Administrative overview · FIPS 20027
Clay 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
County
This county profile is the primary starting point for unincorporated-area permitting.
Responsible agency
Clay County Zoning Board / County Commission and Clay County Floodplain Administration
For a project in or near Clay 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
785-632-2800 (Zoning Board); 785-632-2552 (County Clerk/Commission); 785-632-5802 (Floodplain Manager); 785-770-2057 (County Sanitarian)
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Clay County Courthouse, 712 Fifth Street, Clay Center, KS 67432
Operating hours
N/A. Current zoning and permit pages do not publish office hours.
Review expectation
N/A. No typical county building-permit 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 Clay County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Clay County Zoning Board / County Commission and Clay County Floodplain Administration is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area 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 785-632-2800 (Zoning Board); 785-632-2552 (County Clerk/Commission); 785-632-5802 (Floodplain Manager); 785-770-2057 (County Sanitarian).
How long might review take?
N/A. No typical county building-permit review timeline was published.
How are inspections scheduled?
The building application requires an approved well permit, approved sanitation permit, highway notification for the driveway, site map, structure plan, and floor plan. For floodplain development, use the county Floodplain Development Permit Application and contact Floodplain Manager Pam Kemp at 785-632-5802. No online inspection scheduler or published inspection timetable was identified.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
N/A for a specific 2026 technical building-code edition. The county enforces its zoning and land-use requirements, a five-acre minimum for newly created parcels outside approved subdivisions, sanitary-code requirements, and floodplain-management requirements; no current technical building-code edition was identified on the official permit page. No current minor/cosmetic exemption list was published. The county page states that no fee is charged when the county issues a building permit; rezoning, platting, commercial, special-use, and industrial applications have separate listed fees of $100-$200. Confirm whether a particular alteration is exempt before work begins.