Douglas County, Kansas Topeka, Lawrence & Northeast Kansas

Barndominium Builders in Douglas County, Kansas

Douglas County, Kansas, runs a Zoning and Codes office that serves only the unincorporated county, and its Building Codes team reviews plans, issues residential permits and performs the construction inspections outside Lawrence and the smaller cities, which permit their own homes. The county adopted the 2018 International Residential Code in its own Chapter 13, with a design table that sets a 30-inch frost line, a 20 psf ground snow load and a 115 mph wind speed. Planning is shared with Lawrence, so a rezoning or conditional use goes through the joint Lawrence/Douglas County planning staff. We design and build barndominiums, shop houses and steel homes for owners with rural land in Douglas County, and we also supply barndominium kits to owners who prefer their own crew. Licensed trade contractors handle plumbing, electrical and HVAC on every build. The county's zoning rules matter early here: one house per tract, no new parcel under three acres, and no shop or barn before the house itself is permitted. Start the survey with your tract and we will map out the permit, the parcel checks and a plan that suits the land.

Douglas County at a glance

County: Douglas County
Building permit: County (unincorporated land)
Local facts on this page: 6, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Douglas County

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

County-issued permitWho issues the permit

Douglas County Zoning and Codes, Building Codes team (Public Works Building, E 25th St, Lawrence)

On unincorporated land, Douglas County's Building Codes team reviews residential applications and plans, issues the permit and performs all construction inspections. Its jurisdiction stops at city limits, so Lawrence and the county's other cities permit homes inside their own boundaries. Planning applications such as rezonings are processed by the joint Lawrence/Douglas County Planning Department.

Source: Building Code | Douglas County KS (dgcoks.gov)

Residential code: Article 2 of Chapter 13 of the Official County Code of Douglas County adopts the International Residential Code, 2018 Edition, with appendices including Appendix Q (Tiny House), as the county's Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings in the unincorporated areas.
Design criteria: Douglas County's completed Table R301.2(1) lists a 20 psf ground snow load, a 115 mph wind design speed, severe weathering and a 30-inch frost line depth.
One house per tract: Douglas County Zoning and Codes answers that only one residence is allowed per land tract, that an accessory building cannot be built on a lot unless the primary dwelling has been permitted, and that a new parcel under 3 acres is not permitted.
Converting a farm structure: The county's agricultural exemption packet (Rev. 08/22/19) states that a change in use from agricultural is subject to a building permit and to qualification of the structure by a licensed professional for the construction methods used.
Joint planning: The Lawrence/Douglas County Planning Department processes planning applications and presents them to the Lawrence Planning Commission and the Douglas County Commissioners; the county's zoning regulations draw on the joint Lawrence/Douglas County Comprehensive Plan.
Septic systems: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health's Environmental Health staff assist rural residents with water and septic systems, and the department publishes the list of Douglas County licensed septic system installers.

Building on land near Douglas County

The three-acre floor shapes most land searches here, because a new parcel smaller than that is not allowed and each lot needs its own driveway meeting the county road frontage standards. A shared drive would count as a private road, which the county no longer permits. Floodplain is the other early check, since the county takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program. Owners who plan a big shop should know the house has to be permitted first; the barn cannot go up ahead of it. On tracts that clear those hurdles, post frame homes and metal building homes fit well, joining a work bay and living space under one roof. Look at the county property viewer and ask about septic before you commit to a parcel.

Where we build in this part of Kansas

Topeka, Lawrence & Northeast Kansas

What we build in Douglas County

Kits, custom plans and turnkey builds. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we price against your land rather than a rate card.

Custom Plans

Custom barndominium floor plans for your Kansas parcel: septic sized to bedroom count, the well sited clear of it, and the values your county publishes.

Barndominium Kits

Barndominium kits for Kansas land: steel or post-frame shell packages sized to the snow, wind and frost values your own city or county publishes.

Turnkey Builds

Turnkey barndominium builds in Kansas: one contract from land check and septic permit through shell, finish and move-in, with licensed trades.

See every service

Have land in or near Douglas County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Douglas County: questions

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What will a barndominium cost in Douglas County?

Much of the spread comes from the site: a septic system, a water district tap or well, a driveway built to county frontage standards, and any floodplain work. The finish level and the size of the shop come after that. Our barndominium cost guide gives sourced ranges, and the survey lets us price your actual parcel.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Douglas County?

Yes. Outside city limits, the county's Building Codes team reviews the plans, issues the permit and inspects the work under the 2018 residential code. Inside Lawrence or another city, the city handles it; see our Lawrence page. Our permitting service covers how we prepare the application.

Can I live in a barn I already have on my land?

Not without a permit. The county treats a change away from agricultural use as needing a building permit, and the existing structure has to be qualified by a licensed professional for the way it was built. It is often simpler to design the home as a new building from the start. Tell us about your land and the structure on it.

Do you build pole barn homes on rural tracts here?

Yes. We put up pole barn homes on small rural tracts and on larger acreage alike. Some owners hire us for the full build, while others split the work between us and other barndominium contractors or their own crew. Browse our floor plans for layouts that fit a three-acre-plus tract.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Douglas County allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Is a Barndominium Legal in Kansas?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Douglas County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Douglas County

Nearby places we also build in. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Lawrence

Douglas County, Kansas

Shawnee County

Kansas county

Johnson County

Kansas county

Leavenworth County

Kansas county

Building in Douglas County?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey