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Sedgwick County, KS Hotels & Lodging: Transient Occupancy Tax (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Tax rate
5% of gross rental receipts
Applies to
Unincorporated Sedgwick County lodging
Effective date
March 1, 2007
Collected by
Kansas Secretary of Revenue
Transient guest defined as
Stay of 28 consecutive days or less
Payment due
Monthly, by end of following month
Authority
Charter Resolution No. 59 (repealed No. 32)

Summary

Unincorporated Sedgwick County levies a 5% transient guest tax on gross rental receipts from hotels, motels and tourist courts with more than two guest bedrooms. The tax applies to stays of 28 consecutive days or less and has been collected since March 1, 2007 under Charter Resolution No. 59.

City-specific rules exist: Wichita has its own transient occupancy tax rules that differ from Sedgwick County's county-level regulations. If you live in Wichita, check the city-specific page instead.

Section 3. Levy of tax by Sedgwick County. That a transient guest tax of five percent (5%) shall be levied in the unincorporated area of Sedgwick County, Kansas, upon the gross rental receipts derived from or paid by transient guests for lodging or sleeping accommodations, exclusive of charges for incidental services or facilities, in any hotel, motel or tourist court. The effective date of said tax shall be March 1, 2007, subject to the conditions and provisions of Section 13 herein. The transient guest tax levied pursuant to this resolution shall be based on the gross rental receipts collected by any business.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 22 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

Charter Resolution No. A. and substituted the county's own levy. Section 3 sets the rate at five percent (5%) on gross rental receipts a business derives from transient guests for lodging, excluding charges for incidental services or facilities, in any hotel, motel or tourist court located in the unincorporated area of the county. A "Hotel, Motel or Tourist Court" is defined as a structure with more than two bedrooms furnished for guest accommodation, and a "Transient Guest" is someone who occupies a room for not more than twenty-eight (28) consecutive days, so longer-term renters fall outside the tax.

Section 4 makes the business responsible for collecting the tax from the paying guest and remitting it. Section 5 sets the payment schedule: the tax is due monthly, on or before the last day of the month following the month it was collected, though a business may align payments with its Kansas retailers' sales tax filing schedule with the Secretary of Revenue's approval. Section 6 gives the Secretary of Revenue's office the right to inspect a business's books and records at reasonable times during business hours to verify report accuracy, and Section 8 authorizes the Secretary to administer and enforce collection.

Collected funds are paid into the State Treasury daily; the state keeps 2% to cover administration costs, and the remainder is credited to Sedgwick County's special revenue account for transient guest taxes, remitted to the County Treasurer at least quarterly. Sections 9 and 10 direct that money into a special tourism account the Board of County Commissioners may spend to promote the county's Division of Culture and Recreation. This resolution repealed the county's earlier Charter Resolution No. 32.

Violations & Fines

Section 7 attaches a penalty, set by K.S.A. 12-1694(c), for each month or part of a month a business leaves the tax unpaid after its due date. Under Section 8, if a business refuses or neglects to pay, the delinquent amount plus penalty is collected the same way the state collects unpaid retailers' sales tax under K.S.A. 79-3617, giving the Department of Revenue the state's standard sales-tax enforcement tools against noncompliant lodging operators.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the transient guest tax rate in unincorporated Sedgwick County?
Five percent (5%) of the gross rental receipts a hotel, motel or tourist court collects from transient guests, exclusive of charges for incidental services or facilities, under Section 3 of Charter Resolution No. 59, effective March 1, 2007.
Does the county tax apply to guests who stay for a month or longer?
No. Section 2 defines a "Transient Guest" as someone occupying a room for not more than twenty-eight (28) consecutive days, so longer-term occupants are outside the tax's scope.
Who actually files and pays the tax?
The business operating the hotel, motel or tourist court collects the tax from guests and remits it to the Kansas Department of Revenue monthly, by the last day of the month after it was collected, per Sections 4 and 5.
What happens if a hotel operator does not pay the tax on time?
Section 7 adds a monthly penalty under K.S.A. 12-1694(c) for each month the tax stays unpaid, and Section 8 lets the state collect delinquent amounts using the same enforcement process it uses for unpaid retailers' sales tax under K.S.A. 79-3617.
Where does the money go?
After the state retains 2% for administrative costs, the remainder is credited to Sedgwick County's special revenue account for transient guest taxes, which the Board of County Commissioners may spend to promote the county's Division of Culture and Recreation.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Sedgwick County

All Sedgwick County rules

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