Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Smith Center, Kansas

Smith Center’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside Smith Center city limits that the city building code covers.

  • Requirement is taken from the Article 2 section titles and the approval language; the text of the building-permit-required section (4-205) was not opened.
  • Permit fee and approval process are recorded in separate claims.

  “no person, firm or corporation shall erect, construct, enlarge or improve any building or structure in the city or cause the same to be done without first obtaining a separate building permit for each such building or structure from the building official.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Occupancy of buildings built under a city building permit inside Smith Center city limits.

  • The code authorizes a certificate of approval for occupancy after permitted work is completed; the text does not in the read passage require a certificate for every occupancy.

  “upon the completion of any work under a building permit, the chief building official or the building inspector or his or her designee is authorized to issue a certificate of approval for the occupancy and use of the building or structure.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Smith Center city limits (Smith Center, Smith County, KS; city contact block lists ZIP 66967). City of Smith Center zoning regulations under Code Chapter XVI, Article 2.

  • Article 2 'zoning regulations' text and the separately posted Zoning Ordinance PDF (smithcenterks.com/documents/135/ZONING_ORDINANCE.pdf) were NOT opened; this claim rests on the code table of contents and the planning-authority sentence only.
  • Zoning district, dimensional and occupancy rules are not verified in this record; see the unknown claims.

  “city planning commission/board of zoning appeals zoning regulations reserved reserved strategic plan”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New home inside Smith Center city limits connecting to city water and sewer service.

  • Water service requires a written application, an owner-paid application fee and owner-paid connection charges; service may be terminated if those charges stay unpaid more than 30 days.
  • If no water main or distributing line is available, the extension conditions must be met before installation is authorized.
  • Each property supplied with city water needs a separate service installation.
  • Water and sewer lines in the city must include tracer wire (Sec. 4-222).
  • A mandatory sewer connection duty when a sewer main is available was not located in the sections read.

  water service application fee: 10 USD · utility service fee in lieu of deposit: 20 USD

  “an application fee of $10 shall accompany each application for service.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permits inside Smith Center city limits.

  • Only the fee in Sec. 4-213 was read. Ordinance 1034 (building and fence permits, listed on the city ordinances page) and any later fee schedule were not opened and may change the amount.

  building permit fee: 10 USD

  “the fee for a building permit shall be $10.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Smith Center city limits
• Zoning districts — Zoning district map and district list inside Smith Center city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the main single-family residential district inside Smith Center city limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the main single-family residential district inside Smith Center city limits
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks in the main single-family residential district inside Smith Center 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.