Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Hudson, Kansas

Hudson’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Accessory apartments inside Hudson city. This is the only occupancy certificate referenced in the joint regulations; a general certificate for new homes was not located.

  • A recorded deed restriction must be filed with the Stafford County register of deeds before an occupancy certificate for the accessory apartment is issued.

  “a suitable deed restriction stating this restriction must be filed with the stafford county register of deeds prior to issuance of any occupancy certificate for the accessory apartment.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and buildings inside Hudson city limits. The joint zoning regulations were adopted by Hudson city's governing body by Ordinance No. 190 and are prepared by the Stafford County/Hudson Joint Planning Commission and administered by the county zoning administrator.

  • Section 1-103 covers the unincorporated county and the city of Hudson; Ordinance No. 190 Section 4 applies the regulations to all use of land inside Hudson city.
  • The cover shows an edition of January 1, 2026 with effective date March 25, 2026; it is not confirmed that Hudson has adopted that edition. The 2005 effective date below is the date stated for the Hudson adoption.
  • Districts that apply inside the city are R-1, R-2, B-1 and I-1 (per the table of comparability); the county-only districts are not listed for the city jurisdiction.

  “section 4. jurisdiction: from the effective date of this ordinance, the zoning regulations and official zoning map herein incorporated by reference shall govern all use of the land and the location of buildings and other structures placed within the city of hudson, kansas.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts that apply to land inside Hudson city limits

  • The joint regulations list city-jurisdiction districts R-1 single-family residential, R-2 multiple-family residential, B-1 central business, and I-1 industrial (with P-O protective overlay). County-jurisdiction districts are labeled as county-jurisdiction in the text.
  • Official zoning map for the city is incorporated by ordinance; the map itself was not opened.

  “108 r-1 single-family residential district. (city jurisdiction)”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district (city jurisdiction) inside Hudson city

  • Two-family and earth-sheltered dwellings in R-1 require 9,000 sq ft; all other uses require 10,000 sq ft.
  • Lot width for two-family and earth-sheltered dwellings is 80 ft; all other uses 90 ft.
  • Lots smaller than the district minimum may still be used if legally platted before the regulations or nonconforming lots of record, and the county sanitary code still applies.

  minimum lot area, single-family dwellings: >= 8000 square feet (two-family and earth-sheltered dwellings 9,000 sq ft; other uses 10,000 sq ft) · minimum lot width, single-family dwellings: >= 70 feet (two-family and earth-sheltered 80 ft; other uses 90 ft) · minimum lot depth: >= 100 feet

  “minimum lot area: a. dwellings permitted by section 4-108a1: 8.000 square feet. b. two-family and earth-sheltered dwellings: 9,000 square feet. c. all other uses: 10, 000 square feet. minimum lot width: a. dwellings permitted by section 4-108a1: 70 feet. b. two-family and earth sheltered dwellings: 80 feet. c. all other uses: 90 feet. minimum lot depth: 100 feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal single-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district (city jurisdiction) inside Hudson city

  • Front yard may be reduced to 15 ft on a corner lot where the street right-of-way is at least 60 ft wide for one of the yards, but 20 ft is still required where the yard has direct driveway access to a garage or parking space.
  • Setbacks are the R-1 minimums as stated; other permitted uses in R-1 may have different limits.

  minimum front yard: >= 25 feet (corner-lot reduction to 15 ft if ROW at least 60 ft; 20 ft minimum where driveway/garage access) · minimum side yard: >= 8 feet · minimum rear yard: >= 25 feet

  “a. minimum front yard: 25 feet on all sides abutting a street. except that on corner lots where the street right of way is at least 60 feet wide one of the yards may be reduced to 15 feet: however. 20 feet shall still be required for yards with direct driveway access to a garage or parking space.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 single-family residential district (city jurisdiction) inside Hudson city

  • Lot coverage is 30% maximum in R-1; R-2 (multiple-family) is 45% and was not checked for a Hudson claim here.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “b. minimum side yard: 8 feet. c. minimum rear yard: 25 feet. maximum lot coverage: 30%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the R-1 single-family residential district (city jurisdiction) inside Hudson city

  • Height limit as stated in the R-1 bulk regulations; no exceptions were checked for the city.

  maximum structure height: <= 35 feet

  “bulk regulations. 1. maximum structure height: 35 feet.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Residential-design manufactured homes as single-family dwellings in the R-1 district inside Hudson city

  • Only where the district permits such homes; a home may not be located in any district that does not otherwise permit such homes.
  • Residential-design manufactured homes must meet the regulations' definition (permanent enclosed perimeter foundation, minimum 22 body feet width, pitched roof and site-built-type materials).
  • Multiple-wide manufactured homes on an enclosed perimeter foundation are also listed in R-1; the full condition text was not read.

  “permitted uses. 1. single-family detached dwellings, residential-design manufactured homes.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments on lots with a single-family dwelling inside Hudson city

  • The lot must meet the minimum lot area for its district; off-street parking must be provided; temporary prefabricated structures may be used for limited periods.
  • The apartment must stay under the same ownership as the principal dwelling and cannot be sold as a condominium; a deed restriction must be filed with the register of deeds.
  • The zoning districts where accessory apartments are permitted were not separately confirmed.

  accessory apartments per zoning lot: <= 1 maximum

  “1. a maxi mum of one accessory apartment may be allowed on the same zoning lot as a single-family dwelling unit;”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Lots inside Hudson city where public sewer is not yet available

  • On-site septic tank systems or wastewater lagoons are allowed only where public sewage facilities are not yet available; the regulations encourage connection where public systems are available within an economically feasible distance.
  • Installation standards are set by the county sanitary code or city ordinance.

  “in areas where such public facilities are not yet available and on-site wells. cisterns and septic tank systems or wastewater lagoons are necessary.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New homes on lots inside Hudson city

  • Connection is encouraged where public water or sewer is available within an economically feasible distance; the regulations do not state a fixed distance.
  • No building may be erected over or across public water, sewer or other utility lines or platted easements without written permission from the city or county and the utility.

  “it is the intention of these regulations to encourage the installation of public water supplies and sewage disposal systems or to connect to such systems if available for use and provided within an economically feasible distance.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Hudson city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Hudson city
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Hudson city
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Hudson city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area of a dwelling inside Hudson city

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.