Permits and licensing · Kansas
Renovation permits and contractor licences in Kansas
Kansas leaves contractor licensing to local government. There is no statewide contractor licence; the one state-level requirement is roofing registration, which every roofing contractor must hold from the Kansas Attorney General. In the Kansas City suburbs, licensing runs through Johnson County's own contractor licensing division, and cities such as Topeka license general and trade contractors themselves. Building permits come from your city or county, and the licence normally has to be in place first.
Regulators and licensing bodies in Kansas
These official bodies license contractors, oversee safety or issue permits in Kansas.
Kansas Attorney General – Roofing Registration Unit
Administers the Kansas Roofing Registration Act, enacted in 2013. Since July 1, 2013 every roofing contractor must obtain a roofing contractor registration certificate from the Kansas Attorney General in order to legally provide commercial or residential roofing services for a fee in Kansas. The office publishes the Act itself, the roofing regulations and an informational pamphlet, and maintains a roofer registry.
Johnson County Contractor Licensing
A division of the county's Department of Planning, Housing and Community Development, responsible for issuing and tracking eleven types of construction contractor licence. Its stated purpose is to protect the public by making sure that anyone constructing, altering, repairing or demolishing a structure is qualified to do it. Contractors register, take classes and renew through the county's online contractor licensing system, and the county publishes a searchable list of licensed companies.
City of Topeka Development Services Division
Issues all contractor and trade licences in the City of Topeka, and states that all trades are required to be licensed and pull permits to work in the city. General contractor classes follow the Kansas standard building contractor examinations, and Class A, B and C holders must take continuing education every year to renew, as must the designated master or journeyman behind a trade contractor licence.
Trades that need a licence in Kansas
General contracting and renovation
Because Kansas has no state contractor licence, the only question that matters is which local programme applies. In Johnson County a Class A licence covers any structure, a Class B licence structures of no more than three storeys and a Class C licence single-family or duplex homes and their accessory buildings — and none of the three entitle the holder to do HVAC, plumbing, electrical or fire protection work.
Sources:Johnson County – New licence and licence types(opens in a new tab)
Certified trades
Johnson County issues trade-only classes with letters that tell you exactly what the holder may do: DE for electrical, DP for plumbing, DM for HVAC, mechanical and refrigeration, DR for roofing, DS for swimming pools and spas, DW for wood framing, and DF and DFA for fire suppression and fire alarms. Ask which letter is on the licence.
Sources:Johnson County – New licence and licence types(opens in a new tab)
Consumer protection
Roofing is the one trade with a state-level check anywhere in Kansas: a roofing contractor must hold a registration certificate from the Attorney General to provide roofing services for a fee, and the office maintains a public registry of registrants. Ask for the certificate before any storm-damage work begins.
Sources:Kansas Attorney General – Roofing Registration(opens in a new tab)
Electrical work
Electrical work is licensed city by city, or in Johnson County through the county programme's Class DE licence. Topeka publishes its own current lists of licensed electrical, plumbing, mechanical, general, excavation and specialty contractors, which is the quickest way to check someone working there.
Sources:Topeka – Contractor information(opens in a new tab)Johnson County – New licence and licence types(opens in a new tab)
Plumbing
Topeka requires the designated master or journeyman behind a trade contractor licence to complete continuing education every year, with part of it earned in their own trade. Ask whose master or journeyman credential the company's licence is held under, because that is the person whose qualification is actually being checked.
Sources:Topeka – Contractor information(opens in a new tab)
Building and renovation permits in Kansas
Permits come from your city or county, and in Kansas the licence usually has to be in place first. Topeka states that all trades must be licensed and pull permits to work in the city, and runs licensing and permits through one online portal; once a licence is issued the holder may pull the appropriate permits and begin work. In Johnson County the contractor licence itself comes from the county rather than from each city, so the licence and the permit are issued by different offices.
Sources:Topeka – Contractor information(opens in a new tab)Johnson County – Contractor Licensing(opens in a new tab)
Permit information from large municipalities
Before you hire a contractor in Kansas
Practical checks you can do yourself, using official tools where they exist.
Ask which city or county programme licenses your contractor, because Kansas has no statewide contractor licence.
Official lookup: Topeka – Contractor information(opens in a new tab)
In Johnson County, check the class letter on the licence, since it decides exactly what the holder may do.
Official lookup: Johnson County – New licence and licence types(opens in a new tab)
For any roofing work, ask for the contractor's Kansas Attorney General roofing registration certificate.
Official lookup: Kansas Attorney General – Roofing Registration(opens in a new tab)
Ask your city or county which permits your project needs, and confirm the licence is in place before the permit is applied for.
Official lookup: Topeka – Permits and licences(opens in a new tab)
Confirm the contractor's licence and insurance with your state or county government, and get the work, materials and price in writing.
Official lookup: FTC – How to avoid a home improvement scam(opens in a new tab)
Sources for renovation permits and licences in Kansas
Every fact on this page comes from these official sources.
- Kansas Attorney General – Roofing Registration(opens in a new tab)
- Johnson County – Contractor Licensing(opens in a new tab)
- Johnson County – New licence and licence types(opens in a new tab)
- Topeka – Contractor information(opens in a new tab)
- FTC – How to avoid a home improvement scam(opens in a new tab)
Find licensed pros
Compare local pros for the regulated trades in this guide, then confirm their licence with the regulator before you hire.
Renovation permits in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Planning a renovation?
Describe your project once and hear from local pros. Ask each one for their licence and permit details before you hire.