Saline County, Kansas Salina, Hutchinson & Central Kansas

Barndominium Builders in Saline County, Kansas

Outside the Salina city limits, Saline County runs its own permit sequence, and the order matters for a barndominium on acreage. The county sanitary code says a wastewater treatment system permit has to be secured before a building permit is issued by the secretary of the county planning and zoning board, so the septic design is settled before the house plan is final. We design and build barndominiums, shop houses and metal building homes on rural tracts across Saline County, from the river bottoms near Salina to upland farm ground toward the county edges. Owners choose between a turnkey build and a supplied steel or post-frame shell that their own crew finishes, and licensed trade contractors handle plumbing, electrical and HVAC in both cases. Before any drawings go out we check the lot area against the county's minimum for a private system, the distance to the nearest public sewer and water well, and the flood map for the parcel. Tell us about your land in the survey and we will set out the county steps in the order they have to happen.

Saline County at a glance

County: Saline County
Building permit: County (unincorporated land)
Local facts on this page: 5, each linked to its source

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Before you build in Saline 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

Saline County planning and zoning board secretary (Saline County Planning Department), for unincorporated land

On unincorporated land the building permit comes from the secretary of the county planning and zoning board, and the county sanitary code requires the wastewater system permit to be issued first. The Saline County Planning Department also handles floodplain questions for parcels outside Salina. Land inside Salina or another incorporated city is permitted by that city instead.

Source: Saline County Sanitary Code, adopted December 2016 (kslepp.org)

Permit order: Section 9.5-54 of the Saline County Sanitary Code: a wastewater treatment system permit must be secured from the county's administrative agency before a building permit is issued by the secretary of the county planning and zoning board.
Minimum lot for a private system: The same code bars a new private wastewater system on a lot of less than three acres, not counting roads, streets or other public rights-of-way. Each residence needs its own system, and the number of homes allowed on a lot is set by the Saline County Zoning Code.
Sewer and well setbacks: Under Section 9.5-72, a private system may not be built within 400 feet of an existing public sewer unless the county finds connection is not feasible, and no part of it may sit less than 100 feet from a public or private water well.
Floodplain contact: The City of Salina's floodplain page directs owners of property outside the city limits, in unincorporated Saline County, to the Saline County Planning Department in the City-County Building at 300 W. Ash St.
Flood map: The Kansas Department of Agriculture has retired its Saline County map of the floodplain effective 18 April 2018 and points users to the statewide Kansas Effective Floodplain Viewer for current data.

Building on land near Saline County

Rural parcels in Saline County are sized by the septic rules as much as by the house. With a three-acre floor for any lot on a private wastewater system, a small split off a larger farm often will not qualify, and a tract close to Salina may be told to connect to public sewer instead. The well has to stay well clear of the absorption field, so the site plan puts house, shop, septic and well in separate corners early. Pole barn homes and steel shells fit this kind of ground: a wide bay for equipment, living space at one end, and room left over for the field. Check the flood map before you buy anything near the Smoky Hill or Saline rivers.

Where we build in this part of Kansas

Salina, Hutchinson & Central Kansas

What we build in Saline 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 Saline 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 Saline County: questions

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What does a barndominium cost in Saline County?

It turns on the site work as much as the building. A rural lot needs its own wastewater system and usually a private well, and a longer drive or fill in a flood zone adds more before the shell is priced. House size, shop size and finish level come after that. Our barndominium cost guide lays out sourced ranges and the items that move them.

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

On unincorporated land, yes: the building permit is issued by the secretary of the county planning and zoning board, and the county sanitary code requires your wastewater permit to be in hand first. Inside Salina the city issues it; see our Salina page. Our permitting service covers how the drawings are prepared for either office.

How much land do I need for a septic system in Saline County?

The county sanitary code sets three acres, excluding road rights-of-way, as the minimum lot for a new private wastewater system, and it keeps the system at least 100 feet from any water well. A soil evaluation still decides the design. Tell us about your land before you close so we can flag a tract that falls short.

Do you work with other barndominium contractors or sell kits in Saline County?

Yes. Some owners hand us the full build, some split it with other barndominium contractors, and some buy barndominium kits and finish them with a local crew using our drawings and building package. Post frame homes follow the same routes. Compare sizes in our floor plans.

Keep reading

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

Barndominium builders near Saline 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.

Salina

Saline County, Kansas

McPherson County

Kansas county

Riley County

Kansas county

Building in Saline 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