Administrative overview · FIPS 20017
Chase County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
Municipal Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked Municipal Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
Chase County government / County Floodplain Manager, with the applicable city building department
For a project in or near Chase County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
620-273-6423 (County Clerk); 620-273-6589 ext. 232 (Emergency Preparedness and Sanitation); 620-794-5053 (county sanitarian, listed on wastewater application)
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Chase County Courthouse, 300 Pearl Street, Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845; County Clerk mailing address PO Box 529, Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845
Operating hours
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. for the County Clerk's Office
Review expectation
N/A. No county building or floodplain review timeline was published.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Chase County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 620-273-6423 (County Clerk); 620-273-6589 ext. 232 (Emergency Preparedness and Sanitation); 620-794-5053 (county sanitarian, listed on wastewater application).
How long might review take?
N/A. No county building or floodplain review timeline was published.
How are inspections scheduled?
For floodplain work, contact the Kansas Department of Water Resources before applying, then submit the completed Floodplain Development Permit Application to the County Floodplain Manager; the application requires project, flood-map, elevation, and other-agency permit information and allows inspection. For private wastewater, submit the county wastewater application and coordinate inspection with the Sanitarian at 620-794-5053. Contact the relevant city for ordinary building inspections inside city limits.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Chase County's official commissioners page states that the county has no zoning requirements or building permits outside city limits. County-level floodplain development follows the Floodplain Management Ordinance and Kansas requirements in K.S.A. 12-766 and K.A.R. 5-44-1 through 5-44-7; no countywide 2026 technical building-code edition was identified. Outside city limits, ordinary building permits and zoning requirements are not required under the county's published statement, so there is no county minor/cosmetic exemption schedule. Floodplain development still requires county-level review; the floodplain form says elevation certificates may not be required for minor projects such as a new culvert, and lists excavation, culverts, and parking lots as projects that do not require elevation certificates. City rules apply inside municipal limits.