Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Wamego Township, Kansas

Rules another office applies inside Wamego Township

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

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land in Wamego township outside any zone designated as extraterritorial jurisdiction for the City of Wamego (county zoning and subdivision resolutions; used because no township zoning ordinance was found)

  • Excludes zones (including floodplain) designated as extraterritorial jurisdiction for the cities of Wamego and St. Marys.
  • This is the county's Unified Development Regulations, not a Wamego township ordinance; a township-adopted zoning rule was not found.
  • Within the county UDR, the A-1 district does not impose regulations except FEMA floodplain, building setback and sanitary regulations on agricultural-purpose uses.

  “the jurisdiction of these resolutions is all unincorporated lands within pottawatomie county, except those zones (including floodplain) designated as “extraterritorial jurisdiction” for the cities of wamego and st. marys and subsequent adoptions and designations.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning districts that apply to unincorporated land in Wamego township outside city ETJ

  • District list: A-1, A-2, AB, PURD, AR (agricultural districts); R-1, R-2, R-3, PUD, MH (residential); commercial and manufacturing districts follow.
  • Official zoning map is kept by the county zoning office (not opened).

  “agricultural districts general agricultural a-1 rural/ agricultural rural center a-2 rural center ag-business ab”

• Tiny homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Non-farm tiny home as a dwelling in the A-1 agricultural district on unincorporated land in Wamego township outside city ETJ

  • Permitted as a non-agricultural use in the A-1 district.
  • In the accessory dwelling section, tiny homes are permitted provided they are affixed to a permanent foundation.

  “non-farm dwelling units, including residential designed manufactured housing and tiny homes.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured home used as a non-farm dwelling in the A-1 district on unincorporated land in Wamego township outside city ETJ

  • Residential-design manufactured homes are permitted as non-farm dwellings.
  • Manufactured housing that is not residential-design is permitted only if no more than five years old at application and the land is not planned for residential use.

  maximum age for non-residential-design manufactured housing: <= 5 years (at time of application; land must not be planned for residential use)

  “manufactured housing that is not classified as residential design is permitted if the unit is no more than five (5) years old at the time of application and the land is not planned for residential use”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units on lots with a principal single-family dwelling on unincorporated land in Wamego township outside city ETJ

  • The owner(s) of the principal and secondary dwelling must be the same.
  • A detached ADU may not be a mobile home, motor vehicle, a towed camping unit, or a unit requiring HUD certification.
  • ADUs may be internal, attached or detached.
  • Tiny homes are permitted as ADUs only if affixed to a permanent foundation.

  “a detached adu must not be a mobile home, motor vehicle, a towed unit customarily used for camping, or a unit requiring hud certification.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Agricultural-purpose uses and buildings in the A-1 district on unincorporated land in Wamego township outside city ETJ

  • Agricultural uses are not regulated except FEMA floodplain regulations, building setback requirements, and sanitary regulations.
  • Dwelling units for the main farm family are listed as exclusive uses in Section 5.1.3(h).

  “this zone is an exclusive use district that does not impose regulations, except for fema flood plain regulations, building setback requirements, and sanitary regulations on any building, structure or use that has an agricultural purpose as defined in the general statutes of kansas.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land division and subdivision of unincorporated land in Wamego township outside city ETJ

  • The county subdivision design and public improvement standards apply, including the regular subdivision process in Section 4.2 and lot splits in Section 4.7.
  • Lot splits and replats are covered by Section 4.7 of the UDR (not extracted in full).

  “owners of any existing platted lot may divide such lots into no more than two parts without recourse to a formal re-plat. once a lot is split, it may not again be divided without re-platting.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Wamego Township or Pottawatomie County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built homes inside Wamego township
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Wamego township
• Inspections — Construction inside Wamego township
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new homes inside Wamego township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Wamego township

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 Wamego Township 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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