Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Westphalia, Missouri

Westphalia’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Zoning-enforcement inspections of buildings, structures, and premises inside Westphalia city limits.

  • Entry is at a reasonable hour to enforce the zoning article; the inspector must provide sufficient identification and purpose information.
  • Inspections may be prompted by complaint or be part of a systematic inspection program.

  “an authorized representative of the City shall have the authority to enter at any reasonable hour”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Buildings, structures, and land uses inside Westphalia city limits.

  • The zoning article states that exemptions or grandfathering may apply under other provisions.

  “Article shall apply to all buildings, structures, and land uses within the corporate limits of the City of Westphalia”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Westphalia city limits.

  • District locations and boundaries are shown on the Official Zoning Map; the original map in the City Clerk's office is the final authority for current zoning status.

  number of zoning districts: 7

  “The City of Westphalia shall be divided into seven (7) zoning districts”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory structures with residential use inside Westphalia city limits.

  • In an R District, a lot must exceed 20,000 square feet and the structure may be used only as servant's quarters housing occupied by a servant employed on the premises by the household in the main building.
  • In C or M districts, an accessory structure used for residential purposes is prohibited unless part of or connected to the main building.

  R District lot area: > 20000 square feet (Servant's-quarters housing only.)

  “accessory structures with plumbing fixtures may be used for servant’s quarters housing”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Uses requiring sewerage disposal on parcels inside Westphalia city limits.

  • On parcels smaller than three acres, both public water and public sewer must be provided for a use requiring potable water or sewerage disposal to operate.

  parcel area threshold: < 3 acres (Both public water and public sewer must be provided.)

  “No use, which requires potable water or sewerage disposal to operate, shall be established”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A use requiring potable water or sewerage disposal on a parcel inside Westphalia city limits.

  • A use on a parcel smaller than three acres cannot be established unless both public water and public sewer are provided.

  parcel area threshold: < 3 acres (Both public water and public sewer must be provided.)

  “on a parcel of less than three (3) acres, unless both public water and public sewer are provided.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Conditional-use-permit applications for specific tracts inside Westphalia city limits.

  • The fee is for a conditional-use-permit application, not a general building-permit fee.

  conditional use permit filing fee: 100 USD

  “Filing Fee of one hundred dollars ($ 100);”

• Permit processPartial

  Conditional-use-permit applications inside Westphalia city limits.

  • The published procedure concerns conditional-use permits, not all construction permits.
  • The application is addressed to the Planning and Zoning Commission, filed with the City Clerk, and must be on prescribed forms with the listed supporting information.

  “shall be addressed to the Planning and Zoning Commission and shall be filed with the City Clerk.”

Rules another office applies inside Westphalia

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Single Family District inside Westphalia city limits.

  minimum lot area: 10000 square feet · minimum lot frontage at front lot line: 75 feet · minimum width at building line: 75 feet

  “Area: 10,000 square feet. Lot frontage: 75 feet at front lot line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-R Rural Residential District inside Westphalia city limits.

    “Area: 40,000 square feet. Lot frontage: 150 feet at front lot line.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in the R-1 Single Family District inside Westphalia city limits.

  • For lots with multiple street frontage, the 25-foot front-yard setback applies on all streets.

  front yard: 25 feet (Measured from front lot line.) · each side yard: 10 feet (Measured from side lot line.) · rear yard: 10 feet (Measured from rear lot line.)

  “Front yard: 25 feet, measured from front lot line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in the R-R Rural Residential District inside Westphalia city limits.

    “Front yard: 35 feet measured from front lot line.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Single Family District inside Westphalia city limits.

  • The maximum differs by lot area.

  maximum building coverage: <= 40 percent (Lots under 12,000 square feet.) · maximum building coverage: <= 25 percent (Lots over 12,000 square feet.)

  “40 percent for lots under 12,000 sq. ft. in area.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Manufactured homes in the R-1 Single Family District inside Westphalia city limits.

  • No more than one dwelling per lot.
  • Mobile homes are excluded.

  “including manufactured homes as defined in Section 100.3, with no more than one dwelling per lot, excluding mobile homes.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Allowed — Manufactured homes in the R-R Rural Residential District inside Westphalia city limits.

    “including manufactured homes as defined in Section 100.3, with no more than one dwelling per lot, excluding mobile homes.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential building construction inside Westphalia city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Westphalia city limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Westphalia city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Westphalia city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Principal dwellings inside Westphalia 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.