Short-term rental permit rules in Sedgwick County, KS — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Since a January 2026 Unified Zoning Code amendment, short-term rentals are allowed in unincorporated Sedgwick County with an administrative permit that must be renewed every five years. Inside Wichita and other cities, STR permitting is municipal, not county.
For decades short-term rentals were not permitted in unincorporated Sedgwick County residential zoning; the closest allowed uses were a Bed and Breakfast Inn or a Hotel/Motel, both requiring a zoning action. The Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners adopted amendments to the Wichita–Sedgwick County Unified Zoning Code on January 21, 2026 that, for the first time, allow short-term rentals in unincorporated areas through an administrative permit renewed every five years. The UZC is administered jointly by the Metropolitan Area Planning Department (MAPD). If your property lies inside Wichita, Derby, Haysville, or another incorporated city, apply through that city instead.
Operating an STR in the county without the required administrative permit is a zoning violation enforced by MAPD/county code enforcement, subject to abatement and citations.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Sedgwick County does not prohibit backyard composting of yard and food waste. Compost must be managed so it does not become an odor, vermin, or nuisance prob...
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Sedgwick County has no ordinance banning artificial turf on residential yards in unincorporated areas. Installation is generally treated as landscaping. Zoni...
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Sedgwick County does not prohibit native prairie plants or pollinator gardens, but any vegetation must stay under the Chapter 19 nuisance height (18 inches) ...
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Rainwater collection is legal in Kansas. Sedgwick County has no ordinance banning rain barrels. Rooftop capture for domestic, garden, and livestock use is al...
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Sedgwick County sets no county-wide lawn-watering schedule. If you get water from the City of Wichita, a permanent 3-day odd/even watering schedule applies. ...
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Sedgwick County's Chapter 19 Nuisance Code makes grass or rank vegetation over 18 inches on unincorporated property a nuisance. Separately, Kansas Noxious We...
See how Sedgwick County's permit requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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