Shawnee County · Topeka metro

Metal buildings in Silver Lake.

We help Silver Lake customers plan machine sheds, hay and equipment storage, workshops, garages and agricultural buildings across the Kaw Valley northwest of Topeka.

Bottomland brings its own considerations. Where you are building affects the permit, the engineering and the site work, and those are worth sorting out before you settle on a design.

Permitting, engineering, and the valley

Projects inside Silver Lake city limits permit through the city. Outside them, you are in unincorporated Shawnee County, which is a different office rather than a lighter standard.

Shawnee County adopted Title 14, Building and Construction, of the City of Topeka Code by reference as its own building code, specifically to keep practice in the unincorporated area consistent with the city. The county administers it through a notarized Affidavit of Code Compliance that accompanies any improvement requiring a permit. Shawnee County Land Use & Development — (785) 251-5410.

On agricultural buildings, Kansas law limits what counties can require. A 2016 Kansas Attorney General opinion concluded that a county may not require buildings used solely for agricultural purposes to comply with county construction codes. It is not automatic — the county decides whether a building qualifies, and mixed-use buildings often do not.

The floodplain exception matters here more than almost anywhere we work. That agricultural limitation does not extend to floodplain regulations, which still apply in designated floodplain areas whatever the building is used for. On Kaw Valley bottomland that is not a footnote, and it is the first thing to check rather than the last.

There is also a conversation to have that is not about steel at all. On bottomland, pad elevation matters as much as the frame does. We would rather talk it through with you early than have you find out after the slab is poured.

The risk category for your building depends on its intended use and the code provisions your jurisdiction enforces, and the engineering documentation follows from that. We confirm what applies to your address before drawings are produced. More on the area’s authorities on the Topeka page.