The Community Development Department is responsible for scheduling and performing all inspections except for fire inspections, which are handled by the Fire Department. Below are general descriptions of the different inspections you may need. We know this can be a confusing process so please contact the Community Development Department at 816-274-6006 if you have any questions or need to schedule an inspection.

Construction

There are a variety of inspections that will occur during your construction project. The inspections may include building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing depending on the scope of your project. If you have any questions about construction inspections, please call 816-274-6006. Please consult our Building Permit guide for more information on the process for obtaining permits and inspections.

Certificate of Occupancy (CO)

A Certificate of Occupancy is required for new business and home constructions, as well as when there is a change of use in existing commercial facilities. The purpose of this inspection is to ensure the building is safe for occupancy, to ensure the building is sufficient for the proposed use, and to ensure the proposed use is allowed in the specific zoning district. Our Certificate of Occupancy Guide has detailed information about obtaining a temporary or permanent CO.

Rental

Rental inspections are required for every rental unit and are performed after a tenant has vacated. The North Kansas City Municipal Code requires Rental Dwelling Inspections. The inspections are performed in order to safeguard public health, safety and welfare of the tenants and their families and to preserve and enhance property values and quality of life. Please consult our Rental Inspection Guide which has detailed information on the rental inspection process.

Can a tenant file a complaint with the City?

The City's regular rental dwelling inspection program is a between-tenancies program. Therefore, a tenant's first step should always be to contact the owner or managing agent when they have maintenance issues. A tenant may contact the City with health and life safety issues if the owner or managing agent does not address their concerns. The City will investigate to determine if a deficiency exists.

If deficiencies are found, then the City will send a notice of violation to the property owner, which is the first step in the Municipal Court process. It should be noted that the Municipal Court process can be very lengthy, and is not an efficient means of addressing urgent rental dwelling unit problems.

Fire

Fire inspections are performed annually by the Fire Department for every business. Call the Fire Department at 816-274-6025 if you have any questions.

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