Business Licensing & Operations in Wichita, KS (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Wichita, Kansas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Wichita requires a $100 annual city license for adult entertainment establishments, which must sit at least 500 feet from churches, schools, parks, homes, and each other.
Wichita Adult Business License & Spacing
Significant RestrictionsWichita Municipal Code Sec. 3.05.150
No license shall be granted for an adult entertainment establishment or adult hotel which is located within five hundred feet of a church, public or parochial school, public park, residential zoning district, erotic dance studio as defined in Section 3.06.010 of this Code, or any other adult entertainment establishment or adult hotel.
Massage Establishments
Operating a massage therapy business in Wichita without a license is unlawful under Wichita Municipal Code Sec. 3.55.030. The city requires a two-year business license costing $200 from the city treasurer's office, plus a separate two-year massage therapist permit costing $75 for each practitioner. Applicants face background checks for felonies and crimes of moral turpitude, and violations carry fines up to $2,500 with mandatory minimums.
Wichita Massage Establishment License Required
Significant RestrictionsWichita Municipal Code Sec. 3.55.030, Sec. 3.55.220
Sec. 3.55.030. - License required. It is unlawful for any person to operate a massage therapy business without a valid license as required by this chapter. ... Sec. 3.55.220. - Penalties. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter within the corporate limits of the city shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction hereof shall be punished by a fine of not more...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Wichita confines tattoo and body piercing shops to the GC, OW, IP, LI, GI and AFB zoning districts, at least 200 feet from any school, park or residential district, and requires the work to happen inside an enclosed building. In the Old Town Overlay (OT-O) District, tattoo and piercing studios must operate strictly by appointment, opening no earlier than 10 a.m. and closing by 10 p.m.
Wichita Tattoo and Body Piercing Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsWichita-Sedgwick County Unified Zoning Code Sec. III-D.6.ee
ee.Tattooing and Body Piercing Facilities. All Tattooing and Body Piercing Facilities (facility or facilities) within the City shall be located in the GC, OW, IP, LI, GI or AFB zoning District and shall be subject to the following standards:(1)All facilities shall be located a minimum of 200 feet from a school, park or residential zoning District. This distance shall be measured from the neares...
Tobacco Retail License
Wichita treats e-cigarettes and vape devices as tobacco products, so any retailer selling them needs a $260/year City Licensing tobacco products license before opening for business.
Wichita Vape Retail Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsWichita Municipal Code Sec. 7.60.020
It is unlawful for any person to: a.Business License. Engage in the operation of a business selling, excluding selling by vending machine, tobacco products, at one or more locations within the city, unless such person has procured from City Licensing a license to engage in such business at each such location.b.Vending Machine License. Engage in the operation of a business of selling tobacco ...
Secondhand Dealers
Wichita requires anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand merchandise to hold an annual $100 license under Charter Ordinance No. 192, separate from the $500 pawnbroker license. Dealers must hold purchased goods 14 days before resale, extend that to 60 days if police flag an item as stolen, and cannot buy from anyone under 18 without a parent's written consent. Violations are a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
Wichita Secondhand Dealer License and Hold Rules
Some RestrictionsWichita Charter Ordinance No. 192, §§ 3, 19, 21, 22, 24 (as amended by Charter Ordinance No. 206, § 1 and Charter Ordinance No. 238, §§ 1-3)
SECTION 3...Fees:...Secondhand dealers shall pay an annual fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00)..."Secondhand dealer" means any person, firm, company, partnership, association, or corporation or their employee engaged in the business of buying, selling, trading, exchanging or otherwise dealing in secondhand merchandise of any sort or description...except the term shall not include...(1)Persons ...
Pawnbrokers
Wichita pawnbrokers must hold a $500 annual license under Charter Ordinance No. 192, cap loan interest at 10 percent per month, and keep pledged goods off the market for at least 90 days. The Wichita Police Department reviews every transaction record, and violating any part of the ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
Wichita Pawnbroker License Fee and Hold Rules
Some RestrictionsCity of Wichita Charter Ordinance No. 192, § 3 (as amended by Charter Ordinance No. 206, § 1)
SECTION 3. License Required, Fee, Licenses to Conduct Business Off Premises. (a)No person, whether as principal officer, agent, or employee, shall conduct, pursue, carry on, or operate in the city, any business, or occupation commonly known as a pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, or precious metal dealer, without having first obtained a license therefor. The application for such license shall be ma...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Wichita's zoning code lists Vehicle Repair, General and Vehicle Repair, Limited among the uses a home occupation license can never cover in ordinary residential districts. Fixing cars from a home garage for pay is banned citywide unless the property is a two-acre-plus lot in the RR or SF-20 rural districts and qualifies as a rural home occupation under Sec. IV-E.7 and IV-E.8.
Wichita Bars Auto Repair as Home Occupation
Significant RestrictionsWichita-Sedgwick County Unified Zoning Code Sec. IV-E.6.b, IV-E.7, IV-E.8.e
6.Types of Home Occupations not permitted. None of the following uses shall be deemed to be similar in character to permitted home occupations:a.Animal Care, General and Limited, except as provided in Sec. IV-E. 8;b.Vehicle Repair, General and Limited, except as provided in Sec. IV-E.8;... 7.Qualifying conditions for rural Home Occupations. In addition to the Home Occupations allowed by Sec. IV...
Towing Companies
Wichita requires a City-issued emergency wrecker company license before any operator can tow wrecked or disabled vehicles, and it bans wreckers from soliciting business or self-dispatching to accident scenes.
Wichita Wrecker Company License Required
Significant RestrictionsWichita Municipal Code Sec. 3.49.020
No persons may engage in emergency wrecker service inside the City without first obtaining an emergency wrecker company license from the City. Only one license may be issued to each emergency wrecker company. A license is not assignable or transferable. Emergency wrecker company licenses shall be for a twelve-month period. Such licenses shall be renewed on June 1st of each year. The term of lic...
Looking for Sedgwick County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Wichita city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Sedgwick County →