Wichita, KS
Wichita building permit cost
A Wichita building permit splits on one question: is it a new house? New dwellings pay per square foot — $0.38 for finished space, $0.30 for unfinished (basements, attached garages, covered porches, decks). Everything else — commercial new build and, by Table B §3, every remodel or rebuild of either class — climbs the eight-band valuation ladder, from $40.00 at $1,000 of valuation to an $18,328.00 base above $5,000,000, with every band's excess rounded up ('or fraction thereof'). Plan review adds 60% of the permit fee under the Unified Building and Trade Code.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential new build — $0.38 per finished square footPermit fee | $0.38 per sq ft | Occupancy is residential and Work type is new construction and Project area over 0 | — |
| Residential new build — $0.30 per unfinished square footPermit fee | $0.3 per sq ft | Occupancy is residential and Work type is new construction and covered square footage over 0 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 1Permit fee | $40.00 + $0.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation up to $1,000 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 2Permit fee | $40.00 + $3.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000 and up to $2,000 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 3Permit fee | $70.00 + $11.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $2,000 and up to $40,000 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 4Permit fee | $488.00 + $9.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $40,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $40,000 and up to $100,000 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 5Permit fee | $1,028.00 + $7.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000 and up to $500,000 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 6Permit fee | $3,828.00 + $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500,000 and up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 7Permit fee | $6,328.00 + $3.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000,000 and up to $5,000,000 | — |
| Building permit, Table B valuation band 8Permit fee | $18,328.00 + $2.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $5,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $5,000,000 | — |
| Plan review — 60% of the building permit feePlan review | 60% of calculated permit fee | plan review is true and Project valuation over $1,000 | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A commercial build-out with a declared valuation of $650,000, submitted through MABCD's plan-review path.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $650,000 |
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Plan review | Yes |
Example total
$7,324.80
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 2Rules considered 11
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit, Table B valuation band 6Permit fee"$500,000.01 to $1,000,000.00 — $3,828.00 for the first $500,000.00 plus $5.00 for each additional $1,000.00, or fraction thereof, to and including $1,000,000.00."Show the working
| $3,828.00 + $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $4,578.00 |
Plan review — 60% of the building permit feePlan reviewUBTC §109.5.1 (Ordinance No. 52-564 amendment): "said plan review fee shall be 60 percent of the building permit fee as shown in Tables B and C … in addition to the building permit fees." MABCD sequences commercial work through a Plan Review Application first, so the rule answers when the project is declared in the plan-review path (custom.plan_review). Additional plan review for incomplete or changed plans prices at Table D's hourly rate — named, not charged.Show the working
| 60% of calculated permit fee | $2,746.80 |
| Total | $7,324.80 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Residential new build — $0.38 per finished square foot — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential new build — $0.30 per unfinished square foot — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, Table B valuation band 1 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, Table B valuation band 2 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, Table B valuation band 3 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, Table B valuation band 4 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, Table B valuation band 5 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, Table B valuation band 7 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, Table B valuation band 8 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Two lines — $7,324.80.
Table B §2, band 6: $650,000 sits in the '$500,000.01 to $1,000,000.00' band, base $3,828.00. The excess is $150,000 — 150 whole $1,000 steps at $5.00 = $750.00. Band total: $3,828.00 + $750.00 = $4,578.00.
Plan review: 60% of the computed permit fee under UBTC §109.5.1 — 0.60 × $4,578.00 = $2,746.80.
Total: $4,578.00 + $2,746.80 = $7,324.80. The band seam matters: at $500,000 exactly the fee is $3,828.00 flat (band 5's predecessor ends there); one dollar more starts band 6's $750.00 of steps — the 'or fraction thereof' round-up means $500,000.01 pays $3,828.00 + $5.00, not a prorated cent.
What is different in Wichita
The per-square-foot rows are the whole residential-new-build regime: there is no valuation question for a new house, and the two areas are measured separately, so an unfinished basement is its own line at its own rate.
The ladder is where Wichita's seam discipline shows. Each band's printed base equals the band below run to its ceiling — $40 + 10 × $3.00 is $70.00; $70 + 38 × $11.00 is $488.00 — and each band's 'or fraction thereof' rounds the excess up to that band's own increment: $100 steps in the two smallest bands, $1,000 steps everywhere above. A $650,000 build-out lands in band 5: $1,028.00 plus 550 whole $1,000 steps at $7.00 — $3,850.00 — totaling $4,878.00.
Plan review is a code section rather than a table row: §109.5.1 of the Unified Building and Trade Code charges 60 percent of the building permit fee 'in addition to the building permit fees', and MABCD's commercial path starts with a plan-review application for exactly that reason.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is Table B's building permit fee. It excludes:
- Accessory structures on residential property (25¢/20¢ per sq ft, 10¢ beyond 5,000 unfinished sq ft) — recorded, not modelled.
- Roofing and siding ($0.05/sq ft, $50 minimum, $1,500 maximum) — its own scope row.
- Trade permits — electrical and plumbing price their own item lists on their own pages; one- and two-family dwelling trade work rides the building permit.
- Event fees — reinspection, after-hours inspections, floodplain ($50), the Director's temporary reduction authority.
What you need before applying
- Residential new build is measured in two areasRequired
Table B §1 prices finished space at 38¢/sq ft and unfinished space at 30¢/sq ft. The MABCD Permits page names the unfinished space: unfinished basements, attached garages, covered porches and decks. The two areas are entered separately — the rules read the project area and the covered-area fact — so a 2,000 sq ft house with an 800 sq ft unfinished basement prices both rows.
- Remodels and rebuilds price on the commercial ladder at any occupancyRequired
Table B §3: 'For all remodels or rebuilds for both residential and commercial, the building permit shall be based upon the amounts specified in paragraph 2 above.' The ladder is therefore not gated to commercial occupancy — a $30,000 residential kitchen remodel prices in the same $2,000.01–$40,000 band as a commercial build-out.
Common questions
How much is a building permit for a new house in Wichita?
$0.38 per finished square foot plus $0.30 per unfinished square foot — the unfinished space being unfinished basements, attached garages, covered porches and decks. A 2,000 sq ft house with an 800 sq ft unfinished basement pays $760.00 + $240.00 = $1,000.00. There is no valuation component for a new dwelling.
How is a commercial building permit calculated in Wichita?
By Table B §2's valuation ladder: $40 to $1,000, then bands from '$70 for the first $2,000 plus $11.00 per additional $1,000 or fraction' up to '$18,328 for the first $5,000,000 plus $2.25 per additional $1,000 or fraction.' Every excess rounds up to a whole increment.
Does a residential remodel pay the same ladder?
Yes. Table B §3: 'For all remodels or rebuilds for both residential and commercial, the building permit shall be based upon the amounts specified in paragraph 2 above' — the ladder is class-blind for remodels.
What is the plan review fee in Wichita?
60 percent of the building permit fee, charged in addition to it, under §109.5.1 of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Unified Building and Trade Code. Changed or incomplete plans trigger additional plan review at Table D's hourly rate.
Do I need a separate electrical permit for a new house?
No — Table I's own provision covers one- and two-family dwelling electrical work inside the building permit. Exceptions: water-well motors, and work begun more than 180 days after the building permit was issued.
Who issues permits in Wichita — the city or the county?
Both, through MABCD: the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department is a joint City of Wichita / Sedgwick County department under the Unified Building and Trade Code, serving Wichita, the county and contracted smaller cities from 271 W 3rd Street N.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CountyPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26. Three one-page PDFs linked from the MABCD Fees page: fee-table-b.pdf (Table B: residential new build at 38¢/30¢ per sq ft finished/unfinished, accessory rates, and the eight-band §2 commercial ladder that also prices remodels of both classes by §3; the bands chain exactly at every seam — $40+10×$3=$70, $70+38×$11=$488, $488+60×$9=$1,028, $1,028+400×$7=$3,828, $3,828+500×$5=$6,328, $6,328+4,000×$3=$18,328); fee-table-i.pdf (Table I electrical item list with the $25.00 permit issuance fee and the one/two-family bundling note); fee-table-h.pdf (Table H plumbing item list, same shape). Table K (mechanical), Tables A/C/F/G/J (licensing, inspections, sprinkler, miscellaneous, elevator) are on the same page and recorded in the research file, not modelled.
- OrdinanceCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26. The UBTC amendment text carries §109.5.1 verbatim: 'said plan review fee shall be 60 percent of the building permit fee as shown in Tables B and C … in addition to the building permit fees', with additional plan review for changed plans at Table D's hourly rate. Also carries the refund section (80% cap, 180 days) and the 180-day expiration with reinstatement at half the new-permit fee.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.