Bolthole Index

Clay County, Missouri

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Village of Claycomo, Missouri

The Village of Claycomo, Missouri requires building permits for new construction, all commercial remodeling and residential remodeling that changes the roofline.1 Claycomo administers its own zoning; the village application also requires county plan coordination and a county pre-construction meeting.21 For septic, start with Clay County Public Health Center, but ask Environmental Health to confirm jurisdiction for the village address.3

At a glance

Building permits
Required for new construction, commercial remodeling and residential roofline changes1
Zoning
Village zoning applies inside Claycomo2
Minimum home size
Zone A: at least 720 square feet of usable floor area4
Minimum lot size
Zone A: 75-foot width and 7,500 square feet per family, with a separate-ownership exception5
Septic
Most Missouri installations or repairs need a construction permit; confirm the village address with Environmental Health63
Occupancy after construction
Village certificate of occupancy required before occupying the building1

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Claycomo — Building Permit Review

Village building-permit application, Board of Trustees approval and county coordination

Building permits

Village of Claycomo — Village Clerk

Village application questions and referral for building and zoning questions

816-452-5539 ext. 7

Septic permits

Clay County Public Health Center — Environmental Health

Onsite sewage program; confirm jurisdiction and requirements for an address inside Claycomo

816-595-4350

800 Haines Drive, Liberty, MO 64068

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Claycomo means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Village of Claycomo, MO?

Claycomo requires a building permit for new construction, all commercial remodeling and residential remodeling that changes the roofline.1 Submit the building-permit application to Claycomo and a copy to Clay County Planning and Zoning; the Board of Trustees reviews building permits at a regular session meeting.1 Building-permit fees are due after Board approval and before work begins.1 Ask the Village Clerk to route questions about other remodeling, owner-builder work and the current building-permit fee schedule to the appropriate reviewer.7

Does the Village of Claycomo have zoning and minimum lot sizes?

Claycomo administers village zoning inside its boundaries.2 In Zone A, the first dwelling house zone, the minimum lot width is 75 feet and the minimum area is 7,500 square feet per family; a separate-ownership exception can allow a narrower or smaller lot.5 Zone A buildings must have at least 720 square feet of usable floor area and may not exceed 35 feet or two and one-half stories.48 Ask the village to confirm the parcel’s district, setbacks and any exception before choosing a house plan.2

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Village of Claycomo?

We could not confirm a general rule allowing residential RV occupancy on private land in Claycomo; ask the village about the proposed address and duration before moving an RV onto the lot. Claycomo’s overnight-camping permit rule applies to village parks, where the police department issues the camping permit, rather than establishing permission to live on private land.9 A tiny dwelling proposed in Zone A must account for the 720-square-foot minimum usable floor area; that dimensional rule alone does not establish approval for a particular tiny-home design or occupancy.4

How do septic permits work inside the Village of Claycomo?

Missouri requires a construction permit before installing or repairing most onsite wastewater systems, with some single-family residential exemptions; work should wait until the permit is issued or the appropriate authority confirms an exemption.6 Clay County Public Health Center’s Environmental Health program permits and inspects treatment and disposal systems under 3,000 gallons, and provides existing-system information by phone.3 Ask Environmental Health to confirm whether the program handles the Claycomo address, and ask the village whether sewer connection is required; we could not confirm those address-specific village requirements. Missouri allows local onsite wastewater standards stricter than the state minimum.10

Building a home in the Village of Claycomo: what are the steps?

  1. Confirm the Claycomo zoning district and whether the proposed home fits its dimensional rules.24
  2. Submit the village building-permit application, a copy to county Planning and Zoning, and 3 sets of scaled construction and site plans stamped by a Missouri registered design professional, plus a project cost estimate.1
  3. Submit the materials at least 10 business days before a Board meeting; obtain Board approval and pay building-permit fees before work.1
  4. Schedule the county pre-construction meeting after receiving approved plans and the building permit.1
  5. Complete the requirements for the village certificate of occupancy before occupying the building.1

What should you check before buying land in the Village of Claycomo?

A Claycomo building-permit application for property in a floodplain needs additional paperwork submitted with the construction plans.1 Missouri’s floodplain development process also requires a No-Rise Certificate for proposed development in a regulatory floodway before the community can issue the floodplain development permit.11 Construction or modification of a driveway within MoDOT right-of-way requires a MoDOT driveway permit.12 For land outside village limits, use the Clay County guide for the county’s unincorporated-area building-permit and zoning answers.1314 Inside Claycomo, start with the village application even though county reviewers also participate.1

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm private-land RV occupancy, tiny-home-specific occupancy or an owner-builder exemption in Claycomo; ask the village about the actual parcel and proposed use. Start with the Village Clerk for a referral.7
  • Zone A’s separate-ownership exception means a small existing lot needs individual review rather than automatic rejection under the standard lot dimensions.5
  • Claycomo’s building-permit application requires a village certificate of occupancy before the building can be occupied.1

Sources

  1. Village of Claycomo — Building Permit Review (img1.wsimg.com)
  2. Chapter 31, Sec. 31-6, Zone A (Village of Claycomo), quoted and re-checked
  3. Clay County Public Health Center — Environmental Health (clayhealth.com)
  4. Chapter 31, Sec. 31-6, Zone A (Village of Claycomo), quoted and re-checked
  5. Chapter 31, Sec. 31-6, Zone A (Village of Claycomo), quoted and re-checked
  6. OWTS Construction Permit Process (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  7. Village of Claycomo — Village Clerk (claycomo.org)
  8. Chapter 31, Sec. 31-6, Zone A (Village of Claycomo), quoted and re-checked
  9. Chapter 22, Sec. 22-1, Overnight camping in village parks (Village of Claycomo), quoted and re-checked
  10. OWTS Construction Permit Process (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Floodplain Forms (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  12. Permits | Missouri Department of Transportation (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  13. Residential Construction (2026 county census)
  14. claycountymo.gov (2026 county census)

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Claycomo

Village of Claycomo’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction and erection of buildings and dwelling houses inside Claycomo village.

    • The village page identifies the adopted editions as 2018 editions.

    Uniform Building Code: 2018 edition · International Plumbing Code: 2018 edition · Uniform Fire Code: 2018 edition · Uniform Mechanical Code: 2018 edition · National Electrical Code: 2018 edition

    “The Village by the Board of Trustees herein adopts and incorporates by reference in haec verba as if fully set forth the following codes as the building code of the village, regulating and controlling the construction and erection of buildings and dwelling houses:”
  • InspectionsLimited

    Commercial businesses inside Claycomo village and new businesses applying for a village business license.

    • Commercial businesses require fire and building inspections before opening.
    • For new businesses, Clay County performs the building inspection in addition to the fire inspection.
    • The source does not establish a general inspection rule for all residential construction.
    “For new businesses, Clay County will perform a Building Inspection in addition to the Fire Inspection.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Non-residential buildings and structures, and changes in occupancy classification, inside Claycomo village.

    • A temporary certificate may be issued before the entire building is complete if the building official finds no substantial hazard will result.
    • The certificate remains valid until a listed triggering condition occurs, including change of ownership, new business, additional space, new location, or completion of a construction project modifying the structure.
    “No non-residential building or structure shall be used or occupied (occupy/occupied is defined as; to reside, operate a business, move property or equipment into), and no change in the existing occupancy classification of a building, structure or portion thereof shall be made, until the Village has issued a certificate of occupancy therefor as provided in this section.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Claycomo village; the village adopts and administers Chapter 31 zoning regulations.

    “Use regulations: In zone "A" no building, structure, land or premises shall be used and no building structure shall be hereafter erected, reconstructed, or altered except for one or more of the following uses:”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Buildings in Claycomo zone A, the first dwelling house zone.

    • The section also contains corner-lot and side-yard provisos.
    • The quoted rule is a minimum usable floor area for buildings, not a general village-wide minimum.

    usable floor area: >= 720 square feet

    “No building shall be constructed having less than seven hundred twenty (720) square feet of usable floor area.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    One-family dwellings in Claycomo zone A.

    • A separate-ownership exception may allow erection of a one-family dwelling on a narrower or smaller lot.

    minimum lot width: >= 75 feet (A lot in separate ownership at passage of the chapter may be narrower.) · minimum lot area per family: >= 7500 square feet (A lot in separate ownership at passage of the chapter may have less area.)

    “The minimum width of a lot shall be seventy-five (75) feet, provided that where a lot has less width than herein required in separate ownership at the time of the passage of this chapter, this regulation will not prohibit the erection of a one-family dwelling.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Buildings in Claycomo zone A.

    • The maximum is also expressed as two and one-half stories.

    maximum height: <= 35 feet (No building may exceed two and one-half stories.)

    “Height: No building shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet or two and one half stories.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Overnight camping in village parks inside Claycomo village.

    • A permit is required.
    • The police department issues permits on terms and conditions deemed in the best interest of village citizens.
    • The permit must be posted visibly on the vehicle.
    • The rule is limited to village parks and does not establish a private-land camping rule.
    • Violations are subject to section 17-1 penalties.
    “It shall be unlawful for any person to camp overnight in a village park without a permit.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Commercial/business permitting and occupancy process inside Claycomo village.

    • Before opening a business, a village business license is required.
    • The village page identifies fire inspection, certificate of use and occupancy, operational permits, supporting layout/site-map materials, and Board of Trustees approval as applicable business-license steps.
    • The opened material did not establish a complete process for residential building permits.
    “Before a business begins operating in Claycomo, a Village Business License is required.  An application, fee, additional paperwork, and approval from the Board of Trustees is required to be submitted to the Village Clerk.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Claycomo or Clay County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Claycomo village.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Claycomo village.
  • Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Claycomo village.
  • Living in an RV — Residential or long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Claycomo village.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Claycomo village.
12 more unanswered
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Claycomo publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Clay County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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