Building Safety Division

The Building Safety Division is managed by Barry Walthall. The division enforces City codes concerning the construction and maintenance of structures within the City. Building permits, required contractor and occupational licenses, requirements for new construction, remodels and additions, and help selecting a contractor are available on this web site.
All applications are reviewed under the following codes:

1997 Uniform Building Code
2005 National Electrical Code
2000 Uniform Mechanical Code
2003 Uniform Plumbing Code

Announcement-2006 I-Codes Adopted
The City of Lawrence recently adopted the 2006 editions of the International Building Code, International Fire Code, International Residential Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Existing Building Code, International Mechanical Code, International Plumbing Code, International Fuel Gas Code and International Property Maintenance Code. These codes will become effective January 1, 2008.

Projects for which permit applications are received after January 1, 2008 are required to be designed and constructed in conformance with these new codes. The adoption of these codes will result in changes to construction practices as well as our permit application process and inspection procedures. An outline of some of the most prominent changes from the IRC is provided along with ordinances adopting the codes and amendments. Click the below links to access these documents. The changes outlined are by no means the only impacts we may see as the transition to these new codes progresses.