General Building Permit Information

The City of Lansing requires that all persons performing electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work be properly licensed by the City of Lansing, Kansas (Occupational / Trade Licenses).

Plan Review Timeline

On average, expect 2-3 weeks for the initial plan review to be returned to you. During the plan review process, the plans are submitted on the applicants behalf to the Fire Department and other City Departments for review and comment. When the reviewers have signed off on the project that no further comments are warranted, the permit may be issued, however no building construction can begin until the permit is issued by the City.

Review types

Commercial permits for an apartment house of three dwelling units or more, a commercial building, a public building, or any other structures deemed commercial in nature by the Community & Economic Development Department Director, are generally sent to a third party review firm for comments.

Residential permits, unless significant in structural items, as well as other permit types not listed here, are generally reviewed by in-house staff. At the Director's discretion, items can be sent to a third party reviewer for comments.

When the plans are returned to the city, or the in-house review is complete, you will be asked to have your architect or engineer respond to the comments to resolve any issues that do not meet the city's requirements, the currently adopted code, or are unclear to the reviewer.

Inspection Timeline

Inspections are scheduled 24 hours' in advance, and require 24 hours' notice. Inspections requested after 3:00 PM will not be scheduled until the second business day following the request day. Inspections schedule before 3:00 PM will be scheduled for the next business day.

Inspections are required for items such as footings, pier holes, framing, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and project completion (final).

Residential Requirements

Examples of residential projects that require permitting by the city are:

• New construction
• Major home improvements
• Additions
• Fences
• Accessory buildings
• Pools / Hot tubs
• Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work
• Pergolas
• Decks/Porches
• Roofs
  • Ice/Water shield is required - see letter below
• Siding / Windows / Doors

Any time a building permit application is made, a site plan, declaration of construction value, and plans for the project are needed. Exceptions to this would be small projects like a water heater replacement, etc.

A permit is not necessary for an accessory structure that is less than ten feet in height and smaller than 120 square feet (storage shed, playhouses, and similar uses). ALL accessory buildings exceeding ten feet or 120 square feet require a building permit from the city be obtained before any work is started.