Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Westwood, Kansas

Westwood’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Westwood city limits

  • Source is a copy of the ordinance hosted by MARC, not the city's own site; the city's site was blocked (HTTP 403).

  “there is hereby adopted and herein incorporated by reference the city of westwood zoning map, which shall be the official map defining the boundaries of zones”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Single-family residential districts R-1(a) through R-1(e) inside Westwood city; other districts (C-0, C-1, P-1) are also referenced

  • Districts are divided by lot width at the curb.

  “r-1 (b) lots which are less than 65 feet in width but at least 50 feet in width as measured at the curb along the front property line”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1(b) single-family district inside Westwood city (R-1(c) requires 7,020 sq ft; R-1(a) states no minimum area in the text reviewed)

  • Lot width 50 to under 65 feet at the curb

  minimum lot area R-1(b): >= 5500 sq ft

  “lots shall be at least 50 feet and less than 65 feet in width and have a minimum area of 5,500 square feet”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1(b) single-family district inside Westwood city (R-1(a) front yard is 20 ft; R-1(c) rear yard is the greater of 15 ft or 20% of lot depth)

  • First-story side yard setbacks are set in section 4.3.2 (not captured)

  front yard: >= 35 ft · rear yard: >= 15 ft · corner side yard: >= 15 ft · second-story side yard: >= 7 ft

  “b. minimum setbacks are established at: 1. 35 feet for the front yard, 2. 7 feet for a second-story side yard, 3. 15 feet for the rear yard, 4. 15 feet for the side yard on corner lots,”

• Building heightSpecified

  Primary residences in R-1(a)-(d) districts inside Westwood city

  • R-1(e) has a separate height rule not captured
  • Eave height limits also apply (e.g. 23 ft in R-1(c))

  maximum stories: <= 2 stories

  “the primary structure of all residences in r-1(a), r1-(b), r1-(c), and r1-(d) shall be a maximum of two stories in height.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Campers and trailers on lots inside Westwood city

  • Rule addresses parking/storage in public view, not occupancy explicitly
  • Special permit from police department for two periods of four days each per calendar year

  max time in public view: <= 12 hours (special permit allows two 4-day periods per year)

  “no boats, campers, trailers, motorcycles, or jet skis may remain in public view on any portion of any lot, tract, or parcel of land in the city for more than twelve hours”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units on single-family (R-1) lots inside Westwood city

  • Only one ADU per single-family building site
  • Accessory structures must be in the rear yard
  • All applicable building and fire codes must be met
  • ADU over 500 sq ft needs an additional parking space

  ADU size above which extra parking required: > 500 sq ft (ADUs of 500 sq ft or smaller with code-compliant parking for the principal structure need no extra space)

  “only one accessory dwelling unit (adu) is permitted on any single-family residential building site. if the adu is greater than 500 sq. ft. in size, an additional parking space located behind the front yard setback and at least 20 feet from the street side lot line is required.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Platting and replatting inside Westwood city

  • Plats approved by the governing body
  • Filed with the county within thirty days of approval
  • No building permit issued before filing

  “plats approved by the governing body shall be filed with the county within thirty days of approval by the governing body.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Inside Westwood city
• Owner-builder exemption — Inside Westwood city
• Building code adopted — Inside Westwood city
• Inspections — Inside Westwood city
• Certificate of occupancy — Inside Westwood 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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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