Short answer: in Lee’s Summit you need a building permit for any detached accessory structure over 120 square feet, a shed cannot be larger than 250 square feet, and anything over 120 square feet has to sit on a permanent footing. Here is what those numbers mean for the shed you actually want, what the city asks for, and how the process runs.
The three numbers that matter
| Rule | What Lee’s Summit says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Permit threshold | Permits are required for detached accessory structures over 120 square feet in floor area. | A 10 by 12 (120) needs no permit. A 12 by 12 (144), 10 by 16 (160), or 12 by 16 (192) does. |
| Shed size cap | Proposed shed structures cannot exceed 250 square feet. | 12 by 20 (240) is the practical ceiling. Bigger than that is a garage or a shop, with its own rules. |
| Foundation | Structures over 120 square feet must be on a permanent 12-inch-deep footing. | Once you cross 120, a gravel pad is no longer enough. Plan for a footing and an inspection. |
Two more rules kick in on larger buildings. Over 600 square feet or more than one story, the drawings have to be signed and sealed by a Missouri-registered design professional, and the contractor needs at least a Class C license with the city. That is garage and workshop territory, not shed territory, but it is worth knowing before you fall in love with a two-story plan.
What the city wants to see
Lee’s Summit Development Services handles shed permits by email. The application is three documents:
- Scope of Work statement. The city’s fillable form describing what you are building.
- Plot plan. Drawn to scale, showing where the shed sits, its dimensions, and the distances from the shed to the rear and side property lines. This is the document that gets reviewed for setback compliance.
- Building plan. Materials and the use of the structure, drawn to scale or dimensioned so the square footage is clear.
Once the plot plan clears setback review, the city calculates the permit fee, you pay it online, and the permit is issued by email. Then the inspections happen as the build goes: the footing before it is poured, and the finished structure at the end.
How long it takes
The city asks for two business days per submittal. The delays it lists are the same three every time: an incomplete application, an error on the plot plan, or a problem with the drawings. Each one costs you another review cycle. A complete, correct first submittal is the whole trick, which is the part we do for you.
Placement rules that apply even without a permit
A 10 by 12 that skips the permit still has to sit legally on the lot. The plot plan review checks the distance from the shed to the rear and side property lines against your zoning district, and the shed cannot sit on a utility or drainage easement. If your subdivision has a homeowners association, its covenants on outbuildings, siding, and colors apply on top of the city’s rules, and the city will not enforce them for you. Raintree Lake, Lakewood, and New Longview all have architectural review. We ask for the covenants at the site visit and design to them.
What about power?
Running electricity to a shed means an electrical permit and inspection regardless of the shed’s size. If you want lights, an outlet for the mower charger, or a heater, plan on the trade permit. It is routine, and we pull it with the building permit.
Our take, from the shop down the street
KC Structure Co is based in Lee’s Summit, and shed permits here are the paperwork we file most often. Our shed models are built to the city’s rules: the 10 by 12 stays under the permit line, the 12 by 16 and 12 by 20 come with the 12-inch footing the city requires, and nothing in the shed catalog crosses the 250-square-foot cap. Configure one for a ballpark price and add it to your cart to request a site visit. We measure the setbacks, draw the plot plan, and submit the application.
Not in Lee’s Summit? Every city in the metro sets its own threshold. Blue Springs goes up to 250 square feet without a permit, Greenwood 144, Grandview only 30. We compared all 18 cities we serve in Shed permit rules in 18 Kansas City suburbs.
Source: City of Lee’s Summit, Building Permits – Residential. Verified September 2026. Rules change; we confirm current requirements for your address before the quote is final.