What's Required in Kansas City
- Vanity cabinets, tile, flooring and paint need no permit.
- Replacing a toilet, sink, tub or faucet in place needs no plumbing permit if piping is not altered or extended.
- Moving or adding fixtures, drains or supply lines needs a plumbing permit.
- New or extended circuits and ceiling fans need an electrical permit.
- New bathrooms without load-bearing wall changes need building and trade permits but no plan review.
- Load-bearing wall changes need a building permit with plans.
- Trade permits go to licensed contractors or to an owner-occupant of a single-family home doing the work.
- Starting permit work before the permit is issued triples the fee.
Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Bathroom in Kansas City?
Not for a refresh. The Kansas City Building and Rehabilitation Code exempts cabinets such as a vanity, tile, flooring, paint and similar finish work from the building permit. For plumbing, Section 18-16(b)(3) exempts replacing fixtures or valves provided alterations or extensions of piping systems are not made, faucet repairs and replacing sink traps, and the city's trade permit page lists replacing a faucet or other plumbing fixture as exempt. A toilet, sink or tub swapped into the same spot on the same piping needs no permit. Moving a drain, adding a fixture, or wiring a new circuit does. This page covers Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO). Kansas City, Kansas, across the state line, is a separate city with its own permit office and rules.
Kansas City Bathroom Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Tile, vanity cabinet, flooring, paint | None | KCBRC 18-16(b)(1)p, q |
| Replacing a toilet, sink or faucet in the same spot | None | KCBRC 18-16(b)(3)c |
| Replacing light fixtures, switches or outlets on existing circuits | None | KCBRC 18-16(b)(5)e |
| Moving a toilet, shower or sink drain, or adding a fixture | Plumbing permit | KCBRC 18-16(b)(3) |
| Adding a circuit, a heated floor or a ceiling fan | Electrical permit | KCBRC 18-16(b)(5)e |
| Adding a bathroom without load-bearing wall changes | Building and trade permits, no plan review | IB100 |
| Moving or removing a load-bearing wall | Building permit with plans | IB100; KCBRC 18-4(b) |
Which Bathroom Work Needs Plans?
Information Bulletin 100 lists new closets and bathrooms that do not build, remove or move a load-bearing wall among the one- and two-family projects that need no plan review, along with work on non-load-bearing walls. You file a written scope of work in CompassKC instead. The code's definition of ordinary repair excludes adding, altering or relocating water supply, drain, waste or vent piping, electric wiring and mechanical work, so those always need the matching trade permit. Ceiling fans are specifically left out of the electrical exemption for fixture swaps.
How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Permit Cost in Kansas City?
Each permit is priced on its own value from Section 18-20(b)(2): $52 up to $1,000, $58 from $1,001 to $2,000, then $58 plus $4.33 for each additional $1,000. Moving the toilet and shower drain ($2,000 of plumbing) and adding a GFCI circuit ($1,000 of electrical) costs $58 + $52 = $110. A full gut with $10,000 of building work, $4,000 of plumbing and $2,000 of electrical costs $92.64 + $66.66 + $58 = $217.30, using $58 + 8 × $4.33 and $58 + 2 × $4.33. There is no separate plan review fee for one- and two-family homes. Work started before a required permit pays triple.
Who Can Do the Work?
An owner who lives in a single-family home may pull the trade permits and do the work with family or friends; otherwise electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits go only to city-licensed contractors, and on a two-family home only licensed contractors may pull them. A contractor doing non-structural remodeling needs only a city business license, per IB152. Under the Limited Service and Repair program a licensed plumber may add one new fixture, with its water, drain, waste and vent piping, on a job of $1,000 or less and certify it instead of booking a city inspection.
How to Get a Bathroom Remodel Permit in Kansas City
Sort the scope
Same-spot fixture swaps and finishes need nothing; moved drains, new fixtures, new circuits and wall changes need permits.
Line up who files
Licensed plumbers and electricians pull their own permits; an owner-occupant of a single-family home may file with the IB146 affidavit.
Apply in CompassKC
Submit each permit with a written scope of work and its value; plans only if a load-bearing wall changes.
Pay the valuation fees
Each permit is $52 up to $1,000 of value, or $58 plus $4.33 per $1,000 above $2,000.
Inspect before closing walls
Request the rough-in inspection before drywall or tile covers new piping or wiring, then the final, through CompassKC or 816-513-1500.