The property address and actual work determine the permit path. Interior plumbing, a broader basement finish, electrical work for a pump and a changed sewer service can involve different approvals. Confirm the building authority and wastewater provider separately. Johnson County Wastewater’s requirements do not replace each city’s building and plumbing rules.
Official sources below were checked October 1, 2026. Confirm the current requirements when the project is defined; the summaries identify where to start and which questions remain project-specific.
Start with the work and the address
| Proposed work | Authority question |
|---|---|
| New or relocated bathroom piping | Which plumbing permit, plans and inspections apply? |
| Finishing or altering the basement room | Is a building/remodel permit required in addition to trade permits? |
| Power for a pump or other equipment | Who obtains the electrical approval and performs the work? |
| Sewer lateral repair or new connection | Which utility or separate department regulates that portion? |
| Work by the homeowner | Does the exact ownership, occupancy and self-work arrangement qualify? |
A mailing address or ZIP code is a useful starting point but may not settle jurisdiction. Give the authority the actual property address and a written scope. Do not select a code edition or homeowner exception from a neighboring city.
Kansas City, Missouri
KCMO’s electrical, plumbing and mechanical permit page states that most trade work requires permits before it begins, with exemptions for certain minor repairs. It describes inspections during construction and completion approval. New bathroom piping and simple fixture replacement should not be assumed to follow the same path.
Its applicant guidance allows an owner of a single-family dwelling to obtain trade permits when occupying the home and personally doing the work. Other trade applicants must be licensed contractors under the published guidance. Confirm that your exact arrangement qualifies; this is not a general exemption for owner-hired unlicensed trades.
For the wider project, Code Questions discusses scope letters, existing/proposed floor plans and separate trade applications. It points basement finishes to IB132 and homeowner trade work to IB146. Use the current bulletin index instead of relying on a saved older form.
Confirm for your project: which building and trade applications apply; who may apply and perform the work; required under-slab, rough and final checkpoints; which drawings and records must remain on site; and the approval needed before covering work.
Kansas City, Kansas
The Unified Government’s Building Inspection Permits page separates residential and electrical/mechanical/plumbing applications. Its published residential guidance calls for scaled drawings and says an interior alteration without a footprint change does not need a plot plan.
The page specifically places under-slab plumbing inspection after pipes are in place and before gravel cover and concrete. It also describes rough-in inspection of installed water, drain, waste, vent and gas piping. Ask which parts of that general sequence apply to your limited alteration.
For exterior sewer work, the same page distinguishes building-to-property-line inspection from the right-of-way portion, which requires separate Water Pollution Control permitting and inspection. That distinction does not mean every interior bathroom needs work in the right-of-way.
Confirm for your project: address jurisdiction, current applicable code, trade-applicant eligibility, required inspection stages and whether any proposed connection extends into separately regulated sewer-service work. Keep applicable permit numbers and approved plans available as directed by the authority.
Overland Park
Overland Park’s current permit provision, section 16.300.105.1, covers regulated plumbing installation and alteration work. The provision requires a valid Johnson County contractor license for persons undertaking permit work or seeking the permit, with a conditional single-family owner exception for personal work and occupancy now or upon completion.
The current residential chapter 16.310 contains the city’s residential code adoption and amendments. Section P2503.3 assigns required plumbing tests to the permit holder, including furnishing the needed equipment, materials and labor. Use the chapter applicable to the project; an exception for certain new construction is not a universal remodel rule.
Start with the city’s permits, licenses and inspections hub for current application navigation.
Confirm for your project: whether the submission is an interior remodel, a trade permit or both; which under-slab, rough, shower-related and final inspections apply; test requirements; who requests inspections; and when the work may be covered. The published code provision alone does not establish an individual project schedule.
Johnson County Wastewater
Johnson County Wastewater’s residential permitting page addresses sewer connections and service lines. Its connection-permit examples include new buildings and existing private-sewage properties connecting to public sewer; its repair permit covers damaged or collapsed service lines.
Those are different questions from the city’s approval of interior bathroom piping. Confirm whether the property is within JCW’s service jurisdiction and whether the proposal changes a regulated connection or lateral. Do not assume every added fixture needs a new sewer connection permit, or that JCW approval satisfies all city requirements.
The page also links public sewer records and mapping. Such records can help frame questions but do not establish the exact private drain location, condition or elevation beneath your basement. Field verification remains necessary for design decisions.
What about other Johnson County communities?
For Lenexa, Olathe, Shawnee, Leawood and other nearby communities, identify the city’s building authority for the property and ask for its current residential alteration and trade-permit process. This guide does not apply Overland Park’s rules to those cities or publish generic city pages that imply otherwise.
The wastewater provider may be a separate authority again. Give both the building authority and, where relevant, utility a consistent scope so an exterior connection issue is not overlooked or unnecessarily added to an interior-only project.
What should be agreed before construction?
- Who applies and who is the permit holder for each relevant trade?
- Who is eligible to perform the proposed work?
- What drawings, fixture information and equipment documentation are needed?
- Which inspections must happen while the work remains visible?
- Who requests the inspection and receives the result?
- What approval releases backfill, concrete, wall closure or final use?
- Which permit, test and completion records will the homeowner receive?
Put those answers into the sample scope worksheet and construction responsibility checklist. The complete basement bathroom guide explains how approvals fit between layout, rough-in and finish plumbing. Review bathroom rough-in services for the plumbing job itself.