Overland Park regulates accessory dwelling units under the Unified Development Ordinance (Title 18 of the Overland Park Municipal Code), administered by Planning + Development Services. An Accessory Unit is defined as a building or addition for living purposes with a maximum footprint of 650 square feet (or the principal-structure footprint for English Basement types). Building permits are issued under the City-adopted 2018 IBC/IRC. Kansas has no statewide ADU statute — KSA 12-741 et seq. delegates zoning to home-rule cities.
Overland Park (Johnson County's largest city and the second-largest in Kansas) treats accessory dwelling units as accessory residential uses subordinate to the principal single-family dwelling, regulated under the Unified Development Ordinance (Title 18, OPMC) and administered by Planning + Development Services (8500 Santa Fe Drive). The UDO defines an Accessory Unit as a building or addition for living purposes with a maximum footprint of 650 square feet, with a separate definition for English Basement-type units (which may match the principal-structure footprint). Detached accessory buildings must comply with OPMC 18.180.070 site design standards — they may not be located in any required front or side yard setback, may be located in the rear-yard setback area provided no closer than 3 feet to any interior property line, no closer than 20 feet from any street right-of-way, and not in front of any building setback line. Cumulative ground area of detached accessory buildings in the rear yard cannot exceed 30% of the rear-yard land area. Building permit applications go to Planning + Development Services and require site plan, floor plan, structural sheets, and separate trade applications for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work. Construction must comply with the City-adopted 2018 International Residential Code and 2018 International Building Code, enforced through OPMC Title 16, Chapters 16.100-16.180. The City is in the middle of a multi-year UDO update begun in 2024 that may modify ADU standards. KSA 12-741 et seq. delegates zoning authority to cities; there is no Kansas statewide ADU preemption.
Constructing an ADU without permits triggers a stop-work order from Planning + Development Services, doubled permit fees on after-the-fact applications, and possible mandatory exposure of concealed framing/electrical/plumbing for inspection. Habitable structures without a certificate of occupancy may not be legally occupied or rented. Persistent zoning violations are prosecuted in Overland Park Municipal Court with daily fines under the UDO general penalty provisions.
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