Bolthole Index

Ellis County, Kansas

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Hays, Kansas

Hays, Kansas issues building permits through the city Planning & Development Division and administers its own zoning in Ellis County.12 Private sanitary disposal requires a city permit, which cannot be issued within a block where public sewer connections are available.3 The Ellis County Environmental Office handles wastewater evaluations and county wastewater applications; ask both offices which approvals apply to a Hays parcel.45

At a glance

Building permits
City Planning & Development Division issues building permits.1
Zoning
Hays administers zoning inside the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction.2
Private septic
City permit required; unavailable in a block where public sewer connections are available.3
Residential lot size
R-G standard large, moderate and small lots: 9,000, 7,000 and 6,000 square feet respectively, for the development categories covered by the table.6
RV and tiny-home living
We could not confirm complete private-land occupancy rules; ask Hays Planning & Development before buying.1
Owner-builder roofing
Kansas exempts qualifying owner-performed roofing from roofing-contractor registration; local building permits and inspections remain separate.7

Who to call

Building permits

Hays Planning & Development Division

City building permits, zoning, construction inspections and city floodplain questions

785-628-7310

1002 Vine Street

Building permits

Hays Planning & Development — Building and Zoning Applications

New-home applications, residential inspection guidance, selected online trade applications and building permit reports

Septic permits

Ellis County Environmental Office

County wastewater applications and transfer evaluations; confirm applicability within Hays alongside city approval

(785) 628-9449

1515 W. 55th St.

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 Hays means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Hays, Kansas?

Start a new-home project in Hays with the city building-permit office: Planning & Development issues building permits, reviews new-construction and remodeling plans, and performs construction inspections.1 Hays has adopted the 2024 International Building Code and International Residential Code with amendments and exclusions; ask the city which provisions apply to your project.8 The city publishes a New Home Permit Application and residential inspection and certificate-of-occupancy guidance on its building applications page.9

Who handles Hays building permits, and how do you reach the office?

Contact Hays Planning & Development at 785-628-7310 or visit the division at 1002 Vine Street for city building-permit and zoning questions.1 Use the city’s building and zoning applications page for the New Home Permit Application and past Building Permit Reports.9 Hays offers online applications for mechanical, plumbing, electrical, roofing, right-of-way and sign permits; ask the division how to submit the new-home application rather than assuming every application uses the same online route.9 We could not confirm current Hays building-permit fee amounts; request a project-specific fee estimate from Planning & Development.1

Does Hays have zoning, minimum lot sizes and setbacks?

Hays administers zoning and subdivision regulations within the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, so confirm the parcel’s jurisdiction before choosing a design.2 Hays residential development standards distinguish Agriculture (A-L), Residential Suburban (R-S), Residential General (R-G) and Residential Multi-Family (R-M) districts.10 For the development categories covered by the R-G table, standard large lots require 9,000 square feet, moderate lots 7,000 square feet and small lots 6,000 square feet.6 The A-L standard farmstead neighborhood minimum is 5 acres, with a permitted lot-split exception subject to applicable setbacks.11 Ask Hays Planning & Development to identify the lot’s neighborhood category and applicable setbacks before relying on a minimum area alone.101

How do septic permits work inside Hays?

Private septic is not an automatic alternative to city sewer in Hays: private sanitary disposal requires a city permit, and Hays cannot issue that permit within a block where public sewer connections are available to the applicant.3 Private sewage disposal must also cease after public sewer becomes available under the city code.3 Separately, the Ellis County Environmental Office administers wastewater evaluations and lists a $60 wastewater application within county jurisdiction; confirm the county approval needed for your city address alongside the Hays permit.45 For a purchase involving an existing septic system, ask that office about the transfer inspection required within county jurisdiction.12

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Hays?

We could not confirm a complete Hays rule allowing long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on a private lot; ask Hays Planning & Development about the proposed use before committing to land or a unit.1 Ask the city to identify the zoning district, classify the proposed dwelling and explain the building-permit route, because Hays has district-specific land-use standards and adopted residential building codes.108 A wastewater plan also needs a separate answer: the Hays restriction on private sanitary disposal applies wherever public sewer connections are available in the block.3

Building a home in Hays: what are the steps, in order?

  1. Verify city limits using the link on Hays’s application page, then ask Planning & Development to confirm city or extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction.92
  2. Confirm the district and development category with Hays, and resolve any platting or lot-split approval before finalizing the site plan.101311
  3. Establish sewer availability; ask Hays about private sanitary-disposal approval and Ellis County Environmental about applicable wastewater evaluation and permitting.34
  4. Ask the city division about floodplain review, submit the New Home Permit Application and arrange the construction inspections handled by Hays.19
  5. Use the city’s residential inspection checklist and certificate-of-occupancy guidance to plan the completion stage.9

What should you check before buying land in or near Hays?

Confirm the Hays boundary first: city planning authority extends into an extraterritorial area, so an address outside city limits still needs a jurisdiction check.2 For land subject to county zoning instead, Ellis County’s guide explains the county zoning certificate required before erection or alteration of structures under county regulations.14 Inside Hays, direct floodplain questions to city Planning & Development, which administers the city’s National Flood Insurance Program; the city also publishes a Floodplain Development Permit Application.19 We could not confirm a private-well permit rule inside Hays; ask the city division and Ellis County Environmental Office which authority must approve your proposed water supply.115

Watch-outs

  • Public sewer availability can prevent a private septic permit in Hays; confirm the block’s sewer availability before designing an off-grid sanitation system.3
  • Hays zoning reaches its extraterritorial jurisdiction; confirm authority for land near the city boundary with city Planning & Development.2
  • Kansas’s owner-builder exemption here concerns roofing-contractor registration only; it does not establish a general exemption from Hays building permits or inspections.7

Sources

  1. Hays Planning & Development Division (haysusa.com)
  2. Planning and Zoning (Hays), quoted and re-checked
  3. Sec. 65-334. Permit required for private sanitary disposal (Hays), quoted and re-checked
  4. Wastewater System Evaluations & Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  5. Wastewater System Evaluations & Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  6. Hays Unified Development Code, Residential Development Standards (Hays), quoted and re-checked
  7. K.S.A. 50-6,129. Exemptions (Kansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. Sec. 11-42. International Building Codes—Adopted by reference; amendments (Hays), quoted and re-checked
  9. Hays Planning & Development — Building and Zoning Applications (haysusa.com)
  10. Hays Unified Development Code, Sec. 3.1.201 (Hays), quoted and re-checked
  11. Hays Unified Development Code, Residential Development Standards (Hays), quoted and re-checked
  12. Wastewater System Evaluations & Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  13. Planning and Zoning (Hays), quoted and re-checked
  14. Planning & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  15. Ellis County Environmental Office (ellisco.net)

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 Hays

Hays’s own rules

  • Owner-builder exemptionConditional

    Work regulated by the plumbing, mechanical, and gas-code permit article in an owner-occupied single-family dwelling inside Hays.

    • Applicant must be the bona fide owner; dwelling and associated buildings/quarters must be occupied by that owner; owner must personally buy all materials and perform all labor.
    “Any permit required by this article may be issued to any person to do any work regulated by this article in a single-family dwelling used exclusively for living purposes, including the usual accessory building and quarter in connection with such buildings in the event that any such person is the bona fide owner of any such dwelling and accessory buildings and quarters and that the same are occupied by such owner; provided that such owner shall personally purchase all materials and shall personally perform all labor in connection therewith.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Buildings and structures within Hays city corporate limits.

    • The city adopts the 2024 International Building Code and 2024 International Residential Code by reference with listed amendments.

    International Building Code edition: 2024 (Except Chapter 11 Accessibility and Chapter 13 Energy Efficiency as stated in Sec. 11-42(a).) · International Residential Code edition: 2024 (Except Chapters 12 through 33 as stated in Sec. 11-42(a).)

    “There is adopted by the city, for the purpose of establishing rules and regulations for the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, removal, conversion, demolition, occupancy, equipment, use, height, area, and maintenance of buildings or structures in the city of Hays, Kansas, that certain standard building codes known as the International Building Code (except Chapter 11 Accessibility & Chapter 13 Energy Efficiency), International Residential Code (except Chapters 12 through 33), all 2024 Editions”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted new construction and additions inside Hays city limits.

    • Permit holder must notify the official at site layout/foundation and before foundation and footings are poured or laid; further inspections may be directed during construction.
    “The contractor or builder having a permit for new construction, or additions to existing building, shall notify the chief building official or inspector immediately upon the marking or laying out of the site and foundation for such work.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Hays city limits.

    • The Planning & Development Division also administers zoning in the extraterritorial jurisdiction; this claim is limited to the City of Hays.
    “Planning is responsible for the coordination of land development activities through the administration of Zoning and Subdivision Regulations within the City of Hays and the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction area surrounding the City.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Present — Land inside Hays city limits.
      “Planning is responsible for the coordination of land development activities through the administration of Zoning and Subdivision Regulations within the City of Hays and the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction area surrounding the City.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Hays city.

    • The UDC identifies Agriculture (A-L), Residential Suburban (R-S), Residential General (R-G), and Residential Multi-Family (R-M) districts, among others.
    • District-specific dimensional and use standards apply.
    “The Agriculture (A-L), Residential Suburban (R-S), Residential General (R-G), and Residential Multi-Family (R-M) districts provide for different neighborhood types.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Published (with conditions) — Hays zoning regulations.
      “Planning is responsible for the coordination of land development activities through the administration of Zoning and Subdivision Regulations within the City of Hays and the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction area surrounding the City.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Residential General (R-G) District, standard residential development inside Hays city.

    • The UDC table contains separate large-lot, moderate-lot, small-lot, planned mixed-housing, and manufactured-home-park standards.
    • The cited table applies to new neighborhoods and other development categories described in Sec. 3.1.201(B).

    large-lot minimum: 9000 square feet · moderate-lot minimum: 7000 square feet · small-lot minimum: 6000 square feet

    “Residential General (R-G) District Standard (Large Lot) 9,000 sf. [...] Standard (Moderate Lot) 7,000 sf. [...] Standard (Small Lot) 6,000 sf.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — Agriculture (A-L) District, standard farmstead neighborhood inside Hays city.
      “This minimum lot size does not prevent a named lot owner from deeding a tract of land of less than five acres for the purposes of a single-family detached house via a lot split; provided, however, that a permit is obtained from the Department and both tracts meet the applicable setback requirements set out in Table 3.1.203.A, Single-Family Detached Lot and Building Standards.”
  • Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

    Private disposal of human waste inside Hays city limits.

    • City planning, inspection and enforcement division issues the permit; no permit may issue within a block where public-sewer connections are available.
    “It is unlawful for any person to construct or locate any structure or works on his premises for the disposal of human excreta or body wastes without a permit from the planning, inspection and enforcement division; provided that no permit may be issued for any such structure or works within a block where connections to the public sewer are available to such person.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Construction or location of private human-waste disposal works inside Hays city limits.

    • Permit is from the planning, inspection and enforcement division; no permit may issue within a block where public sewer connections are available.
    “It is unlawful for any person to construct or locate any structure or works on his premises for the disposal of human excreta or body wastes without a permit from the planning, inspection and enforcement division; provided that no permit may be issued for any such structure or works within a block where connections to the public sewer are available to such person.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Private sanitary-disposal structures and works permitted inside Hays city limits.

    • The division supervises and inspects construction and approves completed structures and works; permit availability is subject to the public-sewer condition in § 65-334.
    “The planning, inspection and enforcement division shall supervise and inspect the construction of such structures and works and approve such structures and works upon completion; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed to deny the authority of the planning, inspection and enforcement division to abate any septic tank, cesspool or privy in the city as a nuisance.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Private septic tanks, privies, or other private sanitary disposal inside Hays city.

    • Private sanitary disposal requires a city permit.
    • No permit may be issued within a block where public sewer connections are available.
    • Private sewage disposal must cease after public sewer becomes available under Secs. 65-328 and 65-329.
    “It is unlawful for any person to construct or locate any structure or works on his premises for the disposal of human excreta or body wastes without a permit from the planning, inspection and enforcement division; provided that no permit may be issued for any such structure or works within a block where connections to the public sewer are available to such person.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Limited — Human-occupancy construction inside Hays where a sanitary sewer lateral is not immediately available.
      “When permits are issued by the city for the construction or location of any dwelling house or building in the city for human occupancy and a sanitary sewer lateral is not immediately available for connection of the building sewer drain, the building permit may authorize the construction of temporary facilities, either a septic tank system or sanitary privy, under the conditions of Section 65-329, for such occupancy which shall be valid until sanitary sewer facilities are available.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and platting inside Hays city.

    • The Hays Area Planning Commission acts on and approves plats.
    • Applications for platting are available through the Inspections Office.
    “The Hays Area Planning Commission consisting of nine members representing both the City and the extraterritorial jurisdiction, acts on and approves plats, makes recommendations to the City Commission regarding zoning regulations.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Regulated (with conditions) — Land development and plats inside Hays city limits.
      “The Hays Area Planning Commission consisting of nine members representing both the City and the extraterritorial jurisdiction, acts on and approves plats, makes recommendations to the City Commission regarding zoning regulations.”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    A driveway or drive-in entrance constructed from a curbline to a lot line inside Hays.

    • Applies to curb cutting by an owner of land abutting a street; construction must accord with the permit and the section's construction standards.
    “The owner of any lot or tract of land abutting on any street may cut the curb adjacent to such lot or tract of land in accordance with the permit and construct a driveway or drive-in entrance from the curbline to the lot line.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Building Code permits issued by Hays.

    • Fee-payment arrangement must be requested according to the schedule on file in the city clerk's office; a double fee may be assessed when work begins before permit issuance.
    “Before any person shall be issued a permit under the provisions of the Building Code, a request for arrangement for payment of fees shall be made to the city according to the schedule of fees, which are on file in the city clerk's office.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Plat, zoning-change, variance, and special-use applications inside Hays city limits.

    • Applications are available in the Inspections Office; this source does not provide a complete building-permit application process.
    “Applications for platting, change of zoning, variance and special use permits are available in the Inspections Office.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — General new residential construction inside Hays city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Hays city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Hays city.
  • Setbacks — Residential zoning districts inside Hays city limits.
  • Lot coverage — Residential lots inside Hays city.
10 more unanswered
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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 Hays publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Ellis County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Ellis County: county rules, score and offices