Who issues greenhouse permits around Wichita?
The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) runs the shared code for Wichita and Sedgwick County. Its number is 316-660-1840. The adopted residential code is the 2018 IRC with local amendments, set by Ordinance 50-833, effective January 1, 2019.
Two things in that ordinance matter most for a greenhouse. First, the exemption size depends on which side of the city line you are on. Second, "exempt" only means exempt from a building permit. The location permit and the tie-down rule still apply.
Smaller cities vary. MABCD lists Andale, Bentley, Cheney, Clearwater, Colwich, Garden Plain, Goddard, Maize, Mulvane and Valley Center as contracted small cities, and says "the permitting process will always start with the small city" (MABCD). Derby adopted the 2024 IRC in December 2025. Andover, Haysville, Park City and Newton run their own permit offices. Residential code in Wichita and the county is still the 2018 IRC; commercial work moved to the 2024 IBC on January 1, 2025 (Res. 205-2024).
Greenhouse permit thresholds by jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Who issues / code | Building-permit exemption (one-story detached) | What you still need | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Wichita | MABCD; 2018 IRC | ≤200 sq ft | Location permit from MABCD before installation; inspection after; anchoring if 25–400 sq ft | Ord. 50-833 |
| Unincorporated Sedgwick County | MABCD; 2018 IRC | ≤400 sq ft | Location permit from MABCD (no follow-up inspection); anchoring if 25–400 sq ft | Res. 080-2017 |
| Derby | City of Derby; 2024 IRC | ≤200 sq ft | City accessory-structure permit before installation. The city's July 2025 form still says 119 sq ft, so call Derby's planning office to confirm which threshold they apply. At 200 sq ft or more, the structure must match the house in at least two design features | Ord. 2623; form; zoning |
| Maize | City intake; MABCD has jurisdiction (Ord. 862); 2018 IRC | On paper ≤400 sq ft, with no location permit, under the county-jurisdiction rule for contract cities | The city's permits page says sheds generally need a permit. Start with Maize City Hall | Maize code; Maize permits |
| Goddard | City of Goddard (MABCD contract city); code still adopts the 2012 IRC | Likely ≤200 sq ft under the adopted 2012-era text; confirm with Goddard | Zoning permit over 120 sq ft; storage-type accessory buildings capped at 280 sq ft unless the BZA approves a conditional use; 3 ft rear setback; 10 ft from the house | Goddard code; Res. 080-2017; Goddard zoning |
| Andover (Butler Co.) | City Building Dept.; Wichita–Sedgwick County code on "Wichita Jurisdiction" terms | ≤200 sq ft, with location approval | City zoning permit over 120 sq ft; accessory buildings capped at 200 sq ft (300 in SF-2, 500 in SF-1); 5 ft rear setback; 10 ft from the house | Andover code; Andover zoning |
| Haysville | City (Dept. of Public Works); 2018 IRC | Under 100 sq ft, if outside floodplain, easements and setbacks | Side or rear yard only; 3 ft from lot lines and from the house | Haysville code; Haysville zoning |
| Park City | City (Planning Dept.); 2021 IRC | ≤120 sq ft | Larger greenhouses need a city building permit | Park City code |
| Valley Center | City issues and inspects all residential permits | None found; the city says a building permit is required for any new construction | Zoning permit for accessory structures over 100 and under 200 sq ft; 288 sq ft cap on lots up to 20,000 sq ft unless the BZA approves more; 10 ft rear setback; 5 ft from the house | Valley Center permits; zoning |
| Rose Hill (Butler Co.) | City Building Official; borrows Derby's residential code | Not confirmed | Older zoning text required a zoning permit over 180 sq ft and capped storage buildings at 400 sq ft; current thresholds unconfirmed, so check with the city | Rose Hill code; 2011 zoning |
| Newton (Harvey Co.) | City; 2018 IRC | Code says ≤100 sq ft, but the city FAQ says all accessory buildings need a permit, so plan to apply | 10 ft from the house; 3–7 ft from lot lines; anchored; over 150 sq ft needs a permanent foundation 30 in. deep | Newton code; Newton FAQ |
| Rural Butler County | County Dept. of Building Inspection; 2006 IRC-based county code | Not stated in the county code; confirm with the county | District setbacks, e.g. 25 ft from side and rear lines in Rural Residential | Butler code; setbacks |
| Rural Harvey County | County Zoning Administrator; no building code | None: any new structure needs a permit | Private greenhouses are a listed accessory use; up to 700 sq ft in residential districts; one story; 8 ft from the house | Harvey permits; Art. 6 |
| Hutchinson / Reno County | City; county zoning permit (Reno County enforces no building code) | Not confirmed | Check with the city or county zoning office before you build | Reno County form |
| Wellington / Sumner County | City or county | Not confirmed | Check with the city or county zoning office before you build | — |
| Kingman (city and county) | City Code Enforcement Officer; county zoning | Not confirmed | Check with the city or county zoning office before you build | Kingman code |
Where a row says "not confirmed," we found no published threshold, so we don't guess. Our Goddard and Maize pages cover those two in depth. Ordinance 50-833 notes that location permits are not required in second- and third-class cities that contract with Sedgwick County for code services, so the answer in a small city can differ from both Wichita and the county. Confirm with the city clerk or building office before you buy a kit. Our service area page covers the cities we build in.
What is a location permit, and why does an exempt greenhouse need one?
A location permit is a site-plan check, not a structural review. Under Ord. 50-833 you or your builder submit a site plan to MABCD before installation. Staff check it for floodplain, floodway, easement, setback and encroachment problems.
In the Wichita jurisdiction, MABCD inspects after the structure is built to confirm it sits where the permit says. In the county jurisdiction, the ordinance says no follow-up inspection is needed if the conditions are met.
This is the step most homeowners miss. A 10 × 12 ft kit (120 sq ft) is well under the city's 200 sq ft line, so no building permit is needed. It still needs a location permit, and it still has to be tied down.
The anchoring rule for 25 to 400 sq ft
Both jurisdictions apply the same tie-down rule. Any detached accessory structure larger than 25 sq ft and up to 400 sq ft must either:
- be tied down to the earth using the City of Wichita's "Non Vehicular Storage Structure Anchoring Standards," or
- be attached to a permanent concrete foundation per IRC R403.1.6.
The rule sits in the amended R105.2 exemption list of Ord. 50-833 and Res. 080-2017. R403.1.6 is the foundation-anchorage section it points to.
Derby prints its anchor schedule right in Ord. 2623. A 12 × 24 ft structure needs four anchors rated 800 lb each, set within 12 inches of the corners, with cable rated at least 800 lb and two clamps per anchor. The listed anchor is a 5/8-inch, 2-ft-minimum earth anchor or equivalent. That gives a sense of scale: 4 × 800 lb = 3,200 lb of hold-down for a 288 sq ft building.
Lightweight polycarbonate and film greenhouses catch a lot of wind for their weight. Our wind-rated design guide works through the loads.
Does a greenhouse need a frost-depth footing?
Usually not, if it is small and freestanding. Wichita's amended code sets frost depth at 24 inches. But R403.1.4.1 in Ord. 50-833 exempts freestanding accessory structures of 400 sq ft or less with an eave height of 10 ft or less from frost protection. Derby's ordinance has the same exemption and the same 24-inch depth.
Three conditions have to hold together:
- Freestanding. A lean-to attached to your house is not freestanding.
- 400 sq ft or less. A 16 × 24 ft house (384 sq ft) qualifies. A 20 × 24 ft house (480 sq ft) does not.
- Eave height 10 ft or less. Tall gothic-arch commercial houses can exceed this.
Exempt from frost protection is not the same as no foundation. You still need to meet the anchoring rule, and clay soils on the east side of the county can heave a slab that sits too shallow. See greenhouse foundations in Wichita for options by soil.
Is a greenhouse an "accessory structure"?
The adopted codes do not name greenhouses. The local intent is on record, though. In a November 1961 memo to the Wichita Board of City Commissioners, the planning commission explained a new "accessory structure" definition. The MAPD file says the phrase "would include items such as the swimming pool itself, as well as covers, permanent or temporary; storm shelters; greenhouses."
That is why a backyard greenhouse is treated like a shed or detached garage for permits and zoning. In Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County, accessory setbacks come from Sec. III-D.7.e of the Unified Zoning Code. Per the Unified Zoning Code (confirm for your lot), a greenhouse in a residential district generally:
- sits at least 5 ft from the rear lot line, or 10 ft from the centerline of an alley;
- can be 3 ft from a side lot line if all of it is in the back half of the lot;
- stays 3 ft from the house and off any platted easement or known utility;
- can't sit nearer the street than the house, except on lots of 5 acres or more;
- tops out at 60% of the district height limit, which is 21 ft in SF-5, SF-10 and SF-20.
Selling what you grow is a zoning question too. Sec. III-D.6.b bars retail or wholesale sales from agricultural uses in the SF-10 through NR districts unless the site is at least 10 acres or a Conditional Use is approved.
The hoop-house exclusion: Wichita, Sedgwick County and Derby
The Wichita–Sedgwick County code has a line most Kansas codes lack. Sec. 2.4.035 of the Unified Building & Trade Code excludes "hoop houses" from building-code requirements. It defines a hoop house as a poly-tunnel, also called a poly-house, hoop greenhouse or high tunnel, "made of polyethylene," and adds: "Hoop houses, within this definition, are for residential use only." Derby Ord. 2623, passed December 9, 2025, carries the same exclusion.
It does not cover rigid polycarbonate or glass greenhouses, and it does not cover commercial growing. Zoning still applies: setbacks, easements and size caps don't go away. Cities on their own codes, such as Haysville, Park City and Newton, may not have it. Our Derby page and high tunnel installation page cover what this means on the ground.
The agricultural exemption: K.S.A. 19-2921
If you farm, a different statute may apply. K.S.A. 19-2921 says county zoning regulations do not apply to land used for agricultural purposes, or to buildings erected on it for those purposes.
Kansas Attorney General Opinion 2018-004, issued January 19, 2018, clarified three points:
- No acreage minimum. The opinion says there is no language in the statute referencing an acreage limit. Acreage can be a factor, but the test is actual agricultural use.
- Floodplain rules still apply. The statute opens with an exception for floodplain regulations in designated floodplain areas.
- Zoning only. The opinion does not address building codes or building permits.
That last point matters. MABCD has no general agricultural exemption from building permits. Its Permits page lists "Detached Accessory Structures or Agricultural Building" as permitted work, with a site plan, a road approval permit and a fee of $0.20 per square foot of unfinished space. An agricultural-use property owner statement may also be part of the process. So a production greenhouse on farmland can be outside county zoning and still need a building permit. If you are planning a production house, see commercial greenhouse construction and the NRCS high tunnel grant guide.
Floodplain: the rule that survives every exemption
Floodplain shows up three times in this guide. The location permit checks for it. The ag exemption carves it out. And MABCD reviews floodway placement on the site plan. If your lot is near the Arkansas River, the Little Arkansas or a drainage channel, check the flood map before you choose a spot.
A note on the "120 sq ft" figure online
PermitMint, a national permit-lookup site, states that Wichita accessory structures of 120 sq ft or less are generally exempt and that larger sheds require a building permit (page marked verified March 29, 2026). That does not match the adopted code. Ord. 50-833 sets the Wichita exemption at 200 sq ft and the county exemption at 400 sq ft. The PermitMint page also does not mention the location permit or the anchoring rule.
Worked example: three backyard greenhouses
| Greenhouse | Area | Wichita city | Unincorporated county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 ft polycarbonate kit | 96 sq ft | Location permit + anchoring | Location permit + anchoring |
| 12 × 20 ft glass house | 240 sq ft | Building permit + anchoring or foundation | Location permit + anchoring |
| 20 × 30 ft hobby house | 600 sq ft | Building permit; frost protection required | Building permit; frost protection required |
The 12 × 20 ft house is where city and county split. At 240 sq ft it is over the city's 200 sq ft line and under the county's 400 sq ft line.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a 10 × 12 greenhouse in Wichita?
Not a building permit. At 120 sq ft it is under the city's 200 sq ft exemption. You still need a location permit from MABCD before installing, and it must be anchored to the ground or attached to a concrete foundation.
Is the county limit really 400 sq ft?
Yes, for one-story detached accessory structures in the unincorporated Sedgwick County jurisdiction, per Resolution 080-2017 and Ord. 50-833. A location permit is still required.
Do I need a footing below frost depth?
Not if the greenhouse is freestanding, 400 sq ft or less, with an eave height of 10 ft or less. Frost depth in Wichita and Derby is 24 inches for structures that don't meet that exemption.
Does a backyard hoop house need a building permit?
Not in Wichita, unincorporated Sedgwick County or Derby, if it is a residential polyethylene hoop house: both codes exclude those from building-code requirements. Zoning setbacks still apply. Rigid-panel greenhouses follow the normal size rules.
Does farm use exempt my greenhouse from permits?
No. K.S.A. 19-2921 exempts agricultural buildings on agricultural land from county zoning, with no acreage minimum, but floodplain rules still apply. MABCD treats agricultural buildings as permitted work with a square-foot fee.
Who do I call?
MABCD at 316-660-1840 for Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County. In Maize, Goddard, Valley Center and the other contracted small cities, start with the city, then MABCD. For Derby, Andover, Haysville, Park City and Newton, call that city's building or zoning office.
Ready to build?
- Greenhouse foundations — anchors, curbs, piers and slabs matched to your soil and the 24-inch frost rule.
- Custom greenhouse construction — design and build for footprints on either side of the 200 sq ft line.
- High tunnel and hoop house installation — poly tunnels for home growers and farms.
- Commercial greenhouse construction — production houses where zoning, ag status and permits all come into play.
Get a quote
Tell us your lot, your city and the size you have in mind. We'll tell you which side of the permit lines it falls on and what it takes to build it right. Get a Quote.