Wichita, KS Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Wichita Municipal Code Sec. 27.06.090 requires a floodplain development permit for all proposed construction or other development, including the placement of manufactured homes, in the special flood hazard areas described in Sec. 27.06.030, which covers all city land mapped as SFHA, A, AE, AO, AH and AR Zones on the FIRM panels and Flood Insurance Study dated December 22, 2016. No person, firm, corporation, or unit of government may initiate development or a substantial improvement, or cause it to be done, without first obtaining a separate permit for each structure or piece of work.

To get a permit, Sec. 27.06.100 requires a written application that describes the land by lot, block, tract, or street address; describes the work; states the intended use or occupancy; lists the assessed value of the structure and the fair market value of the improvement; specifies whether the site sits in the flood fringe or floodway; identifies the existing base flood elevation and the proposed development's elevation; and is accompanied by signed plans and specifications.

The Superintendent of the Office of Central Inspection serves as Floodplain Administrator under Sec. 27.06.080 and must confirm sites are reasonably safe from flooding, verify that other required federal, state, or local permits are in hand, notify adjacent communities and the Kansas Division of Water Resources before any watercourse alteration, and keep elevation certification records for every new or substantially improved structure.

A permit denial or interpretation can be appealed: first to the Administrator for a variance ($100 nonrefundable processing fee under Sec. 27.06.200), then to the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission subdivision committee, then to the full Commission, and finally to the city council, with each appeal due within 30 days of the prior decision.