Frequently Asked Questions - Records, Permits & Licenses
Johnson County Government does not require business licenses in unincorporated areas. However, the individual cities that are incorporated have elected officials in place to govern each one individually and may require business license for new businesses. Contact the city in which you plan to establish you business to determine their requirements.
Contact the office of Records and Tax Administration at 913-715-0775 - or - stop by the office: The Administration Building; 111 S. Cherry Street, Suite 1200; Olathe, KS. 66061
Contact the County Records & Tax Administration office to see if a Quit Claim Deed is part of the file for your property. The phone number is 913-715-0775.
Complete the Change of Address on Kansas Driver's License form online at https://www.kdor.org/dl/default.aspx. Should you have additional questions about this website, click on the "Contact Us" in the menu bar.
If you plan to start a business in the unincorporated area of Johnson County, contact the County Planning & Codes office at 913-715-2200 to speak with a Planner. They will provide information on any restrictions and flood plain information for the business location. To apply for applicable permits for unincorporated areas, come to the Planning office at 111 S. Cherry St. - Suite 3500, Olathe, KS 66061 or call the office number listed above for appropriate information.
A Special Events & Activities Permit for unincorporated areas is available from the office of the County Clerk (111 S. Cherry Street, Suite 3300, Administration building in Olathe, KS 66061. The appropriate form is available at that office. Information regarding the Permit Procedure may be found online at http://cmo.jocogov.org/permits. Such requests from incorporated cities should be directed to the planning and codes area for the particular city.
The County does not require a business license for the unincorporated areas. However, incorporated cities may. Note: Incorporated cities are those governed by officials who are elected by the citizens of that city. Therefore, it is necessary that you to contact the city where you wish to establish your business to ascertain their expectations for the establishment of new businesses.
Following is a list of incorporated cities and their contact numbers:
•DeSoto - 913-583-1182
•Fairway - 913-262-0350
•Gardner - 913-896-7535
•Lake Quivira - 913-631-5300
•Leawood - 339-6700
•Lenexa - 913-477-7500
•Merriam - 913-722-3330
•Mission - 913-722-3685
•Mission Hills - 913-362-9620
•Olathe - 913-971-8600
•Overland Park - 913-895-6000
•Prairie Village - 381-6464
•Roeland Park - 913-722-2600
•Shawnee - 913-631-2500
•Spring Hill - 913-592-3664
•Westwood - 913-362-1550
It appears your home-based business will be within the City limits of Overland Park; the entity that would have oversight responsibility for businesses within its borders. The County would be involved only in unincorporated areas.
Johnson County (which maintains oversight over unincorporated areas of the County) does not require business licenses. However, the cities and Olathe in particular may. Contact the office of Development Services in Olathe to determine the codes/regulations for establishing businesses in that city.
The website for the city of Olathe is: www.olatheks.org
The Development Services Director, Dave Clements, may be reached at (913) 971-8503.
Since Johnson County (JoCo) does not require a business license for its unincorporated areas (the areas of county oversight), such a list does not exist. Business Licenses for JoCo cities are available at http://www.businesslicenses.com/Licenses/KS/Johnson/.
Contact the Records and Tax Administration in the County Administration Building. You can call them at 715-0775 or stop in at 111 S. Cherry Street - Suite 1200 in Olathe.
It is difficult to provide a definitive answer to this question since vital information is missing from this question.
First, if the event is to be held in an incorporated city, contact that city for an answer to your question. If the event is to be held in an unincorporated area of the County, contact the County planning department to pose your question. Be prepared to give an exact address for the site. Contact the planning department by phone at: 913-715-2200.
Government employees are not permitted to offer legal advice/assistance to our constituents. Contact your title company or attorney. They should be able to provide the form and assist you in completing it.
The repository for Johnson County property records (deeds) is the Records & Tax Administration department. The department is on the first floor of the Administration Building at 111 S Cherry Street in downtown Olathe. The phone number is: (913) 715-0775.
This information is available from our Records and Tax Administration office. You may contact that office in person at: Johnson County Administration Building, 111 S. Cherry Street, Suite 1200, Olathe, KS 66061; or by phone at: (913) 715-0775.
Operating a business or performing a service in the City of Shawnee, KS requires a Business License. Business Licenses are issued by the City Clerk’s office. In most cases, the licensing year begins on October 1st and ends on September 30th. Check out the Shawnee, KS website at: www.cityofshawnee.org/ . Click on business to access the business license link.
Death records can be accessed at the State of Kansas Vital Statistics website: www.vitalchek.com,
or by calling the Office of Vital Statistics at (785)296-3253
For residential purposes, any structure with a floor area exceeding 120 sq. ft. requires a permit. For nonresidential purposes, any structure with floor area exceeding 200 sq. ft. also requires a building permit. Any structure, regardless of size, has setback requirements that can be found by contacting the Johnson County Planning Department, 913-715-2201.
All new structures, decks, and roofs within unincorporated Johnson County require a building permit.
A permit is required to enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure.
A permit is also required to repair, remove, convert, or replace electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing.
The department website provides a list of "work exempt from permits", categorized by Residential, Commercial, Electrical, etc.
The Johnson County Archives & Records Management Department has in its collection will records from 1859 – 1968. Photocopies of original documents are available along with copies of documents on microfilm.
The Probate Division of the Johnson County District Court handles matters related to probate cases. The probate division of the Court Clerk's Office is located on the 7th floor of the Johnson County Courthouse. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is 913) 715-3370 or view the website.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment in Topeka, Kansas, has birth and death records dating from July 1911. Contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Office of Vital Statistics at:
Curtis State Office Building, Suite 120
1000 SW Jackson, Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Phone: (785) 296-1500
(The Building is southeast of the Capitol Building)
Divorce decrees (1940 forward) are on file at the office of the Clerk of the District Court in which the case was handled. The Clerk is located in the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe, Kansas. The phone number is (913) 715-3480.
Contact the Johnson County District Court at (913) 715-3428 or view the website.
