How to Start a Plumbing Business in Kansas: No State License and How Local Licensing Works

If you searched for a Kansas plumbing license, plumbing license KS, or plumbing license Kansas, you may expect a state card to arrive after you file. It won't. Kansas does not issue a statewide plumber license. Plumbing licensing happens at the city or county level, and a license from one jurisdiction does not carry over to the next. Starting a plumbing business here is less about one state application and more about deciding where you will work and meeting each local requirement.

This guide covers the state filings you will make, the local licenses that matter, and the mistakes that cost plumbing contractors time and money. It is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Talk with a Kansas attorney and a CPA before you choose an entity structure or commit to a service area.

What Kansas Licenses and What It Does Not

Kansas has no general statewide business license. Registering your company with the Kansas Secretary of State is a filing, not a license. Registering for the Kansas business taxes that apply to you with the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) is free. Kansas also has no statewide general contractor, electrician, plumber, or HVAC license. Cities and counties license those trades.

Kansas has 105 counties and 624 cities. Every incorporated place in Kansas is legally a city, so there are no towns or villages to research separately. Your plumbing license question is really a question about each city and county where you plan to take jobs.

Materials and Information You Need Before You Start

• A business name checked against the Secretary of State's business search at https://www.sos.ks.gov/eforms/BusinessEntity/Search.aspx
• A Kansas street address for your resident agent or registered office. A PO box will not work.
• A written list of the cities and counties where you expect to bid or pull permits
• Proof of general liability insurance. MABCD requires $300,000.
• Workers compensation coverage, or the waiver your licensing office accepts
• Filing money: $85 for Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation, and $35 if you want a 120 day name reservation
• Identification and, for trade licenses that require one, documentation of your exam or qualifying person
• A calendar entry for every recurring deadlines in this guide

Step-by-Step: Starting a Plumbing Business in Kansas

Step 1: Choose Your Entity and File With the Secretary of State

Many small plumbing companies form an LLC. The Kansas formation document is Articles of Organization, Domestic (Kansas) Limited Liability Company, Form DL, with an $85 filing fee. Filing online through the Secretary of State's Customer Login portal at https://www.sos.ks.gov/eforms/user_login.aspx?frm=BS is processed within minutes, and the certified copy can be printed immediately. Paper filings are processed by mail from the Topeka office, so expect that route to take longer.

Your name must contain L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, or LIMITED COMPANY under K.S.A. 17-7920. The Secretary of State checks the name against registered entities. If a similar name is in use, you must include a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name (Form CN) under K.S.A. 17-7918 with your formation filing. If you need time to decide, a name reservation costs $35 and holds the name for 120 days. Use the reservation form at https://www.sos.ks.gov/forms/business_services/NR.pdf.

Kansas calls the registered agent a resident agent. The resident agent must be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the entity itself. The registered office must be a Kansas street address where the agent can be regularly present. Update the resident agent or registered office whenever the name or address changes.

A corporation files Articles of Incorporation, Domestic (Kansas) Corporation, Form AI, with the same $85 fee.

Step 2: Register With KDOR for the Taxes That Apply

Register through the Kansas Department of Revenue Customer Service Center. Start at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/business.html. Business tax registration is free. If you sell taxable goods or services, you need a sales tax permit, which you can request at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/busregistration.html. The Kansas state sales tax rate is 6.5%.

Whether your plumbing charges are taxable depends on what you sell and how you bill it. Confirm how KDOR treats labor, parts, and service calls before you send your first invoice. If you plan to hire employees, ask KDOR which withholding registration you need before your first payroll.

Step 3: Map Your Service Area to Its Licensing Authority

Before you buy a van or order lettering, list every city and county where you will bid or pull permits. Each one sets its own rules, and a license earned in one place does not transfer to another. The rules below are the ones verified for the largest plumbing markets.

Area	Who licenses	What the verified rules say	Confirm with
Wichita, Sedgwick County, and small cities served by MABCD	Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD)	Separate trade licenses for plumbing, drain layer, drain cleaner, and gas fitter. Table A lists $360 each for a two year license in the revision reviewed (May 2019). Licensing involves a master or qualified person's exam.	MABCD's current fee schedule
Johnson County, including Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, and Leawood	Johnson County Contractor Licensing, 913-715-2233	A Johnson County plumbing license is required by Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, and Leawood to pull permits.	Johnson County Contractor Licensing
Kansas City, Kansas	City of Kansas City, Kansas	A plumber occupation tax of $267 (2025) applies in addition to trade licensing.	City of Kansas City, Kansas
All other cities and counties	The city or county building department or clerk	Not verified in this guide. Do not assume the rules match the cities above.	The local office directly

Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are different cities in different states. Only Kansas City, Missouri has a city earnings tax. A Kansas City, Kansas license does not cover work in Kansas City, Missouri, and Missouri licensing rules are outside the scope of this guide.

Step 4: Apply for Each Local Trade License

In the MABCD area, plumbing, drain layer, drain cleaner, and gas fitter are four separate licenses. If your work includes gas lines, you need the gas fitter license in addition to plumbing. Each license is listed at $360 for a two year term in the fee schedule reviewed, so confirm the current amount with MABCD before budgeting. License terms expire December 31 of odd numbered years.

Expect to show proof of $300,000 general liability insurance and either workers compensation coverage or a waiver. Renewal requires 12 hours of continuing education, 6 of which must be code related. Keep course certificates in a file you can produce during an audit.

In Johnson County, start with Johnson County Contractor Licensing at 913-715-2233. Ask whether the license you need is the one that Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, or Leawood will accept for your specific permit type, since requirements can differ by city.

Step 5: Pull a Permit for Each Job

A trade license lets you work in a jurisdiction. It does not replace the permit for an individual job. Most cities and counties require a permit before you start new plumbing, repair, or drain work, and some inspect the work before covering it. Ask each local office for its permit fee schedule and inspection timeline, because this guide does not list those figures.

Step 6: Set Up Your Tax and Reporting Calendar

Your entity choice drives how the state taxes you. Here is the current framework:

• LLC (pass through): Kansas has no LLC franchise tax. Members report Kansas income on personal returns at 5.2% on Kansas taxable income up to $23,000 for single filers or $46,000 for married filing jointly, and 5.58% above those thresholds.
• Corporation: The corporate normal tax is 3.5% on Kansas taxable income, plus a 3% surtax on Kansas taxable income over $50,000.

Both entity types file a biennial Information Report, not an annual one. The fee is $90, and it is due every two years by April 15. An LLC formed in an even year reports in each succeeding even year. An LLC formed in an odd year reports in each succeeding odd year. Corporations report in the odd or even year that matches the year they were formed. An LLC that misses the due date has a three month delinquency window before forfeiture, but do not plan around that grace period. Calendar the deadline the day you file your formation documents.

Kansas has no state level DBA, assumed name, or trade name filing. If you operate under a name other than your legal name, check your city and county requirements. You can also protect a mark through the Secretary of State's trademark and service mark registration.

Expected Results

If you finish these steps in order, you will likely have a formed entity, a state tax registration, and the local licenses that match your service area. Timelines and costs may vary by city, by trade mix, and by how quickly each office processes your paperwork. Online Secretary of State filings typically move fastest. Local licensing offices may take longer, so ask each one for its current processing time before you promise a start date to a customer.

The result you should aim for is a business that can legally bid, pull permits, and invoice in each jurisdiction you named in Step 3. Confirm that with the local office before your first job in each area.

Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Waiting for a state plumbing license. Kansas does not issue one. Spending weeks looking for it delays the local filings that actually matter.
• Assuming a license transfers. A Johnson County license does not qualify you in MABCD territory, and MABCD does not reciprocate. Each jurisdiction must license you separately.
• Using a PO box as your registered office. Kansas requires a street address where the resident agent can be regularly present.
• Calling the state report annual. The Information Report is biennial and costs $90.
• Skipping the gas fitter license. If you touch gas lines in the MABCD area, plumbing alone does not cover you.
• Confusing the two Kansas Cities. Kansas City, Kansas taxes plumbers through an occupation tax. Kansas City, Missouri has a different tax structure. Check the city where the job sits.
• Pulling permits without the local license. In Johnson County cities, the license is what gets the permit issued.
• Letting homeowner work become contractor work. In Wichita, a homeowner must pass the plumbing exam, with a $50 test fee, to do plumbing in their own home. Doing paid work for others requires the full license.
• Letting insurance lapse. MABCD requires $300,000 in general liability coverage. Keep the certificate current and send it to the licensing office when it renews.
• Missing continuing education. MABCD renewal requires 12 hours, with 6 code related hours. Track them during the license term, not in the final weeks.

Where to Get Help

The Kansas Business Center publishes a construction kit that walks through licensing for contractors at https://ksbiz.kansas.gov/construction. The Kansas Small Business Development Center offers advising at https://www.kansassbdc.net/, and the SBA's Wichita district office, which serves much of the state, is at https://www.sba.gov/district/wichita. For questions about business taxes, go directly to KDOR at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/business.html.

Next Steps

Start with the Secretary of State filing, because your entity name and resident agent need to exist before the local offices will accept your applications. Then map your service area, call each licensing office, and build your license calendar around the first renewal date. A plumbing business in Kansas is built one jurisdiction at a time.

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, timelines, and requirements change. Confirm each figure with the agency or city listed before you file or budget. For complex situations, including entity choice, multi-city work, or employee payroll, consult a qualified Kansas attorney and a CPA.