City Planning & Development Department

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About City Planning and Development

The City Planning and Development Department guides future physical and economic development. Staff in this department manages development policy, conducts research and supports the City’s long-term vision. The Department also works to guide the development process by issuing permits, reviewing plans and enforcing development policy.

To find out more about the City Planning and Development Department activities, view our 2025 Printable Annual Report. Previous reports can be found in our archive.

Certified Permitting Update:

Kansas City is introducing a Certified Permitting Program that allows qualified architects and engineers to certify compliance for new one family residential projects, streamlining the plan review process.

The program sets clear standards for eligibility, training, audits, and enforcement, with a target review timeline of four business days.

Launching in late July 2026, the initiative will be evaluated after 12–15 months to guide improvements and potential expansion. The full program description can be found here

Kansas City Building Code Update: Public Engagement Series

Please join City Planning and Development staff for an open house style discussion on updates to the Kansas City Building and Development Code.

Code Update Meetings schedule

Permits Division Walk-in Hours of Operation

The department will be open to walk-in customers from 8:30am to 4:00pm weekdays.

Plan Review Processing

All existing applications for plan review requiring plan revisions may be resubmitted through CompassKC. New commercial and residential plan review applications may be submitted as well.

Building Permit Processing

Permit processing has resumed normal operations. If you received a paper permit during the system outage, this form must be on the job site. Once the temporary paper permit has been digitized into CompassKC you'll receive a notification of the new permanent permit number and permit form.

Inspection Functions

Any inspection that is a reinspection of an inspection after 5/3/2024 and that a paper inspection report was left on site will need the paper inspection report on site for verification, until future notice.

Department Organization

Organization Chart

Administrative Division: Provides support and resources for the department to reach its goals. The division includes finance, human resources, customer service, economic development and special projects.

Development Management Division: Oversees land use and development compliance, floodplain violations and processing of Certificate of Legal Non-Conformance applications. Staff supports the City Plan Commission (CPC) and Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) and makes recommendations to the groups regarding land use issues for current projects.

Inspections Division: Provides primary field enforcement for all permitted construction activity on private property. Inspections include: framing, fire protection, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and elevators.

Community Planning Division: Works with property owners, developers, neighborhood groups, community agencies and local businesses to develop Area Plans for the City’s 18 geographic areas while maintaining the City’s comprehensive plan.

Permits Division: Issues construction related permits, zoning determinations and clearances, and conformance verification letters for lending institutions. The division processes applications related to construction permits and oversees contractor licensing.

Plans Review Division: Reviews plans for construction, renovation, or remodeling of buildings and building systems. Staff works with property owners, contractors, and designers directly by answering questions and finding resolutions to assure compliance within the building code and its technical articles, the Zoning Ordinance, and the Floodplain Ordinance. Additionally, the Division evaluates code modification requests submitted by designers.

Customer Service Contacts

General Office Hours: Monday through Friday (except holidays), 8:00AM - 5:00PM

All of the divisions offer walk-in services and appointments can be scheduled by calling the main number at (816) 513-1500

All division contacts can be found on their webpages.

Code Questions

The Codes Question Hotline for building and construction related questions is staffed daily from 8:00AM - 5:00PM at (816) 513-1511 or you can email your questions to codequestions@kcmo.org.

Additional Information Sources

Sign up for City Planning emails and announcements: Enter your email address in the City Planning and Development section.

NextDoor: The City uses NextDoor to share news, safety alerts, neighborhood events, and services.

Would you like a member of our staff to speak to your group or organization about the City Planning and Development process or department initiatives? Please email planning@kcmo.org to inquire.

City Planning and Development welcomes resident input. Please take the City Planning Customer Satisfaction Survey and let us know how we’re doing!

Additional Customer Tools