Straight answers
Are tiny homes legal in Kansas, and where can you put one?
Yes, where your city or county allows it, because in Kansas both zoning and the building code for a house are adopted locally. State law gives every city and county the power to adopt zoning, and cities adopt a building code by reference, so there is no single Kansas answer for a tiny home. Two state rules do reach small homes. Under the by-right housing development act, approved in April 2026, an accessory dwelling unit that meets the local zoning code must be approved without a discretionary hearing, and every city and county must allow a minimum residential lot size of 3,000 square feet for a new single-family home under 2,500 square feet. A tiny home on wheels is a separate matter: Lawrence's code classifies tiny homes on wheels as recreational vehicles, which may not be lived in outside a district that allows a campground.
Figures verified against the sources below · October 1, 2026
01 — The longer answer
What Kansas law decides, and what your city or county decides
Why there is no single Kansas answer
K.S.A. 12-753 lets the governing body of any city, and the board of county commissioners of any county, adopt zoning regulations, and K.S.A. 12-3009 lets a city adopt any standard or model code by reference. The state's own codes do not reach a one- or two-family house. The fire prevention code applies across the state, but its rules do not apply to buildings used wholly as dwelling houses containing no more than two families, and the state's energy standard covers new commercial and industrial structures only. So for a house, the code in force is whichever one your city or county adopted, and the first call is to its planning or building office.
What the 2026 by-right housing law changed
Senate Bill 418, approved on 7 April 2026, defines an accessory dwelling unit in Kansas statute: a secondary housing unit that is subordinate to the primary dwelling unit on the same lot and may include a separate kitchen, bathroom and entrance. It does not order a city to allow one. It says a housing development, including an accessory dwelling unit, that meets the criteria in the zoning code and land use regulations shall be approved by right, without discretionary review by a planning commission or zoning board, and that a complete application is deemed approved unless it is denied within 30 days. For a new single-family home under 2,500 square feet on its own lot, every political subdivision must also allow a 2018 edition of the International Residential Code, single-car garages, and a minimum residential lot size of 3,000 square feet subject to reasonable setbacks. Local rules that conflict are null and void as applied to that property. The act takes effect on its publication in the statute book.
A small factory-built home in a single-family zone
K.S.A. 12-763 stops a city or county from zoning manufactured homes out of its whole jurisdiction, and from excluding residential-design manufactured homes from single-family districts solely because they are manufactured homes. The protection is narrower than it sounds. K.S.A. 12-742 defines a residential-design manufactured home as one on a permanent foundation with minimum dimensions of 22 body feet in width, a pitched roof, and siding and roofing materials customarily used on site-built homes. A home 8 to 14 feet wide does not meet that definition, so the statute does not carry it into a single-family zone, and a city may still set architectural standards for compatibility with site-built housing.
On wheels, it is a recreational vehicle
The Kansas Department of Revenue says Kansas law requires trailers to be titled and registered, which makes a home on wheels a vehicle before any zoning question is asked. Lawrence shows how a city then treats it. Its Land Development Code, in the edition dated 12 November 2024, says tiny homes on wheels are classified as recreational vehicles and defines a tiny house as a site-built dwelling of 400 square feet or less, and its property maintenance code says recreational vehicles shall not be used for living or sleeping purposes except in a district that allows a campground. The City lists a newer edition dated 1 September 2026 that we could not read, so check the current text before relying on any of it.
Wichita and Sedgwick County
The City of Wichita's own page says an accessory apartment currently requires a conditional use in the rural residential, single-family, two-family, manufactured housing and neighbourhood office districts. Its code describes an accessory apartment as a dwelling unit that may be wholly within, or detached from, a principal single-family home. The rules are being rewritten: the Sedgwick County Commission voted unanimously on 16 September 2026 to adopt amendments that include a by-right option in the unincorporated county, and the city's own amendments were still to be decided when we read the page.
Lists of which Kansas counties allow tiny homes circulate widely, and no state statute we read supports a blanket claim about every county. The rule for your land is the zoning resolution and building code your own city or county has adopted.
03 — Sources
Each figure above links to the authority it came from.
2026 Session Laws of Kansas, Chapter 76 (Senate Bill 418), the by-right housing development act, approved April 7, 2026: defines an accessory dwelling unit as a secondary housing unit subordinate to the primary dwelling unit on the same lot; housing developments, including accessory dwelling units, that meet the criteria in the zoning code and land use regulations shall be approved by-right without discretionary review; a complete application is deemed approved unless denied within 30 days; for new single-family residences under 2,500 square feet on their own lot all political subdivisions shall allow a 2018 edition of the IRC, single-car garages and a minimum residential lot size of 3,000 square feet; conflicting local rules are null and void as applied to such property; takes effect from and after its publication in the statute book
sos.ks.govK.S.A. 12-753(a): the governing body of any city, by ordinance, and the board of county commissioners of any county, by resolution, may provide for the adoption or amendment of zoning regulations
ksrevisor.govK.S.A. 12-3009: any city is authorized to incorporate in an ordinance by reference any standard or model code
ksrevisor.govK.S.A. 31-133: the state fire marshal's rules and regulations shall not apply to buildings used wholly as dwelling houses containing no more than two families
ksrevisor.govK.S.A. 66-1227: the International Energy Conservation Code 2006 is the energy efficiency standard for new commercial and industrial structures; nothing precludes a city or county from adopting its own standards
ksrevisor.govK.S.A. 12-763: a governing body shall not adopt or enforce zoning regulations that exclude manufactured homes from its entire zoning jurisdiction, or that exclude residential-design manufactured homes from single-family residential districts solely because they are manufactured homes; architectural or aesthetic standards for compatibility with site-built housing remain allowed
ksrevisor.govK.S.A. 12-742(a)(7): a residential-design manufactured home is a manufactured home on permanent foundation with minimum dimensions of 22 body feet in width, a pitched roof, and siding and roofing materials customarily used on site-built homes
ksrevisor.govKansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles, titles and registration FAQ: Kansas law requires trailers to be titled and registered, with listed exceptions
ksrevenue.govCity of Lawrence Land Development Code, edition of November 12, 2024: tiny homes on wheels are classified as RVs; a tiny house is a site-built dwelling of 400 square feet or less; section 20-811(b) allows accessory dwelling units only as accessory to single unit detached dwellings. City Code 9-601 (property maintenance code) 302.9.11: recreational vehicles shall not be used for living or sleeping purposes except in a district allowing a campground
assets.lawrenceks.orgCity of Wichita, Accessory Apartments: an accessory apartment currently requires Conditional Use in the RR, SF-20, SF-10, SF-5, TF-3, MH and NO districts; on September 16, 2026 the Sedgwick County Commission voted unanimously to adopt the proposed Unified Zoning Code changes
wichita.gov
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