations apply to all structures and land within the unincorporated area under the county's Official Zoning District Boundary Map². Under Kansas law, a county zoning regulation can set minimum lot width, depth and area, yard and setback requirements, the percentage of a lot that may be occupied, and building height or number of stories, but the state does not set one number for every county — those specifics are fixed district by district in Reno County's own zoning resolution^10,11. Land used for agricultural purposes, and buildings incidental to that use, are exempt from county zoning under Kansas law, though the exemption does not cover floodplain regulations, and agricultural buildings can still be regulated for setbacks from public roads¹². I did not find Reno County's own published setback, lot-size or height numbers for its individual zoning districts this session, so confirm the number that applies to your specific parcel with Planning & Zoning before you buy⁴.

Reno County has countywide sanitation-code authority for onsite wastewater, and the Kansas registry identifies a Reno County Sanitation Code adopted in February 2024³. The Environmental Division says the homeowner or contractor must complete an application, but the available facts do not confirm the current septic permit or inspection requirement; ask the division what approval your installation or repair needs⁹. If your parcel is in a floodplain, contact the county floodplain manager at 620-694-2978 before planning the system⁹. The owner-applicant remains responsible for selecting a system that meets county code⁹. Only about 5.3% of Reno County soils rate free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so get a site-specific evaluation before budgeting for a standard system⁸. Reno County's well application includes setbacks and a permit process through the Environmental Division⁵.

We could not confirm that Reno County allows either use. Reno County's zoning permit threshold is tied to size — any structure over 120 square feet needs a zoning permit — but that threshold does not show that a smaller RV or tiny home may be occupied as a residence on any parcel¹. Ask Planning & Zoning whether your district allows an RV, camper or tiny home as a dwelling, including as temporary housing while building⁴. Then ask the Environmental Division what onsite-wastewater approval the proposed occupancy needs under the Reno County Sanitation Code^3,9.

1. Confirm your parcel's zoning district and whether your plan needs a zoning permit, floodplain development permit, or both, with Reno County Planning & Zoning at 600 Scott Boulevard, South Hutchinson⁴.
2. Contact the Environmental Division to learn which onsite-wastewater application, approval and inspection steps apply under the Reno County Sanitation Code^3,9.
3. Apply for your well permit through the Environmental Division and follow the well setbacks in its application⁵.
4. If your driveway will connect to a state highway, get a Kansas driveway entrance permit before construction⁷.
5. Build to the size and placement approved through zoning; Reno County does not run county construction-code inspections¹.
6. Keep every zoning, floodplain, wastewater and well approval the offices issue for your project.

Reno County's land is flat and buildable: essentially all of it, about 100%, sits at 15% slope or less, though only about 5.5% is wooded, so expect open plains rather than tree cover⁸. Federal land is negligible at about 1.8% of the county⁸. Soils are a real constraint for septic: only about 5.3% rate free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so budget for an alternative system on most parcels⁸. The county gets about 30.4 inches of precipitation a year and sits in severe drought about 30% of years — a meaningful dry-year risk — with an average annual temperature of 56.3°F and about 36.8 projected days a year at or above 100°F by mid-century⁸. At about 49 people per square mile, Reno County is rural, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more people is about 47 miles away⁸. Typical property tax runs about 1.7% effectively, with a median bill near $2,180 a year, and typical homeowner's insurance runs about $2,402 a year — both notably higher than many rural counties⁸. Farmland here has recently valued around $2,641 an acre, and the typical home value is about $158,979⁸.