Douglas County, Kansas Topeka, Lawrence & Northeast Kansas

Barndominium Builders in Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas is a university city ringed by some of the most attractive rural land in Douglas County, with river valleys to the north and rolling farm ground to the south and west. People who want a barndominium here usually fall into one of two groups: owners with an in-town lot who want a modern steel-framed house, and buyers heading a few miles out for acreage, a shop and space for animals. Those two paths run through different offices. Inside the city limits the City of Lawrence handles the building permit; on unincorporated land Douglas County does, though planning in the area is coordinated through a joint city-county office and the two governments share subdivision rules. We design and build barndominiums, shop houses and metal building homes for both kinds of site. Some clients want a finished turnkey house, others prefer barndominium kits they complete with local help, and licensed trade contractors handle plumbing, electrical and HVAC in every case. What we want to know first is where your parcel sits and how large it is, because the county will not create a new residential parcel under three acres. Start the survey and we will map out the route.

Lawrence at a glance

Principal county: Douglas County
Building permit: City building department
Local facts on this page: 6, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Lawrence

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.

City-issued permitWho issues the permit

City of Lawrence Planning & Development Services (Building Safety)

For property inside Lawrence city limits, the city's Planning & Development Services department, through its Building Safety division, issues building permits and handles contractor licensing and floodplain information. Douglas County's Building Codes team covers only unincorporated land outside every city, so a rural tract near Lawrence is permitted by the county instead.

Source: Planning & Development Services | City of Lawrence, Kansas (lawrenceks.gov)

City permit office: The City of Lawrence's Planning & Development Services department, based at City Hall on East 6th Street, groups building permits, building safety, contractor licensing, floodplain information and the city's development codes under one department.
County building permits: Douglas County Building Codes reviews residential plans, issues building permits and performs inspections, but its regulatory jurisdiction falls only in the unincorporated portions of Douglas County not within any city limits.
Joint planning: Per Douglas County, the Lawrence/Douglas County Planning Department processes and presents applications to the Lawrence Planning Commission and the Douglas County Commissioners, and Lawrence and Douglas County share the same Subdivision Regulations so rural development can more easily meet city standards if annexed.
Minimum new parcel: Douglas County Zoning and Codes states that a new parcel with less than 3 acres in area is not permitted in the unincorporated county, with or without an existing residence on it.
Shop before house: In unincorporated Douglas County, no accessory building can be constructed on a lot unless construction of the primary dwelling has been permitted, so a detached shop cannot go up ahead of the home's permit.
County zoning and septic approval: Douglas County adopted new zoning regulations in 2020, replacing its 1966 regulations, and a county residential building permit application includes house plans, a site plan, the recorded deed, health department approval and entrance approval.

Building on land near Lawrence

Land near Lawrence ranges from river bottom along the Kansas and Wakarusa valleys to upland pasture, so the first check is whether a tract, or the building spot on it, sits in a mapped floodplain. On county ground the three-acre floor for new parcels, the need for health department approval of the septic system and a road entrance approval all come before the building permit. Plan the shop and the house together, because the county will not let a detached shop go up before the dwelling is permitted. Many buyers settle on pole barn homes or post frame homes that put the shop and living space under one roof, which avoids that sequencing problem entirely.

Where we build in this part of Kansas

Topeka, Lawrence & Northeast Kansas

What we build in Lawrence

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 Lawrence? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

Start your build survey

Building in Lawrence: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium near Lawrence?

An in-town lot with utilities at the curb and a rural tract needing a well or water district tap, a septic system and an entrance are very different starting points. After the land, shell size, the share given to shop space and the interior finish do most of the work. Our barndominium cost guide sets out sourced ranges; start the survey and we can price your specific parcel.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Lawrence?

Yes. Inside the city, the City of Lawrence's Planning & Development Services department issues it. On rural land outside every city, Douglas County's Building Codes team is the permitting office, and it wants health department approval and an entrance approval with the application. Read about our permitting service to see how the paperwork is split between us and you.

Can I build a shop first and the house later on land outside Lawrence?

Not in unincorporated Douglas County. Its zoning rules do not allow an accessory building on a lot until the primary dwelling has been permitted. A combined design, with the shop and home in one structure, is a common way around the wait.

Do you work with other barndominium contractors around Lawrence?

Yes. We can run the whole job, divide it with other barndominium contractors you already know, or provide drawings and a building package for your own crew. Our floor plans show sizes that suit a three-acre-plus tract, and our Douglas County page covers the rural side in more depth.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Lawrence 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 Lawrence facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Lawrence

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.

Douglas County

Kansas county

Topeka

Shawnee County, Kansas

Johnson County

Kansas county

Leavenworth County

Kansas county

Building in Lawrence?

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