Sedgwick County, KS Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Non-owner-occupied dwellings, unincorporated county only
- Minimum heat
- 68°F when outside temp is below 60°F
- Hot water minimum
- 110°F at plumbing fixtures
- Smoke detectors
- Required in every sleeping area
- Violation class
- Class H for occupying a substandard dwelling
- Fine schedule
- $150 / $300 / $450, 1st/2nd/3rd in 12 months
- Enforcing office
- Sedgwick County building official
Summary
Sedgwick County's Rental Housing Code, County Code Article IX (Secs. 6-426 through 6-436), sets mandatory minimum maintenance standards for every non-owner-occupied dwelling in the unincorporated county. It requires working sanitary facilities, pest-free premises, heat capable of holding 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and smoke detectors in every sleeping area, enforced by the county building official.
The purpose of this code is to establish minimum standards to safeguard life, limb, health, property, and public welfare by regulating and controlling the use, occupancy, and maintenance of all residential buildings and structures within the unincorporated area of the county that are not occupied by the owner thereof, and to provide for the uniform administration of said standards. ... (a)The provisions of this article shall apply to all buildings or portions thereof used, or designed or intended to be used, for human habitation, except owner occupied dwellings. (b)Dwellings, dwelling units, rooming houses and rooming units shall comply with all the requirements of this article.
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
The code applies only outside city limits, to "all buildings or portions thereof used, or designed or intended to be used, for human habitation, except owner occupied dwellings" (Sec. 6-428). Landlords must keep plumbing fixtures connected to an approved sewer or septic system, supply a flush toilet, washbowl, and bathtub or shower for every dwelling unit, and deliver hot water at not less than 110 degrees Fahrenheit at the fixture (Sec. 6-432). Heating equipment must maintain 68 degrees Fahrenheit in habitable rooms whenever the outside temperature drops below 60 degrees, unvented fuel-burning heaters are banned, and smoke detectors are required at each sleeping area, above stairways serving upper-level bedrooms, and in basements with stairways opening into the dwelling (Sec.
6-433). Every unit must be free of visible insects and rodents at each new occupancy, with extermination the owner's responsibility, and windows and exterior doors must be weather-tight, lockable, and rodent-proof (Sec. 6-431). Buildings with three or more units must have owner-supplied refuse storage; for one- and two-family rentals the occupant must supply it if the owner has not (Sec. 6-430). Sec. 6-434 lists what makes a dwelling "substandard": inadequate sanitation, structural hazards (deteriorated foundations, sagging or split framing, unsafe chimneys), hazardous electrical wiring, or inadequate heating equipment.
The building official (Director of Code Enforcement) may enter a dwelling at reasonable times to inspect, must present credentials to an occupant before entering an occupied unit, and must attempt to locate the owner before entering a vacant one (Sec. 6-435). Owners remain liable for code duties even if a lease shifts equipment or maintenance obligations to the tenant (Sec. 6-435(d)), and the county may still pursue any other legal or equitable remedy (Sec. 6-436). This county rental code is separate from the City of Wichita's own Housing Code (Wichita Municipal Code Ch. 04), which by its own purpose clause governs housing "within Wichita" only; the two instruments do not overlap in territory.
Violations & Fines
Knowingly allowing occupancy of a dwelling that is substandard under Sec. 6-434 is a class H violation under Sedgwick County Code Sec. 8-5's fine schedule: $150 for a first conviction, $300 for a second, and $450 for a third within a 12-month period, plus court costs. The building official or any code enforcement officer can issue a uniform complaint and notice to appear directly to the responsible owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Sedgwick County Rental Housing Code cover a house I own and live in?
What temperature is a rental in unincorporated Sedgwick County required to reach?
Who inspects a rental and declares it substandard?
Is this the same rule that applies inside the City of Wichita?
Can my landlord make me supply my own trash cans?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sedgwick County
Compare Sedgwick County to another location·View the Kansas rental property rules overview
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